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Since 1979, Roane State Foundation has been on a mission to strengthen communities and eliminate barriers to student success. With help from donors and other community partners, the Foundation provides financial support to students and programs on nine Roane State campuses across ten counties of East Tennessee. Foundation initiatives to support Roane State students and communities include annual student scholarships; professional development opportunities for RSCC faculty and staff; institutional facilities and equipment for Roane State Community College; funding for RSCC academic programs, athletics, and more; and community programs that fuel student growth.

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) began in the mid 1980’s as a local ecumenical effort to provide assistance to impoverished families. As the broad needs of the low-income community became evident, the faith-based collaborative moved to become a 501(c)(3) public charity in January, 1987. Over the years, ADFAC has honored its roots by developing a broad variety of programs designed to meet unfilled needs in the community and currently answers over 6,000 requests for assistance each year.

Tennessee Members 1st Federal Credit Union is celebrating 80 years of serving its members and community with a yearlong anniversary celebration, 80 Years, One Community.

TN Members 1st opened its doors on May 15, 1946, as Oak Ridge Government Employees Federal Credit Union. From a single branch inside the Department of Energy building and a handful of members, the credit union began serving a newly established Oak Ridge community still closely connected to its Manhattan Project roots.

Over the eight decades that followed, the credit union grew and changed alongside the community it served. It surpassed $1 million in assets in 1963, introduced online data processing in 1975, began offering credit cards in 1981, expanded its Oak Ridge location, added ATM and home banking services, opened a Knoxville branch, and eventually became Tennessee Members 1st Federal Credit Union. Today, members have access to two branch locations, digital banking, a mobile app, automated audio access, and the CO-OP Shared Branching Network nationwide.

While the credit union’s name, technology, services, and reach have evolved, its 80th anniversary celebration is centered on something that has remained constant: the people who have been part of its story.

“Eighty years gives us a lot of history to look back on, but what stands out most is how many people have been part of that history,” said Richelle Ballenger, Vice President of Member Experience at TN Members 1st Federal Credit Union. “Our members, employees, volunteers, community partners, and neighbors have all helped shape who we are today. We wanted this anniversary to feel less like a celebration of an organization and more like a celebration of the community that has grown with us.”

Throughout the anniversary year, which continues through March 2027, TN Members 1st will share historical highlights, community activities, acts of kindness, and opportunities for members to take part in the celebration.

A central part of the anniversary is an invitation for members to share their own TN Members 1st stories. The credit union is collecting memories and experiences that reflect the many ways members have connected with TN Members 1st over the years - from first accounts and first loans to favorite memories, family traditions, financial goals, and meaningful interactions with credit union employees.

“For 80 years, our story has been written one member at a time,” Ballenger said. “We want members to see themselves in our history and know that their experiences, whether they began decades ago or just recently, are part of what makes TN Members 1st what it is today.”

Submitted stories may be featured throughout the anniversary year on the credit union’s website, social media channels, and in its branches. Members can also choose to share a photo with their submission or request that their story be shared anonymously.

The anniversary reflects both where TN Members 1st has been and where it is headed. As the credit union continues to introduce new tools, services, and opportunities for its members, the same focus on people, relationships, and community that began in 1946 remains at the center of its work.

Members and community residents can explore TN Members 1st’s history, learn more about the 80th anniversary celebration, and submit a member story at mymembersfirst.org/80.

As Tennessee Members 1st Federal Credit Union celebrates its 80th anniversary, the credit union is turning part of that celebration outward through 80 for 80, a series of acts of kindness designed to give back to the community that has supported TN Members 1st for generations.

The initiative is part of the credit union’s 80 Years, One Community anniversary celebration and will provide nearly $20,000 in support throughout 2026. Rather than focusing only on the credit union’s history, 80 for 80 creates opportunities to recognize the people and organizations that continue to shape the communities TN Members 1st serves.

“Reaching 80 years gives us a lot to celebrate, but it also gives us an opportunity to say thank you,” said Richelle Ballenger, Vice President of Member Experience at TN Members 1st Federal Credit Union. “Our members and our community have supported this credit union for generations, and it was important to us that giving back was a meaningful part of this anniversary.”

Throughout the year, 80 for 80 is supporting needs that touch different parts of the community, including educational experiences for local children, back-to-school resources, assistance for college students, transportation support, and holiday giving. The effort works alongside local organizations already doing this work every day, allowing the credit union’s anniversary celebration to reach people throughout the communities it serves.

The giving began this summer with support for school field trips through the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge and 80 fully stocked backpacks through ADFAC. This fall, 80 Roane State Community College students were identified as having roughly $80 in bookstore balances; the credit union worked with the Roane State Foundation and Roane State Business Office to clear those balances. Additional community giving is planned through the end of the year.

“Knowing that something we’re doing can make a school day a little easier, help a student get what they need for class, or take one expense off someone’s plate is incredibly meaningful,” Ballenger added. “We’re fortunate to be in a position to support our community, and seeing those resources go directly toward real needs is one of the best ways we could celebrate 80 years.”

TN Members 1st was originally chartered on May 15, 1946, as Oak Ridge Government Employees Federal Credit Union, serving Department of Energy employees from a single location in the Department of Energy building. Eight decades later, the credit union continues to serve East Tennessee while remaining rooted in the community where its story began.

The 80th anniversary celebration continues through March 2027 with community activities, member stories, historical highlights, and other opportunities to recognize the people who have been part of the TN Members 1st story.

Members and community residents can learn more about 80 Years, One Community, explore the credit union’s history, and share their own TN Members 1st stories at mymembersfirst.org/80.

Knox Area Rescue Ministries’ mission is to rescue and restore the poor and needy of the Knoxville area by providing recovery services in Jesus’ name. KARM provides daily for those most vulnerable and desperate among us, first supplying rescue services of food and shelter, then healthy, supportive relationships, and ultimately restoration, including job-training opportunities.