DONATIONS

Chartway Federal Credit Union, Virginia Beach, Va., has donated $100,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Chartway FCU is the first and only credit union in the state to make a donation of this size to the charity. The money raised will grant the wishes of 22 children. Funds were raised during an annual Golf Charity event. SYNERGY ONE Federal Credit Union, Manassas, Va., has partnered with Heltzel-SYNERGY ONE Mortgage Company, to raise more than $2,500 for the American Diabetes Association by participating in America’s Walk for Diabetes. As the walk team members collected their individual donations, the employees of the credit union stepped up and did their part to help as well. Employees wore jeans on Fridays and participated in an All-You-Can-Eat Potluck in exchange for a small contribution. All funds raised go to research for finding a cure for diabetes. Wescom Credit Union, Pasadena, Calif., has raised over $52,000 in 2002 through its employee-run charitable foundation, known as “WeCare.” This figure doubled last year’s contribution of $26,000. Organized in 1999, WeCare has raised over $42,000 for local charities including the Alzheimer’s Association, Project Angel Food, The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, (SPCA), the Orangewood Children’s Center, the Unforgettables Foundation, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Affinity Federal Credit Union, Bedminster, N.J. has donated turkeys, canned goods, and other non-perishable items to Honey’s Child Ministries Family Church in Maplewood. The food will support 50 families in need this holiday season. Pacific Service Credit Union, Walnut Creek, Calif., has provided garden equipment to the Tri-High Garden Project by donating $3,000. The Tri-High Garden Project is a program adopted by the Alameda alternative education council to educate high school aged children about plants, nature, and the outdoors. The donation covered the cost of patios, benches and flowerbeds. In addition, Pacific Service CU has donated $3,000 to send children from 50 schools in economically disadvantaged areas of Contra Costa County to visit a local wildlife museum. The Lindsay Wildlife Museum has historically been an educational place to take children to learn about nature, including up-close and personal encounters with California wildlife they might otherwise never see. Mid-Atlantic Corporate Federal Credit Union, Middletown, Pa., has donated $4,000 to the Mercer County Tornado Relief Fund. The fund was established by the Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation to aid the tornado recovery efforts under way after a 155-mph tornado recently touched down in the Mercer/Clark County region of Pennsylvania. Bell-Tel Credit Union, Orlando, Fla., has donated $17,200 to the American Cancer Society during the 2002 “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk for a cure. Of all the teams participating, Bell-Tel Credit Union was named top fundraising team for collecting the largest donation contributed by a single group. This is the first year Bell-Tel employees participated in the “Making Strides” event.