2026 is shaping up to be a busy and exciting year at Breakwater Federal Credit Union. From everyday classroom visits to larger-scale financial literacy events, we are working hard to bring our vision to life by empowering our members and community with valuable financial resources and education.
The new year is also bringing new opportunities to create meaningful impact in the communities we serve. Last year we set a team goal to volunteer 168 hours, and our team proudly exceeded that goal, donating their time to local organizations and causes across the Copper Country. This year, our team plans to do even more, with an increased goal of 252 hours. Through our volunteer work, we look forward to strengthening connections with our members and community.
We plan to fill our new year with more collaboration among community partners, shared learning opportunities, and a continued commitment to putting people before profit. As your local credit union, we remain dedicated to serving our members and making a positive impact on the communities we call home.
Breakwater is excited to announce that our 2026 Scholarship Applications are now open! This year, we plan to award three $1,500 scholarships to eligible student members who are enrolled or planning to enroll in a college, university, vocational, or trade school during the 2026-2027 academic year. Two scholarships are open to all applicants, while one is reserved for a first-generation college student as they take the first step toward higher education for their family.
Students wishing to apply are required to submit two letters of recommendation, one from a school employee and one from a community member who is not affiliated with the school. There is also an essay component in which students will respond to a prompt about their financial goals. This year’s prompt was chosen to reflect our ongoing financial literacy efforts and to encourage students to think critically about their financial well-being and plans for the future.
All application materials are due by Friday, March 27, 2026. Visit our scholarship page for more information.
We enjoy being able to support educators by offering classroom visits and hands-on learning opportunities that support classroom curriculum. This January we had the chance to visit Jeffer’s High School in Painesdale to play financial jeopardy with Mr. Perrault’s senior business students. The jeopardy game covered topics such as banking and credit unions, budgeting, credit, and college financial planning. Students were divided into two teams, and the competitive nature of the game kept them highly engaged.
Our classroom activities can be tailored to meet the needs of different grade levels, covering a variety of financial topics. If you are interested in bringing financial literacy to life in your classroom, we encourage you to reach out! From Jeopardy and bingo to counting cash and trivia, our goal is to make financial education fun. By creating engaging and interactive learning experiences, we aim to increase knowledge retention and help set students of all ages up for a lifetime of financial success.
Through a recent collaboration with the Copper Country ISD Career & Technical Education Program (CTE) and the Michigan Small Business Development Center, we have had the opportunity to help develop a brand-new entrepreneurship fair for CTE Business & Entrepreneurship students. Set to take place on March 3, 2026, at the Hancock Community Hub, Pike Tank was designed to support the CTE’s spring entrepreneurship curriculum.
Early in the planning process, organizers decided it would be beneficial to have students play an active role in planning and promoting the event as part of their classroom curriculum. Recently, CTE business students in Rhonda Nachtigall’s class at the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College had the opportunity to learn about public relations with Kayleigh White, Marketing and Community Relations Coordinator at Breakwater Federal Credit Union. The students will be writing and submitting their own press releases to media contacts leading up to the event, giving them first-hand experience with professional communications.
Students in Steve Kass’s CTE Business class in Hancock were tasked with designing a logo for the event. Organizers and staff at the CCISD CTE Center then voted on their favorite design, keeping the seven key characteristics of a high-quality logo in mind. The winning logo was chosen for its simplicity and versatility.
The day of the event will include three key activities, including the Pike Tank Business Pitch Competition, Profit or Peril, an entrepreneurship simulation designed by Breakwater Federal Credit Union, and Business Bingo, which allows students to connect with local businesses and community partners.
The event will open with keynote presentations from Marty Fittante, CEO of Invest UP and Build U.P., and Jim Baker, Senior Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation at Michigan Technological University. Drawing from their professional backgrounds, they will highlight how entrepreneurship encourages innovation, creates opportunity, and contributes to strong local communities.
We are excited to see how this collaboration comes together and proud to support the event by helping bring the financial side of entrepreneurship to life through interactive, real-world learning experiences. We look forward to continuing our involvement in the years ahead to help bring business and entrepreneurship to life in an exciting and engaging way for students.
Another exciting collaboration coming down the pipeline is with Michigan Tech’s Center for Educational Outreach to host a Family Finance Fair this April. The Family Finance Fair will be an evening event for high school students and their families focused on navigating financial decisions related to life after graduation. Parents will have the opportunity to learn about financial aid options for post-secondary education, while students will have the chance to take part in an interactive budgeting activity that helps them understand navigating finances in the real world.
The Family Finance Fair will take place on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at the Hancock Community Hub. More details about the evening will be released in the coming month.
While youth financial literacy outreach is a big part of what we do, we also like to provide learning opportunities for adults. Through workshops, presentations, and community partnerships, we focus on practical topics that support everyday financial well-being in an ever-changing financial landscape, including scam awareness and fraud prevention. Our next two learning opportunities for adults will be at the Baraga Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn on March 18, 2026, and the Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn in April. Stay tuned for more information about these two events!
Last year, Breakwater employees dedicated over 225 hours to our community through volunteer service, community events, and causes rooted in the credit union philosophy of people helping people. At the beginning of 2025, we set a goal to contribute 168 volunteer hours, a benchmark that was far surpassed thanks to the dedication and generosity of our employees. Over twenty-five causes were supported through employee volunteer efforts last year, and we hope to increase that number in 2026. Building on that momentum, our goal for this year is to reach 252 volunteer hours to demonstrate our dedication to building and supporting the communities we serve.
We started the year strong, with 19.5 hours of volunteer service in January. Our employees were proud to support 31 Backpacks, the Copper Country Humane Society, Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter, and the annual Pigs-n-Heat fundraiser this past month. With our goal in mind, we encourage the community to reach out with potential volunteer opportunities. While we cannot guarantee that we can help with every event, we will share all opportunities internally in case any employees are available to help out. Please contact marketing@breakwaterfcu.org with any inquires.
As a not-for-profit organization, giving back is at the heart of what we do. We are proud to sponsor and donate to causes that provide value to our members and the communities we serve. This month, we were able to sponsor the Baraga Chamber of Commerce ATV Wilderness Adventure & Fishing Tournament, Bridgefest, CopperDog, the Houghton County Fair, and renovations at the Hurontown Recreation Area. These efforts reflect our ongoing commitment to strengthening the communities we serve and supporting initiatives that bring people together.
We are excited to announce that our 72nd Annual Business Meeting and Dinner will take place on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at the Michigan Tech Memorial Union Building Ballroom. Doors open at 5PM and dinner will be served at 6PM, with the annual business meeting and board elections to follow. The evening is free to attend, and members will be eligible to win cash prizes. If you are interested in attending, please register in advance.
Breakwater is pleased to announce recent upgrades to our mobile app and online banking platforms. Mobile app and online banking users now see Transaction Enrichment. Launched mid-December, Transaction Enrichment provides members with valuable details about their spending habits with clear merchant names, logos you can recognize for quick identification, accurate spending categories, and more consistent and intuitive transaction details.
Additionally, our online banking platform now features a Spending Wheel. The Spending Wheel gives you a clear, visual breakdown of where your money is going, all in one place. With just a glance, you can see how your spending is divided across categories like dining, shopping, groceries, and more. The Spending Wheel helps users quickly identify spending patterns, compare categories and track changes over time, and make more informed decisions about how they spend their money. The Spending Wheel is located on the Dashboard on our online banking platform. If you can’t see it, scroll to the bottom of the screen, click “Organize Dashboard,” then “Add a Card.” Select “Spending by Category” to make the Spending Wheel visible.
Breakwater will be closed Monday, February 16, 2026, in observation of President’s Day. We will reopen with regular business hours on Tuesday, February 17. While our lobby will be closed, members can still access their accounts and perform banking transactions using our online or mobile banking options or by visiting one of our ATMs.
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