Awards

Michigan Credit Union League, Northville Township, has honored Gary Lark and retired president/CEO of METRO Credit Union Richard Spence for their contribution to the credit union movement. Lark, a police officer with the Escanaba Public Safety Department and volunteer with Public Service Employees Federal Credit Union, has been presented the 2001 Credit Union Community Volunteer Award. In addition to his credit union and police work, Lark gives generously of his time to numerous charities, youth and community groups. Spence has been presented with the 2001 International Credit Union Development Award for giving his time and expertise to aid in the development of credit unions in Eastern Europe and Central Africa. Credit unions Spence helped organize in Poland, Russia and Uganda are exceeding expectations and still doing well. SECURITY Federal Credit Union, Flint, Mich, will honor one of its late employees, Elsie Seay, by dedicating its community room to her. Seay, who retired from SECURITY FCU in 1991, was employed at the credit union for over 30 years and remained a very active member of the Flint community. In May she was honored with Flint’s Outstanding Senior Citizen of the Year Award. Flint Mayor Woodrow Stanley presented the award to Seay in front of a crowd of 1,500 senior citizens. The awards are presented to senior citizens who have made significant contributions to the Flint community. A longtime employee of SFCU, Seay held memberships and leadership roles in various community and professional organizations such as Valley Area Agency on Aging and NAACP Credit Union where she served on the credit committee for eight years. In addition she was one of the organizers of the Flint Interracial Community Center and a former board member of the International Institute of Flint. In her spare time Seay enjoyed making and modeling hats for charity events. National Youth Involvement Board, Madison, Wis., has named OCUL Services Corporation Events/Marketing Coordinator Jaime Ingalls, Outstanding Volunteer of the Year. A Grove City resident, Ingalls was presented with the designation at the national NYIB conference. The NYIB contributes to the future of credit unions by serving as a resource for youth marketing materials and ideas, encouraging excitement and commitment to youth financial literacy, and creating leadership opportunities for the credit union movement. In the past year, 600 NYIB participants made nearly 6,000 financial education presentations to 139,000 students around the country. Oregon Metro Federal Credit Union, Eugene, Ore., has been honored by Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and the Credit Union Association of Oregon for an outstanding annual campaign. Oregon Metro members raised $1.04 per member for a total contribution of over $10,000 to the Credit Unions for Kids campaign benefiting Doernbecher and the pediatric units of Sacred Heart Hospital and Rogue Valley Medical Center. Oregon Metro also supports many other charities throughout Lane County and Oregon. Time and resources are donated to WomenSpace, Malabon Elementary School, United Way, Toys for Tots, Salvation Army, The Boys and Girls Club of Emerald Valley, KidSports, Girl Scouts, Pearl Buck, Birth to Three, Early Education Program, Lane Memorial Blood Bank, Relay for Life, Mt Vernon Elementary, Senior Meals, Arc of Lane County, Oakridge Lions, Special Olympics, and Food for Lane County. Navy Federal Credit Union, Vienna, Va., has been named the recipient of the Fairfax County Public School’s Partner of the Year Award for its 12-year business/school partnership with Thoreau Middle School, a local school here. Hundreds of Fairfax County business/school partnerships compete annually for this prestigious award. Each year the Fairfax County Public School system recognizes and awards a business/school partnership that has demonstrated outstanding leadership and service for at least five years in the Partners in Education Program. Selection criteria are based upon a description of activities, years of volunteer service to the school, extent of involvement (hours, depth, etc.), upper management support, and impact of volunteer service. In addition Navy FCU has been presented the VISA 2001 Service Quality Performance Award for issuers with transaction volume between $2 billion and $5 billion annually. Navy Federal was selected for its exceptional use and support of the VISA Address Verification Service, which helps reduce the risk of accepting fraudulent transactions. The National Endowment for Financial Education, Greenwood Village, Colo., has presented credit union professional, Bob Korthase, who retired from 66 FCU in February 2000 after 37 years in the petroleum industry and the credit union movement, the NEFE Award for Distinguished Professional Service and Dedication to Youth Financial Literacy. This award recognizes Korthase’s exceptional and continued dedication and support of Youth Financial Literacy and the NEFE Program. During his tenure at 66 FCU, Korthase taught over 700 youth in the Bartlesville area about personal financial planning. Louisiana Credit Union League, Harahan, has recognized a few credit union professionals and volunteers for their community and credit union service. Among this year’s winners are: Ouachita Valley Federal Credit Union President/CEO Julius Wagoner, Credit Union Professional of the Year Award; the Volunteer of the Year Award, which recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to promote and strengthen the credit union movement, was awarded to Lafayette Schools Federal Credit Union Board director Nat Gisclair; Sidney Parfait, President/CEO of Post Office Employees Credit Union, was awarded the Political Involvement Award for her dedication to the ideals and principles of the credit union movement; and the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor that can be reached by an individual for his contributions to the credit union movement, was presented to Arno Easterly, President/CEO of Barksdale Federal Credit Union. Freedom Federal Credit Union, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., has been voted the best personal financial institution in a survey conducted by the local business community. This annual survey, conducted by the Harford Business Ledger, evaluates a variety of retail and business services. Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit Union, Aberdeen, Md., has received the prestigious Harford Award. Sponsored by Harford County’s Government, Chamber of Commerce and Community College, this honor is given to companies, which have exemplified a strong commitment to the Harford County communities. Companies receiving the Harford Award are measured in several key areas including: creative business strategies, support of private/public education, business growth, increased employment and sensitivity to the environment. CUSO Financial Services, LP, has presented representative John Habing the Gold Pacesetter Award for outstanding performance in investment services. He was one of the 15 top producers nationwide. Habing has been an employee of the Investments Resource Group, located at New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union, for five years. Currently covering six Greater Albuquerque offices, he provides NMEFCU members with financial planning, retirement planning and investment services including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, tax-deferred investments, annuities and other insurance products. National Association of Credit Union Supervisory and Auditing Committees, has named Louis Biagioni, who has served on the Supervisory Committee of the IU Credit Union for 17 years, the recipient of this year’s Golden Service Award. This recognition is given to an outstanding supervisory or auditing committee member who exemplifies what a volunteer can contribute to their credit union. Biagioni has served as chairman of IU Credit Union’s Supervisory Committee for several one-year terms, is the longest-serving member of this committee, and with his attention to detail, has set the tone for the Committee to pursue its challenge for higher excellence.