According to Brandon Richardson, Interim CEO of Kansas City Credit Union, “Today, now more than ever, financial education is a requirement for success in life. It’s important that we, as a credit union and financial institution with 80+ years of history in this community, step forward to help put the youth of Kansas City in a greater position to build generational wealth. After talking to Nicky Lopez and learning of his previous work with the Y and his commitment to helping KC kids, we knew that ‘Catch Success’ was going to be a great partnership.”

Kansas City Credit Union launched “Catch Success” for financial education along with previous Kansas City Royals infielder, Nicky Lopez, and the YMCA of Greater Kansas City with a $10,000 donation to the Linwood YMCA/James B. Nutter Community Center, on Friday, June 3, 2022.

By the end of 2023, a total of $50,000 had been donated by Kansas City Credit Union to support financial education and other programming at Linwood YMCA.

“Catch Success” was part of the YMCA’s Launch Pad program, in which students in grades 6 through 12 spent their summer in an environment of academic support, enrichment and recreational activities. As part of the Launch Pad 5-day-a-week enrichment activities, KCCU staff members visited the Linwood Y bi-weekly and interactively taught the kids about managing money. Throughout the program, kids learned how to budget their money for both short- and long-term purchases, how interest is accrued by saving over time, how to plan for future financial success, about professionalism, and much more. Nicky Lopez joined the program from time to time, working with the kids to help them get excited about financial success and learn how to hit financial goals out of the park!

To add even more excitement to the program, each youth who successfully participated in the Catch Success program at the Linwood Y received a $25 savings account at Kansas City Credit Union – as a head-start toward a lifetime of positive financial experiences.

The real home run of the Catch Success campaign: from the program launch in June 2022 to September 2023, the Kansas City Credit Union donated a total of $50,000 towards Launch Pad and other enrichment programs at the Linwood Y to help further youth financial education.

“The YMCA was both grateful and hopeful about Catch Success,” said Andre Sigler, former Associate Executive Director of the Linwood YMCA. “When athletes like Nicky Lopez and organizations like Kansas City Credit Union step up to help influence the future success of young people in Kansas City, we all win. ‘Catch Success’ was not just a name, it was a hands-on part of our Launch Pad programming at the Linwood Y. The KCCU team worked with the YMCA team to design a program that was both fun and interesting to the kids – one that we think has had real results. And the fact that Nicky Lopez agreed to join us for several sessions was another huge win, the kids loved it!”