As industry fundraising continued to help victims of the April 27 tornadoes which ravaged north Alabama, the $50 million Tuscaloosa Credit Union has extended the relief effort by helping wind up a widely praised "adopt a family" project.
So far, more than 60 families linked up to the Tuscaloosa Public Housing Authority have received financial and property assistance through the CU-led venture led by Tommy Cobb, the president/CEO of Tuscaloosa CU who spent last week helping to move furniture into new homes.
"I am kind of sore but it's all for a worthy cause and one that I am indebted to other credit unions in Alabama and Florida and our Birmingham corporate," Cobb said of a $92,000 fundraising campaign spearheaded by chapters in the League of Southeastern Credit Unions, Corporate America CU and a local church.
"I never thought CU's outside of Tuscaloosa would donate money because what happened in Tuscaloosa had no direct effect on them but out of all the donations, $80,000 came from outside this city," said Cobb.
Again expressing gratitude, the Tuscaloosa CEO noted that the contributions have arrived "even as credit unions across the country also are donating for Joplin," referring to the May 22 twister which flattened that Missouri city.
In a separate development on the CU relief front in Huntsville, which also saw tornado damage, a donation check of $5,000 was presented to the United Way of Madison County on behalf of the Northeast Alabama Chapter of the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation. The $5,000 donation has been earmarked for debris removal, according to Greg Olmsted, president/CEO of North Alabama Educators Credit Union
"FEMA has been in here and done some of the removal but there are still big trees here that need to be moved and some of these property owners simply could not afford hauling it away," said Olmsted. Under the fundraising, the North Alabama chapter raised $2,500 matched by the league foundation.
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