BELPRE — Riverview Credit Union on Oct. 20 will join credit unions around the world for the annual celebration of International Credit Union (ICU) Day.

The celebration raises awareness about the extensive work credit unions are doing around the world and provides members the opportunity to become more engaged with their credit union.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Empower Your Financial Future with a Credit Union.”

“At the most basic level, credit unions are built on the principle of ‘People helping People’,” Doug Ankrom, Riverview president and CEO, said. “This philosophy has been employed for more than 100 years by credit unions around the world to provide access to affordable financial products and to meet the needs of underserved communities.”

Riverview provides the same services as other financial institutions, but are guided by a cooperative spirit, he said.

“Our participation in the annual ICU Day celebration allows us to showcase how members and non-members alike can turn to Riverview for financial services and guidance every day,” Ankrom said.

The public is invited to visit any Riverview office or social media pages on Oct. 20 to learn more about credit union membership. A free carryout lunch from local food vendors will be available beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Riverview’s Belpre office at 403 Main St. and the Marietta office at 39 Acme St.

International Credit Union Day has been observed since 1948.

The first credit union can be traced to the 1840s and a democratic consumer cooperative formed by weavers in Rochdale, England. Frustrated by bankers who denied them loans simply because they weren’t wealthy, the weavers and workers decided to pool their incomes and loan money to each other.

Today, there are more than 260 million credit union members around the world with more than 100 million in the U.S. alone. Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives guided by nine core principles, including democratic control, social responsibility, and returning all profits to members.

Riverview Credit Union is a federally chartered, member-owned financial cooperative founded in 1968 with offices in Belpre, Marietta and Vienna. Membership is open to any individual who lives, works, worships, or attends school in Washington, Noble, Morgan or Monroe counties in Ohio and Wood, Pleasants, Ritchie, Wirt or Jackson counties in West Virginia and family members of current members.

More information is available www.Riverviewcu.com.