Friendly Faces of Vision: Jennifer Young
Vegreville, Alberta
"I’m a people person. I try to make it so that when people come in, I know their names. Everybody knows everybody here."
Growing up in southern Manitoba, Jennifer Young never dreamed she’d find her future in a close-knit Alberta community – let alone a town famous for its giant Easter egg. But as Jennifer quickly learned, the 31-foot Pysanka symbolizes how the people of Vegreville live: in harmony. And that’s why she fits right in.
Since moving to Vegreville, the pieces have fallen into place for Jennifer. She says the town’s rich traditions, culture and relationships are a perfect match for a people-person like herself. And vice versa. As Senior Member Services Representative at Vision’s Vegreville Branch, she takes care in strengthening community connections every day.
We caught up with Jennifer to hear the story of her journey across the prairies and how Vegreville became the place she’s proud to call home.
What brought you to the Town of Vegreville?
When I was 19, I told my boss at IGA that I wanted to go into grocery management. He encouraged me to go to school and apply at Co-op, so that’s what I did. I took business admin in college, focusing on management and marketing. After a year as a grocery manager trainee in Carman, Manitoba, I found three job opportunities looking for an assistant grocery manager in Western Canada. At that time, Vegreville was the closest to home.
Can you tell us about the journey from grocery management to financial services?
I was the grocery manager at Co-op until 2011, the year my daughter was born. After that, I started working for the Vegreville Centennial Library from 2012 to 2016, and then I had my son in 2017. As soon as maternity leave was over, I started working at Vision Credit Union. I started part-time, which worked well with my son’s schedule when he was little. Over time, I transitioned to full-time and now I’m the Senior Member Services Representative at the Vegreville branch.
What do you like most about working at a rural credit union?
I’m a people person. I try to make it so that when people come in, I know their names. I love having people come in and make time for the small things like asking, 'Hey, how's your daughter doing?' Just making those personal connections. Everybody knows everybody here.
How does the Vegreville branch team get involved with the community?
We’ve done quite a bit… We donate to golf tournaments, we donated to the pride committee recently and local sponsorships, like having our name on the curling rink boards. During COVID, we were involved in the main street trick-or-treat and Harvest for Hope. We got quite a few new members through Harvest for Hope by being one of the few banks participating and just being out there meeting and greeting people.
For the past five years, we’ve organized a silent auction for Vegreville KidSport. We help them raise funds so that kids in the community that wouldn’t normally be able to play sports can. Over the years, we’ve raised about $23,000 for KidSport. It’s been great, and the community support is amazing. We definitely try to get out there in the community as much as we can.
What’s your favourite part about living in Vegreville?
When I first moved here, it was very welcoming. I grew up in Manitoba, so I didn’t know what to expect when I got out here. But I was amazed by things like the parades that we have. The town light-up at the end of November is a good example. Every year, a giant candle on a tower gets lit up, there are Christmas lights everywhere and we have a little parade with festive music. Our fairs are amazing. I’ve immersed myself and become part of the community. I don’t know how to describe it - you just become one of them.
Visit Jennifer and the team at the Vegreville branch:
