A Family Building Dreams, a Community Building Together
Álvaro carried with him the same dream that so many Latino families share: to work hard, build a better future, and give back to the community that welcomed him. But the first steps were not easy. Doors at the big banks were closed. Without credit or a history in this country, there seemed to be no way forward.
That changed the day Álvaro discovered Latino Community Credit Union. “I opened my account with $500, and from there I began to build my credit,” he recalls. What began as a simple chance to cash a check became the foundation for a life of stability and growth. Soon after, with his wife América, they found in LCCU not just financial services, but an ally who believed in their potential when no one else did. With the support of LCCU, they achieved what once felt impossible, purchasing their first home, despite being turned away by traditional banks. From that foundation, Álvaro and América built businesses that today employ nearly 50 people. America Drywall and Painting and Emmanuel Construction House are more than companies; they are engines of opportunity. Through their work, Álvaro and América generate jobs, support local organizations and their church, and contribute to the economic life of their community.
For Álvaro, this is what it means to be part of the Latino story in the United States. “We Latinos come here to work, to build something better for our families, and to do positive things. We want to be contributors, not just for ourselves, but for society. Being employers means we help build our communities, too.”Their pride is not measured in numbers alone, but in how they have built their life with honesty, integrity, and faith. They pay their taxes, they teach their children the value of saving, and they remind the next generation that money is not for wasting, but for building something lasting.
Today, more than two decades later, Álvaro dreams of retirement and the chance to enjoy all that he and América have worked so hard to build. Yet their story is more than a personal success. It is a reminder that when trust, opportunity, and determination come together, families thrive, communities grow stronger, and dreams that once seemed out of reach become reality. For Álvaro and América, LCCU is not just their credit union, it is family. “When I walk into the branch, it feels like my home,” Álvaro says with a smile. And just like family, their journey inspires us all to believe in the power of people helping people.