The City of Boston Credit Union is all about “investing in our community, investing in the people, and investing in a better future for all of us,” said Coleman Nee, member experience specialist in the marketing department.

With its gift of $10,000, CBCU continues its investment in our community by being a partner of the South Boston Street Festival! 

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the City of Boston Credit Union,” said Donna Brown, executive director of South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation. “We are grateful for their investment in and ongoing support of not only the Street Festival but of South Boston as well. CBCU has been vital as we work to improve the quality of life in our community.”

The credit union has been involved in the Street Festival for many many years. And in Coleman’s almost five years with the company, CBCU has been the Street Festival’s partner.

“We’re avid supporters of the community and any time we see a group really going above and beyond to support the community and support the people living in that community, we see a reflection of our values in that and we just want to get behind it,” Coleman said. “Supporting the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation and the South Boston Chamber … that’s just a philosophy we can really get behind, giving back to the communities and all local businesses within that.”

The City of Boston Credit Union is community-focused and community-based. The 106-year-old credit union is built on the philosophy of people helping people, Coleman said. “And you see all the work that the South Boston Chamber of Commerce and the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation is doing, for not only the business community but the people within the neighborhood of South Boston, it’s something we want to get behind and we support, especially an event like the South Boston Street Festival, which is an awesome family-friendly day. 

“It’s definitely an event that we can support and get behind for a better community for all.”

Being a partner with SBNDC and the Chamber is important to the credit union. In addition to the Street Festival, CBCU also sponsors the Taste of South Boston and the South Boston Christmas Strolls. ”It’s definitely not a one and done for us. South Boston is definitely a special place for us,” Coleman said.

“We like to participate in the planning that leads up to these events, we like to brainstorm with the groups,” Coleman said. “If they have an event coming up and they want to bounce a couple of ideas off some of the businesses within the community, we love to be there to be that voice for them. It’s definitely not just ‘we show up’ … we like to be involved in the planning; we’ll assist with social media, we’ll push things through our own channels. We really like to be involved in it.

“We’re members of the community; we have members who live there; some of our directors on our board of directors are South Boston residents or were born and raised there. We like to be more than just the name on the poster; we like to be active teammates.”

At the Street Festival, the City of Boston Credit Union booth will be offering a spinning wheel game and mini golf for prizes.

Coleman is a fan of getting out there at the festival and being able to introduce himself to the community. “I love the opportunity to be out there and enjoy that day and the weather, say hello to all the people of South Boston as they come check us out … and most importantly, to take part in a real community day.”

Coleman, 28, who lives in Dorchester, attended his first Street Festival when he was 21 or 22. “It was awesome,” he said. “It’s definitely a day I look forward to every year.”

Coleman is a huge fan of the live music at the Street Festival. When he gets an opportunity to walk up and down the street, he takes a few minutes to listen to the live music and look around. “Everybody’s having a great time so I just like the atmosphere and the overall vibe of the day; it’s awesome.”