About Freedom 1st FCU


Credit Union Mission/Philosophy

"Freedom 1st FCU is a profit-sharing cooperative financial institution, dedicated to quality service in meeting the financial needs of its members. The safety and stability of its members' assets shall be the prime consideration in the development and delivery of a variety of competitive services."

Freedom 1st FCU, a financial cooperative, exists to provide basic loan and deposit services to its defined membership with unique features and consistently better rates than those otherwise available. Freedom 1st FCU is a federally chartered credit union that was originally formed in 1957.

The field of membership of Freedom 1st FCU consists, as defined in Section V of our Charter:

  1. Civilian employees and military personnel of the United States Government who work at or are assigned to McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita;

  2. Military personnel of the United States Air Force who are entitled to the facilities of McConnell Air Force Base and work in plants of Boeing Aircraft Company, Raytheon Aircraft Corporation, or Cessna Aircraft Company, in Wichita, Kansas;

  3. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, active or retired, or their dependents or dependent survivors who are eligible by law or regulations to receive and are receiving benefits or services from the above military installation;

  4. Members of the Kansas Air National Guard and Kansas Army National Guard stationed in the State of Kansas;

  5. Members of the Army Reserve, Air Reserve, Navy Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve stationed in the State of Kansas;

  6. Contractors and employees of contractors who work regularly at McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, Kansas, under annual contract with the United States Government;

  7. Employees of this credit union;

  8. Persons retired as pensioners or annuitants from the above employment;

  9. Members of their immediate families; and

  10. Organizations of such persons.

Credit Union History 

Freedom 1st FCU was chartered on April 4, 1957 as McConnell AFB FCU. In 1988 the name was changed to Freedom 1st FCU.

Organizing the credit union enabled the personnel of the McConnell AFB community to pool their resources in a not-for-profit financial cooperative to receive higher savings returns and lower loan rates as well as convenience for cashing and depositing their payroll. Freedom 1st FCU, a member owned/operated cooperative, has gone from having just loan and savings services to being a full service financial institution.

We survived a devastating tornado that completely destroyed our building on April 26, 1991. This was a Friday afternoon after we closed. On Monday morning, right on time, we opened our doors. We did not lose a minute of service to our members, and their accounts were intact. A miracle? We think so. We also know that the continuity of service was possible because of a dedicated, professional staff, and the "people helping people" philosophy of credit unions.

We have been here a long time and expect to be here for a long time to come. We invite you and your family to join with us and enjoy the benefits of having Freedom 1st FCU as your primary financial institution.