Ensuring regional economic vitality

As one of the Sacramento region’s top-five businesses for corporate philanthropy, SAFE Credit Union is living up to its philosophy of “people helping people.”

Leaders at the 70-year-old financial cooperative believe that a community’s economic vitality is closely intertwined with its residents’ physical health, educational access and quality of life. That’s one reason UC Davis, and particularly UC Davis Health System, are major beneficiaries of the credit union’s long tradition of charitable and volunteer support.

“As a university health system, UC Davis contributes to the region’s vitality in so many ways, whether by creating jobs, facilitating innovation, ensuring a healthy workforce or educating the people who will care for our families,” said Henry Wirz, SAFE’s chief executive officer.

A recent five-year SAFE pledge to the health system supports scholarships for medical students who will practice community health in the Sacramento region, as well as a palliative-care training initiative for physicians and a popular health-education program for seniors.

SAFE continues to provide backing for a wide variety of programs that benefit UC Davis Children’s Hospital patients and families, as well as a student-run clinic for underserved populations. 

Aggie alumni abound at SAFE Credit Union—Henry Wirz, SAFE President Dave Roughton and Vice President Jim Allen are all UC Davis graduates. These three alumni and leaders in their field give generously to support the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, and additionally, Wirz lends his time to UC Davis as a trustee of the UC Davis Foundation.

“We live and work here and we take great joy in serving our community,” Wirz said. “Partnering with UC Davis pays great dividends for this area’s well-being.”