As the community credit union, Carolina Trust prides itself on living out the credit union philosophy, "people helping people." From the way we do business to our community involvement, we show our care for the community. We look for these same core values in the organizations we work with, which is why it is such an honor to work with The Ricky Sapp Foundation.

The Ricky Sapp Foundation was formed by NFL Veteran Linebacker Ricky Sapp to help kids become their very best and educate adults that their actions matter. Ricky saw the opportunity to take his platform and encourage youth to make positive changes within themselves, their schools, and communities. With his foundation, he's had the chance to speak to kids at school pep rallies, team sporting events, banquets, pre-games, college classes, etc. This past year, Ricky paired up with Carolina Trust for the I'm a Buddy Not a Bully project, where he attended school visits and spoke to kids about bullying and how it affected his life.

Along with motivational speaking, Ricky holds several events throughout the year with his foundation.

Since the NFL, Ricky has been very active in the football community. The Ricky Sapp Youth Football Camp is held in Bamberg, SC, annually. NFL pros, friends, and family assist Ricky with the camp.

The Ricky Sapp Foundation also holds an annual Back-to-School Drive, where they've provided hundreds of kids with support such as backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, new shoes, and more. Carolina Trust had the opportunity to help The Ricky Sapp Foundation with its Back-To-School Drive this year. It was heartwarming to see each child's excitement as they got to select a backpack full of supplies.

Click here for more information about The Ricky Sapp Foundation and how they're helping our community. Also, check out the Living Local Carolina Segment below, where show host Rainee Romero sits down with Ricky Sapp for an inside exclusive about his foundation.

For the second year in a row, Carolina Trust was named WMBF News' Best in Banking in their Best of the Grand Strand Contest. It is such an honor to be voted as "Best Bank" by members of the Grand Strand Community.

On August 26th, we celebrated National Dog Day; A day dedicated to appreciating man's best friend and the joys that they bring to our lives. If you are considering making the addition of a furry friend to your family, I encourage you to check out your local animal shelter. There are many shelters in our local community with wonderful animals looking for their forever home.

Like most things in 2020, the start of a new school year looks a little different this year for the students at Coastal Carolina University. Unlike previous years, the freshmen class will move onto campus without an official orientation, which showcases many of the school's significant highlights. As a Coastal alumnus, I've put together a list of my favorite spots to check out around campus. Click here for a map of the campus to guide you around to each of my favorite spots.

Last week on Living Local Carolina, we dove into Carolina Trust's Auto Loan options. As people are beginning to go back to work and school, we know that obtaining a means for transportation is becoming more prevalent, and we're here to help!

Purchasing a home is a huge milestone in many people's lives. It can be intimidating; I know it definitely was for me as I first began the process. Luckily, with the help of the mortgage team at Carolina Trust, I was able to put my worries aside and enjoy embarking on the journey of house hunting and purchasing my first home. 

Everyday people secure home improvement loans for a wide variety of reasons. Some feel they need to upgrade rooms or build an addition for resale value purposes. Others want to improve the quality of life experience of living in the space. The different goals make it nearly impossible for someone to definitively say that one way or another is the best way to utilize home improvement loans. That’s because it really comes down to maximizing the benefit you want. But for argument's sake, let’s consider two tracts about “best” uses — lifestyle and return on investment (ROI).

At its core, the concept behind home equity is a simple one. It’s a term that describes the difference between the fair market or “appraised” value and the outstanding balance of any and all loans that you may still owe. If your home was worth $200,000 and you still owed $100,000, for example, the equity on your home would be $100,000.

If you are dreaming of owning a home of your own, but are intimated by the home-buying process, don’t be! While there is a lot of paperwork and verification involved, it really is not as difficult as you may think. In fact, if you work with the right team of real estate professionals, including an experienced realtor and a reputable credit union or bank, the home-buying process is really a breeze!