Clearwater Credit Union

6 Pony Hitch, Film West

During the summer of 2019, we were finalizing plans to change our name to Clearwater Credit Union. As part of our name rollout week, we wanted to both commemorate our new name as well as raise awareness of the affordable housing epidemic in Missoula and the work of the Missoula Home Coalition to fix it.

Housing in Missoula is increasingly out of reach for many residents. The Missoula Home Collation was formed to work with the city government to better advocate for the needs of Missoula citizens and strengthen our community by ensuring people can afford to rent or buy in the community. This collation of nine nonprofits are working together to improve options for people who need help buying or renting in the community.

We learned about Imagine Nation Brewing Co. — a local brewery that aligned with our values and who shared our enthusiasm for a partnership to highlight this cause. Together with the brewery and non-profit, we set out to brew a specialty beer and pass on profits to the Missoula Home Coalition. The goals were to; 1.) Create awareness of the Missoula Home Coalition, 2.) Raise money for the coalition to put towards ongoing advocacy work, 3.) partner with a values-aligned local business to produce a quality good, 4.) Re-introduce our credit union’s new name into the Missoula community through a branded beer and live event.