CUs Build Bears, House Veterans & Help Homeless Youth

Employees from the $180 million St. Cloud Federal Credit Union in St. Cloud, Minn., show off their T-shirts with the organization’s theme for the day: Be Kind, Do Good. The credit union closed its branches on Oct. 8 for Columbus Day to participate in its fourth annual community day of giving designed to make a difference in the community. The credit union asked its members and an employee-led team to determine the locations for the organization to donate time. Four local non-profit organizations were selected, of which nearly 60 employees volunteered. All rooted in Central Minnesota, the credit union was proud to give back to a variety of places that make a difference in the community. The organization’s theme for the day played out well with like-minded non-profits that provide services to help people in different ways, ranging from offering hospice services and supporting troops, to helping feed local children and assisting people with their animals.

Lakeville South Squirts C Team, the winner of last year’s Hiway Hockey Kids4Kids Program, pose for a picture. Hiway Hockey Kids4Kids, an award-winning community initiative that encourages youth hockey players throughout Minnesota to raise funds for kids with disabilities and complex medical conditions, makes its return during the Minnesota Wild’s 2018 to 2019 season. This innovative program is a collaboration between the $1.1 billion Hiway Federal Credit Union in St. Paul, Minn., the Minnesota Wild, Wild Goaltender Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Hockey and Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in Saint Paul. In its first year, Hiway Hockey Kids4Kids engaged 36 teams that raised $10,000 for Gillette Children’s. Hiway Hockey Kids4Kids encourages youth hockey teams to think beyond themselves and come up with their own creative ideas to raise funds for Gillette Children’s so it can help other kids who may not be able to play hockey due to serious medical conditions or injuries. Teams that raise $500 or more will be qualified to win a one-of-a-kind team party in a suite at the Minnesota Wild – St. Louis Blues game on Feb. 24, 2019. The winning team, selected at random, will also be feted with an exclusive pregame tour of the Xcel Energy Center, meet members of the Minnesota Wild and receive merchandise from the Wild and Hiway. All teams that participate in the program will be invited to a complimentary skate session at the Xcel Energy Center. Each member of any team that raises at least $500 will also receive a limited-edition Hockey Kids4Kids cap.

For the sixth year in a row, employees from the $2.1 billion Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union in St. Paul, Minn., volunteer during the credit union’s annual Plus It Forward Day, a day of generosity and kindness in October. Every October, the credit union’s 500-plus employees spend a full day volunteering, serving and scattering kindness in Affinity Plus communities across Minnesota. The tradition will continue in 2018, but with a slightly different approach. Rather than providing boots on the ground, Affinity Plus allocated $50,000 to Plus It Forward charities, organizations and community partners so that they may further their goals.

Staff from the $2 billion Educators Credit Union in Mt. Pleasant, Wis., stuff nearly 600 Build-A-Bear Workshop bear cubs for donation to local charitable organizations on Oct. 8. More than 500 Educators employees met at the Crowne Plaza Milwaukee Airport Hotel for Now to Wow, an annual gathering where the organization provides crucial training and team building opportunities. As the 2018 event wrapped up, event organizers announced a big surprise: Educators would be making bears. Not only were they making bears, but most of the bears made would be donated to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Each Educators employee was given their own bear cub, and Build-A-Bear staff took the stage to help everyone in the room make a furry friend with love. After warming the bear’s heart, putting the heart in the bear, pulling on a bear cub-sized Educators T-shirt and filling out the birth certificate, Build-A-Bear staff completed a quality assurance check on every furry friend. Once the bears met Build-A-Bear’s expectations, they were prepped to be shipped out to their new homes.

The PenFed Foundation Board of Directors and executives present Secretary George Shultz with the Selfless Service award. The PenFed Foundation, the charitable arm of the $23.6 billion Pentagon Federal Credit Union in Tysons Corner, Va., honored three leaders who played critical roles in building the Lee & Penny Anderson Defenders Lodge, which has provided veterans with more than 115,000 free nights of healing at the VA Palo Alto Medical Center and saved veterans’ families over $34.5 million in lodging costs. The awards dinner took place on Oct. 8 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Silicon Valley. The Lee and Penny Anderson Defenders Lodge is a 104-bed hotel that opened in 2014 to host veterans undergoing extensive treatments and procedures at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Former U.S. Secretaries of State George Shultz and Condoleezza Rice were instrumental in helping to establish the Lee and Penny Anderson Defenders Lodge to facilitate critical health care for the nation’s veterans after former VA Palo Alto Health Care System Director/CEO Lisa Freeman conceived the idea. The Lee & Penny Anderson Defenders Lodge is a public-private partnership between the VA and the PenFed Foundation. The PenFed Foundation raised $11 million in private donations to fund the construction of the lodge that includes 52 guest rooms, a dining room, library and private outdoor spaces, providing an experience much like a four-star hotel – at no cost to veterans, their caregivers or families.

Staff from the $12 billion Golden 1 Credit Union in Sacramento, Calif., present a check to the Women’s Center – Youth and Family Services on Oct. 2, 2018. Every day, hundreds of young people in the San Joaquin Valley struggle with homelessness. To help solve the unique challenges facing this at-risk group, Golden 1 has donated $165,000 to support three homeless youth programs. The credit union gave $50,000 to the Women’s Center – Youth and Family Services in Stockton, $50,000 to the Center for Human Services in Modesto and $65,000 to the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission. A point in time count in 2017 showed that more than 250 youth were experiencing homelessness in the San Joaquin Valley. The needs of homeless youth differ from those of the homeless adult population. Many homeless young adults have experienced trauma or abuse. This vulnerable population needs early and intensive intervention that is not available through traditional adult services and shelters. The funds donated by Golden 1 will be used to provide services such as transitional housing, vocational and life skills training, financial literacy education, drop-in centers and counseling.

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