A Tapestry of Unsung Heroes
“We’re not just opening accounts—we’re opening doors.”
— Wacinque Amistad Kaizen BeMende
Wacinque
BeMende
“We’re not just opening accounts—we’re opening doors.”
— Wacinque Amistad Kaizen BeMende
As a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and Student Union Director at Maryville College, Wacinque Amistad Kaizen BeMende saw beyond rank and role. He saw a community in need, and in 2005, BeMende led the founding of the Blount-United Community Credit Union, a grassroots initiative designed to lift low-income families out of poverty through financial education and access.
With quiet determination and a deep belief in economic justice, BeMende rallied a diverse steering committee, built trust across neighborhoods, and laid the groundwork for a member-owned institution rooted in dignity and empowerment. His efforts planted the “building blocks” of financial resilience for generations to come.
Today, BeMende continues his mission as Founder and Chief Poverty Consultant at KaizenRhino Solutions, working to eliminate financial exclusion nationwide. He advocates for asset ownership standards, youth savings accounts, and sustainable financial resuscitation, empowering the unbanked and underbanked to reclaim their financial futures through education and direct money management.
Though his name may not appear in textbooks, BeMende’s legacy lives on in every savings account opened, every loan approved, and every life changed by the credit union movement he helped shape.
