"People with good intentions make promises but, people with good character keep them."

I was born and raised on Maui and am Native Hawaiian. I never thought that as an adult it would be an uphill battle to own my own home. After a failed attempt to purchase a condo in an affordable housing project in November 2022, my husband and I made a serious decision. We were going to move to the mainland.

Maui County Federal Credit Union has been a blessing to our life since the moment they helped my husband get a car in 2020. That day was a miracle because he had no credit and Maui Toyota had no inventory because there was a car shortage! However, because my husband qualified with the first-time buyer’s program through Maui County Federal Credit Union and someone didn't like the color of their RAV4, my husband drove off the lot that very same day with his dream car! My husband became a member then and soon after we both became members after refinancing our cars through Maui County Federal Credit Union at 2.9%!

What truly convinced me that Maui County Federal Credit Union was a part of my family was when I met Bobbie Pagay in October 2022. Weeks prior she was standing at the door greeting members. I walked by her and said, "You're so nice! Thank you!" To which she replied, "Oh, I'm just the janitor!" Looking at her in disbelief I said, "Don't lie. I know you're probably one of the big bosses looking down from your office above!" We both just started laughing and went about our day. Soon after Bobbie would be the one helping us expedite shipping our cars. She handed me a paper and told me, "Here's my contact information. If you need anything, call or email me!"

Little did I know what we would face on the mainland and how soon we'd be making our way back after only a couple months. Bobbie Pagay is a woman of good character. She keeps her word. I reached out to her in regard to obtaining a loan so we could ship our things back and both she and the Chief Lending Officer Wes Higuchi were there to lend a helping hand in our time of need.

What I've learned here in the mainland is that people can say something but if you don't have it in writing their actions don't reflect their words. What I know about our local community is that we treat one another like family, blood related or not. We're there for one another. Maui County Federal Credit Union has been there for our family on countless occasions but it's people like Bobbie and Wes whose hearts are for the Maui Community. We're truly blessed to bank here and are forever thankful for all their help!

-Tierra and Ali Ghareh Gharibi