DONATIONS

Altura Credit Union, Riverside, Calif., gave approximately 450 children a new backpack full of school supplies for the 2006/2007 school year with a $5,000 donation recently. The donation is part of Altura’s ongoing commitment to schools and education. The donation was made to Riverside County’s “Fill a Backpack Program” which is administered by the Mental Health Department’s Parent Support/Children’s Services Program. The department operates 16 clinics throughout the country to help children and their families. In total, the program filled backpacks for 655 kids this school year. HarborOne Credit Union, Brockton, Mass., recently awarded a $250 Stop & Shop gift card to Brad Smith. Smith was the winner of the first in a series of drawings the CU is using as an incentive to open checking accounts and referring new members. For any new checking account opened with either direct deposit or online bill payment the customer will receive a $50 Stop & Shop gift card and for every referral that results in a new checking account, a $25 card is awarded. In addition, HarborOne will donate $1 to the United Way for every new checking account opened during the campaign. They have also placed large water bottles in branch lobbies to encourage patrons and visitors to deposit their spare change into them. Jose C. Solorzano, an employee at XCEL Federal Credit Union, Secaucus, N.J., is building his war chest. Solorzano is a member of “Team in Training”, which is organized through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He will be joining over 5,000 cyclists from around the world who will compete in a one-day, 109-mile endurance race in Tucson, Ariz. The Teams are not racing against each other, but rather against the clock. This is his third event with Team in Training and in 2005, Solorzano, with the help of family, friends and co-workers, was able to raise $13,000 for the cause. His fundraising target for this year’s event is a moving one, the more he collects, the higher he moves his goal. Solorzano’s motivation for this event comes from his diagnosis of non-Hotchkins Lymphoma in 2004. He credits his survival and good health on the medical advances that have been made in this area and the affordability of the drugs used to treat the disease. Redstone Federal Credit Union, Huntsville, Ala., recently partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Madison County to build a home for the Langford family. A special dedication ceremony was held at the Langfords’ new home upon completion of the project. The Langfords’ dedicated 350 “sweat equity” hours in the project itself and Redstone volunteers began working on the project in August. This is the first time that Redstone has partnered with Habitat. Point Loma Credit Union, San Diego, recently announced that Shane Jagtiani of Riverside County won the grand-prize package of VIP tickets to the SkyShow at Qualcomm Stadium during the 9th Annual Student Safety Fair. Jagtiani and friends received a chauffeured limo ride to the SkyShow fireworks spectacular, as well as VIP treatment at the event. Services Center Federal Credit Union, Yankton, S.D., is putting forth an effort to end identity theft in the community and helping stock the local Food Pantry as well. The CU recently hosted a day of shredding in exchange for a donation of a nonperishable food item to the Food Pantry. Two tons of paper were shredded and four carts of groceries were donated. This semi-annual event is open to the public and is held in the spring after tax season and in the fall after the Community Fall Clean Up. Silver State Schools Credit Union, Reno, Nev., recently sponsored Washoe County’s Education Collaborative event Run for Education. The Education Collaborative connects businesses with public schools in Washoe County. Silver State Schools CU was on-hand to host the rock climbing wall for the event. Event goals were exceeded and over $185,000 was raised to support academic and fitness related programs in Washoe County School District. Over 300 employees from Patelco Credit Union, San Francisco, mobilized for a day of public service recently. Volunteers gathered at the Argent Hotel for a kick-off celebration and afterwards employees fanned out to eight community service project locations across the San Francisco Bay Area. Projects included food sorting, painting fences, sprucing up parks, assembling gift baskets, beach cleanup and maintenance. Capital Communications Federal Credit Union, Albany, N.Y., along with its Capital Communications Cares Foundation, recently raised more than $41,000 to support the fight against breast cancer during the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. Nearly 350 people walked with the Foundation’s team and 700 keepsake “Percy” panda bears were given to breast cancer survivors along the Strides route in Albany’s Washington Park. The bears, donated by the Foundation, had pink t-shirts emblazoned with the phrase, “Together we will persevere.” Memphis Area Teacher’s Credit Union, Memphis, Tenn., recently presented $500 to Patricia King, a teacher at Woodland Presbyterian School, as part of the CU’s One Class At A Time Grant. As a science teacher, King is dedicated to embracing technology to enhance her student’s learning experiences. The money will be used to purchase an LCD projector. With the projector, King will be able to integrate technology into her current hands-on lab approach.