CONNEAUT, Ohio – Life is a cabaret for Jim Furman. The CEO at Port Conneaut FCU has a passion for the stage, writing, acting, directing, "you name it", in a variety of venues aimed at entertaining folks while helping raise money for good causes around this community on the shores of Lake Erie in Ohio's northeast corner. One of his annual efforts is the "Conneaut Capers", an annual fundraiser and review re-crafted with a different theme each year by Furman and a group of fellow thespians. "We do a lot of three- to five-minute skits with some singing and dancing, kind of like the old vaudeville shows," Furman said. "It's a lot of fun." He also has been involved in community theater, "done a couple murder mysteries to help local organizations" and helped organize a parade of characters with the local library which included a cemetery march. "I was a Civil War character when we popped out of our graves for that one. It was a very cool effort that raised quite a lot of money," he said. Furman said that, believe it or not, he grew up as a shy fellow in nearby Ashtabula and found that acting helped him overcome that, a useful thing for his career as CEO of the $17.5 million CU. "You can't be a CEO who's afraid to speak in public," he said. "And I definitely believe in the credit union philosophy of giving back to the community. This is a way to do it while having a lot of fun." Actually, acting isn't how Furman really likes to let go. "My favorite passion is weight lifting. That's how I really let go of any stress from my credit union job," he said. "I also do a lot of extreme sports when I can . kayaking, long bike rides to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. I guess I just like to keep myself busy." [email protected]