Kids See Brighter Futures Thanks to Credit Unions

Employees from the $2.5 billion Canvas Credit Union in Lone Tree, Colo., award 28 students a total of $43,000 in college scholarships. Scholarship recipients included 27 metro area and northern Colorado high school graduates, and a Canvas member who just completed her sophomore year at Baylor University. Supported by the Dedicate to Graduate Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, these scholarships recognize outstanding achievement, both in school and in the community. Since 2017, Canvas’s annual scholarship programs have awarded more than $150,000 to help students pay for college expenses.

Employees from the $252 million Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union in Houston, Texas award $11,000 in higher education scholarships to six Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District high school seniors. To qualify, applicants had to be enrolled in an English as a Second Language or New America College English Acquisition class and submit their application essay in both English and Spanish. Cy-Fair began its scholarship program in 1992 and has awarded financial assistance to 202 students, totaling $207,000. The scholarship program is open to all Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and Waller ISD students, and funds may be used for tuition at any accredited college, junior college or university.

Hillary Bobbitt from the $2.6 billion Robins Financial Credit Union in Warner Robins, Ga., presents a sponsorship check to the Youth Enrichment Services Day Camp kids and counselors, which is offered by Volunteer Houston County. Volunteer Houston County is striving to provide a safe and fun environment for children during all school breaks, with a focus on educational driven curriculum and how to make healthy eating and exercise choices year-round.

Representatives from the $1 billion First Financial Federal Credit Union in Lutherville, Md., and Knorr Brake Company present donations collected from their May food drive to the Westminster Rescue Mission. First Financial provided a $300 check donation and co-sponsored a food drive with one of its SEGs, Knorr Brake Company. The donated food items will go to the Westminster Rescue Mission, a Christian ministry that partners with local churches, businesses, social service organizations and volunteers to provide resources and services for individuals and families in need.

Students attend Bite of Reality, a financial reality fair at the $230 million InRoads Credit Union in St. Helens, Ore. The Northwest Credit Union Foundation partnered with credit unions to offer financial reality fairs for the past seven years, and last year took the program from a pen-and-paper format to a digital platform that today’s tech-savvy students can truly relate to. The NWCUF launched the Bite of Reality platform in partnership with the National Credit Union Foundation and the Richard Myles Johnson Foundation. Using their smartphones or tablets, each student downloads a persona, career and starting salary. They guide through a day in the life of an adult’s financial responsibilities, and each of them must finish the exercise with a balanced budget. As a result, 3,500 students head into summer smarter about how they manage their money.

Jamie Gollakner (center), community assistant vice president at the $960 million Honor Credit Union in Berrien Springs, Mich., awards Gwinn High School seniors Taylor Jancsi (left) and Sydney St. Clair (right) with $1,000 scholarships. Twenty-five students throughout Michigan received $1,000 to be used toward furthering their education. Reinforcing Honor’s dedication to supporting the local community, an emphasis on community involvement and extracurricular activities was part of the Community Commitment Scholarship application.

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