CUs Show Compassion for Communities in Need

Employees from the $1.3 billion Hanscom Federal Credit Union in Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., volunteer at Fisher House Boston to prepare a meal for military family guests. Fisher House Boston, located at the VA Boston Healthcare System’s West Roxbury Campus, provides no-charge accommodation to family members caring for hospitalized U.S. veterans. Hanscom FCU has a branch at the West Roxbury facility and has supported Fisher House Boston since 2010, when the facility opened. Mr. Marotta, along with employees from Hanscom FCU, stop by four times every year to prepare dinner for its guests. Since 1991, the Fisher House Foundation has donated 67 “comfort homes” built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers in the United States and overseas. The foundation has served over 250,000 families, saving them more than $282 million in lodging and transportation costs.

Employees from the $1.3 billion Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union in Lowell, Mass., assemble 50 care packages for donation to the clients of the Lowell Transitional Living Center. The team filled the bags with summertime care items, including wash cloths, antibacterial wipes, bug repellant, rain ponchos, socks, reusable water bottles, battery-operated fans, lip balm, sunscreen and deodorant. The Credit Union’s Member Service Center Specialist, Kiomarie Ocasio, launched “The Sharing Hand” initiative in March 2017. Employees from the Member Service Team and Collections Department worked together to gather donations, purchase items and fill the bags. This is the third round of donations the team has put together.

The Credit Unions of Rhode Island showcase their $1 million donation to Special Olympics Rhode Island. Pictured are Cooperative Credit Union Association President/CEO Paul Gentile (right); Special Olympics Rhode Island athletes Michael Lucca, Michael Bullock and Mary Ellen Powers; and Wave Federal Credit Union EVP/COO David Dupere (second from left), who is the Credit Unions of Rhode Island Social Responsibility Committee Chair and a member of the Special Olympics Rhode Island board. Since 1998, the Credit Unions of Rhode Island and the CCUA have supported their charitable partner and remain one of the largest corporate partners of Special Olympics Rhode Island. During the same time frame, Special Olympics Rhode Island launched a year-long celebration in honor of its 50th anniversary. Each year, through the collaboration and collective efforts of the state’s 15 credit unions, the Credit Unions of Rhode Island Social Responsibility Committee coordinates a series of state-wide and local fundraising initiatives including the Inspire Greatness Calendar Raffle, Sweenors candy bar sales, a bowling tournament, individual credit union donations and the capstone event of the fundraising season, the Credit Unions of Rhode Island Charity Golf Tournament.

Community Involvement Committee Chair Paul Eikenberg, alongside employees from the $1.3 billion APG Federal Credit Union in Edgewood, Md., present a $15,000 check to Tom Walls, founder of the Miracle League of Harford County, to support the construction of a new baseball complex at Shucks Road Regional Park. Walls and the league’s board of directors worked with County Executive Barry Glassman to obtain the land at Shucks Road Regional Park for the new field. The complex offers children of all abilities the chance to experience the joy that comes from playing America’s national pastime – baseball. Custom-designed fields create a safe place for wheelchair users or visually-impaired children to play the game, and include cushioned rubberized field surfaces and wheelchair accessible dugouts. The league is open to children throughout the community.

President/CEO Scott Rains (far left) of the $258 million Eagle Community Credit Union in Foothill Ranch, Calif., and Board Member and Scholarship Committee Chair Duane Anderson (far right) stand with 2018 Eagle Community Credit Union Scholarship recipients (second from left to second from right) Anne Chadburn, Lovepreet Singh, Presley Moreno and Sarah Mitchell. The credit union gave each recipient $4,000 to help with college expenses. The annual scholarship program has been offered by the credit union for more than 30 years. Recipients must be members of the credit union and students, but there is no age limit. Each student must submit transcripts, an essay and a list of extracurricular activities. This year, scholarship applicants can write on how to make credit unions more attractive to youth or how to best prepare for college.

Branch Manager Justin Kimbrough (left) from the $3.4 billion Service Credit Union in Portsmouth, N.H., stands with In-Store Branch Manager Scott DuCharme (second from left), New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu (second from right) and New Hampshire Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut (right) as they proudly show off backpack donations in Salem, N.H. Service CU volunteers spent a day packing school backpacks with needed supplies at the Concord Boys and Girls Club. This effort capped off a very successful second annual WMUR Pack-a-Pack drive, which collected more than 2,700 backpacks statewide. The credit union kicked off the drive with 100 backpacks. Service CU partnered with WMUR, the New Hampshire Food Bank and the Boys and Girls Clubs of New Hampshire for this worthy cause. Service CU members and those from the community recently dropped off backpacks with pencil sharpeners, colored pencils, No. 2 pencils, erasers, student scissors, glue sticks, spiral notebooks, 12-inch plastic rulers, ballpoint pens and two-pocket folders to Service CU branches across New Hampshire.

Please send your Community news items to Tahira Hayes at thayes@cutimes.com.