PHOENIX — The Valley of the Sun YMCA and Arizona Federal are partnering for financial literacy.

The credit union will exclusively provide financial education and services to the Valley of the Sun YMCAs. The partnership is designed to deliver affordable financial services and financial education directly to the heart of the communities served.

“Financial responsibility and independence, derived through sound financial education and convenient access to low-cost financial services, helps to further the cause of strong families, a key tenet of the YMCA mission,” said Arizona Federal President/CEO Ronald Westadl. “This partnership was forged in response to a great social need: the need for financial education. Arizona Federal is proud to partner with the YMCA to help deliver these critical financial skills to the community.”

Currently, the Valley of the Sun YMCA operates 16 locations across metropolitan Phoenix, while Arizona Federal has 23 Phoenix area branches. The organizations have over 285,000 members and 223,000 members respectively.

“This new partnership is in-step with our mission of building strong kids, strong families, and strong communities,” said Valley of the Sun YMCA CEO Greg O'Brien.

Under the terms of the new agreement, the first Arizona Federal YMCA Branch will open inside the currently under-construction Maryvale Family YMCA in early 2008.