In an effort to raise awareness about credit unions, the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas participated in the Red River Valley Fair in Fargo, N.D, from July 13-15.

CUAD's participation in the event was a part of the association's awareness campaign, “CU on the Road,” in which representatives are traveling across the Dakotas spreading credit union knowledge.

CUAD said its booth at the fair gained the attention of nearly 1,400 passersby. The booth featured a balloon-filled vehicle and visitors were told to guess the amount of balloons as part of a $100 prize contest.  

According to Kristie Heit, a CUAD staffer who worked at the fair, the awareness campaign “dispelled a lot of myths, including one credit union member who had a savings account at a CU for a very long time, but had no idea he could get a mortgage there.” 

Heit added that were many visitors who were unaware that credit unions offer mortgages or that credit unions were relatively easy to join.

CUAD serves 73 credit unions and more than 470,000 members in North and South Dakota, with assets in excess of $4.6 billion.