Banking That Feels Like Family: Kim’s Story

Kim Balts was just looking for a trustworthy place to bank when she joined Affinity Plus, and ended up finding an entire community.

There were plenty of banks her in Coon Rapids, but a friend told her about the benefits of banking with Affinity Plus, and Kim wanted to give it a try.

“I went to the branch in Coon Rapids, and everyone was so nice,” Kim said. “And they have been ever since. I love the fact that everyone there knows you, you’re not just somebody walking in.”

One of her main issues when finding a new place to bank was fraud, having been the victim to fraud before and because she prefers to use physical checks.

“I don’t do online banking, I’m still old school,” Kim said. “I still like to write my checks out. And Affinity Plus looks out for me. There’ve been times where they catch potential fraud and they shut it down right away and I appreciated that.”

She also appreciated Affinity Plus’ longstanding relationship with Special Olympics Minnesota. Her son, Patrick Lawrence (also an Affinity Plus member), is a powerlifting athlete on the team. 

He’s the reigning champion in his division, taking gold at the State Powerlifting Tournament in February, with a deadlift of 415 pounds (a personal best) a bench of 205 pounds (another personal best) and a squat of 280 pounds.

Patrick and the rest of the Affinity Plus-sponsored powerlifting squad are headed for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis in June, and Kim has enjoyed the support from the folks at Affinity Plus leading up to the Games.

“It’s nice having somebody other than family and friends cheering on these athletes,” Kim said. 

Friendly service from people who care makes a difference for them, Kim said, and she enjoys the community feel when she visits the branch.

“You can walk in there and they know your name. It’s nice,” Kim said. “I love it there, they’re always looking out for us.”