Unity Park nears opening with new donation

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A veteran community leader got a sneak peak Tuesday of plans for the plaza dedicated to her in the center of Unity Park, set to open on May 19.

At the dedication ceremony, Greenville Mayor Knox White described Mary Duckett, president of Southernside Neighborhood in Action, as the heart and soul of Unity Park and said its construction would not have been possible without her energy and determination, according to a news release.

In Duckett’s honor, Greenville-headquartered Spero Financial donated $250,000 to sponsor the plaza, which is between the park’s welcome center, playgrounds and open greenspace.

“The goal for Unity Park is simple — to bring people together,” Brian McKay, president and CEO of Spero Financial, said in the release. “As a credit union, we know this cooperative spirit all too well. It’s what spurred the credit union movement many centuries ago when individuals not afforded traditional banking opportunities pooled their money together to make their financial lives better. It is through unity that they were made stronger; we still believe this today. Just like our name, Unity Park represents hope. This contribution is our way of planting seeds of hope for present and future generations in the community Spero has called home since 1935.”

Spero Financial Federal Credit Union was chartered in 1935 as a not-for-profit financial cooperative, and today, as one of the Palmetto State’s largest credit unions, it has more than 49,900 members and $559 million in assets, according to the release. The credit union’s footprint spans the Upstate and Midlands with branches in Anderson, Easley, Greenville, Simpsonville, Spartanburg, Taylors and Columbia.

“In her seven decades living in Southernside, Mary Duckett has dedicated herself to making our community better — a better place for seniors, children, her neighbors, and for people she has never met,” White said in the release. “I want to thank Spero Financial for their investment in Unity Park and their recognition of Mary for all she has done for this park and our community.”