An empty wallet and a bag full of dreams
When Sabino Fuentes first walked through the doors of LCCU in downtown Fayetteville more than 16 years ago, many people told him he was making a mistake. “That bank is too small, it won’t last,” they said. But Sabino thought differently. “It will grow, it will grow,” he told himself. And he was right.
At that time, Sabino was facing one of the hardest moments of his life. His wife was battling cancer, and not long after, he lost both her and one of their children. He was left alone to raise five kids, with no savings, no credit, and no clear path forward. As he puts it, “an empty wallet, and a bag full of dreams.”
LCCU welcomed him with open arms, helping him open his first account. That trust became the beginning of a new journey. Soon, Sabino took his first financial education classes and learned how to build credit. With discipline and determination, he took a secured loan and never missed a payment.
Later, he was given the opportunity to invest in a machine for his tree-cutting business. “They lent me $15,000 for a machine. That machine changed my life. What used to take me a day and a half, I could now do in an hour and a half,” he recalls. That single investment multiplied his opportunities. His small tree service grew into Prime Lawn and Tree Services, expanding his work beyond Fayetteville into places like Winston-Salem and Durham, where he also enjoys visiting nearby LCCU branches.
Over the years, LCCU supported Sabino with loans to buy trucks, a trailer, and even his home. Each time, he proved his reliability and strengthened his credit. “Many people said this credit union wouldn’t go far, but I proved them wrong,” he says with pride. Through it all, Sabino found not judgment, but compassion and support. LCCU worked with him to keep him on track, something he says no other bank would have done.
Today, Sabino is a proud small business owner, a homeowner, and a father who has built a stable life for his children. He continues to recommend LCCU to those who once doubted him. “The people who told me I was crazy are now members too,” he laughs.
For Sabino, LCCU is much more than a financial institution: “They treated me like a person, not like a dollar sign. Here, they explained, educated, and gave me opportunities that changed my life. Thanks to God and the credit union, today I can say I am well, very well.”