For Immediate Release
Leading local credit union named Official Credit Union of the San Diego Symphony and namesake of the Mission Fed Community Green at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
SAN DIEGO, July 5, 2023 – Mission Fed Credit Union (Mission Fed), the largest member-owned, not-for-profit, full-service financial institution exclusively serving San Diego County announced a 10-year partnership with the San Diego Symphony, the largest of its kind in the credit union’s 62-year history. In a celebration of two iconic San Diego-based brands coming together, the partnership and sponsorship will work toward the betterment of the community.
In recognition of the sponsorship, Mission Fed becomes the Official Credit Union of the San Diego Symphony. The Symphony has also established the Mission Fed Community Green at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. The unveiling of this space took place in a private reception prior to the 2023 Conrad Prebys Summer Season’s Opening Night Concert on June 30, 2023, a night marking their third season at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.
“At Mission Fed, giving back to our members and the community is the centerpiece of who we are,” said Debra Schwartz, president and CEO at Mission Fed. “We want our members to know that their membership makes a difference. By partnering with others who are doing good, we have a bigger collective impact in making San Diego better. We couldn’t think of a more fitting partner than the San Diego Symphony.”
The San Diego Symphony, as the oldest orchestra in California, is a 100+ year nonprofit committed to providing musical experiences for the greater San Diego community. The arts continue to be one of the most under-funded categories of nonprofit giving, and through this partnership, Mission Fed aims to help make the arts more accessible to all.
Mission Fed is working collaboratively with the Symphony and its community initiatives to reach youth in diverse communities. Other elements of the partnership include Mission Fed’s support of the Symphony’s High School Ambassador program, as well as the Music Connects program. This includes tapping into equity and accessibility through financial literacy education.
The Symphony’s High School Ambassador program is an annual program that provides 30 students a paid internship at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park throughout each Summer Season. Students are provided a unique experience that combines job training, a variety of learning modules and more. Mission Fed supports this program through financial literacy classes and will be working with the participating students on financial goals, training and financial service solutions.
The Symphony’s Music Connects program is a series of community-based concerts that are performed across San Diego County. The Symphony expanded its footprint of nonprofit organizations they partner with to make music and arts accessible to everyone. As part of the 10-year partnership, Mission Fed will work with the Symphony to bring its current partners into the programming and will provide 200 tickets per year at no-cost to recipients, including a food and beverage credit per person. Recipients will include teachers, nonprofit groups, military and more.
“We’re grateful to the Mission Fed board of directors, senior management team and Mission Fed members for making this partnership possible,” said Martha Gilmer, CEO of the San Diego Symphony. “Working with like-minded, values-based organizations that are committed to our community is important to us, and we’re proud to work collaboratively with Mission Fed to reach youth in diverse communities.”
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About the San Diego Symphony
Founded in 1910, the San Diego Symphony is the oldest orchestra in California and one of the largest and most significant cultural organizations in San Diego. The Orchestra performs for more than 250,000 people each season, offering a wide variety of programming at its two much-loved venues, Jacobs Music Center in downtown San Diego (now under renovation) and The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on San Diego Bay. In early 2018, the San Diego Symphony announced the appointment of Rafael Payare as music director. Payare leads the orchestra’s 82 full-time musicians, graduates of the finest and most celebrated music schools in the United States and abroad. The San Diego Symphony also serves as the orchestra for the San Diego Opera each season, as well as performing at several regional performing arts and community centers. For more than 30 years, the San Diego Symphony has provided comprehensive learning and community engagement programs reaching more than 65,000 students annually and bringing innovative programming to San Diego’s diverse neighborhoods and schools. For more information, visit www.sandiegosymphony.org.
About the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
The centerpiece of the 3.7-acre public Jacobs Park developed and managed by the San DiegoSymphony on the city’s scenic Embarcadero, The Rady Shell is the first permanent outdoor venue in the San Diego Symphony’s century-long history, designed to host more than 100 concerts and events year-round. The venue has been developed in partnership with the Unified Port of San Diego with 96% of the $85 million cost raised privately by the Symphony.
As innovative in design as it is spectacular in setting, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park offers 360 degrees of year-round music, sky and sea, and is an unprecedented resource for the community. The Symphony’s expanded schedule of diverse outdoor concerts includes classical concerts and an exciting roster of commissioned works and premieres programmed by San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare as well as performances by international touring artists and free programs. The venue will be available year-round for non-profit community groups, schools and individuals. Jacobs Park, owned and managed by the Symphony, surrounds the performance space with walkways, dining pavilions and recreational facilities in the heart of the Embarcadero and is accessible to the public for free on most days of the year. For more information, visit www.theshell.org.
About Mission Fed Credit Union
Mission Federal Credit Union (Mission Fed) is the largest member-owned, not-for-profit, full-service financial institution exclusively serving San Diego County. Mission Fed enhances the lives of its members through financial education and services, providing stability and strength to help San Diegans with financial wellness and success. Banking at Mission Fed means doing good for San Diego. Mission Fed gives money back to our local communities, has helped hundreds of nonprofits and important causes, and builds deep relationships with community partners.
Mission Fed has served the financial needs of San Diegans for over 60 years through checking, savings, loans, credit cards, and other financial offerings. Mission Fed has more than $6.0 billion in assets, nearly 300,000 members, 34 convenient local branches, 30,000 fee-free CO-OP ATMs nationwide and free mobile and online banking services. The credit union is regularly named a Top Workplaces USA winner, and has placed in the top five California credit unions on Forbes’ Best-In-State Credit Unions list. Mission Fed is also the first San Diego-based credit union to receive the “Juntos Avanzamos” designation, honoring its commitment to serving and empowering Hispanic/Latinx consumers. Federally insured by NCUA and Equal Housing Lender. To learn more, visit www.MissionFed.com.
