DONATIONS

Tobyhanna Army Depot Federal Credit Union, Scranton, Pa., staffers have donated their time to the St. Francis of Assisi Soup Kitchen. Volunteers helped serve the lunchtime rush. Laurel Federal Credit Union, Mont., has sponsored an event with local seniors to raise funds for a new Senior Center in Columbus. The Columbus Center was severely damaged in a 2002 fire. During the seven-hour event the Laurel FCU Columbus branch served as a temporary “jail”. Those targeted could either pay the $50 or be arrested and held in the CU jail where they could contact friends and relatives to help bail them out. The event raised a total of $5,785.83. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to complete a kitchen and add flooring. Saugus Federal Credit Union, Mass., has teamed up with the Saugus Business Education Collaborative to launch the North Shore Spirit Sluggers’ Reading Program. The program encourages students in the elementary grades to read by offering prizes from the Spirit and local businesses. Each time a student achieves a reading goal, he or she will reach another base on the baseball diamond and receive a prize from a local sponsor. Students who reach home plate will attend a game and be recognized by the team during a pre-game ceremony. The Summit Chapter of Credit Unions, Ohio, has donated $10,471.45 and over 110 pairs of new shoes to needy children in Summit, Medina and Portage counties. Over 14 credit unions participated in the fundraiser. One hundred percent of the funds raised will be used for new shoes. The credit unions teamed up with The Shoe Horn owned by Kent CU member Anthony Sgro where they were given a special deal on quality shoes and New Balance Cross-Trainers. Wescom Credit Union, Pasadena, Calif., employees donated their time and culinary talents to the East San Gabriel Valley Coalition For the Homeless’ (E.S.G.V.C.H.) Winter Shelter Program. Staffers helped prepare and serve full-course Italian meals, and sack lunches to some 200 of the homeless in the region surrounding Wescom CU headquarters. All items for the dinner and bag lunches were collected and prepared exclusively through the credit union’s employee-run charitable organization, WeCare (Wescom Employees Care). The homeless received a lunch to take with them upon departing the next morning.