Fireflies, Backpacks & Libraries: CUs Reveal Community Projects

Guests learn about fireflies from University of Minnesota Entomologist Eric Middleton at The Firefly Experience event. The $1.3 billion Firefly Credit Union in Burnsville, Minn., worked in collaboration with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and University of Minnesota to host the event, a free and interactive opportunity for families to experience the magic of fireflies. Guests were invited to learn about fireflies, including ways to find them, from Middleton. Later, they had the chance to walk through the arboretum at dusk in search of illuminated friends. The event was held on July 12, and due to an overwhelming amount of interest, an additional date was added for July 13.

Employees from the $516 million Peach State Federal Credit Union in Lawrenceville, Ga., present a $2,500 donation to representatives of Friends of the Library of Towns County. Pictured from left to right at the Mountain Regional Library are Elaine Roberts, vice president of Friends of the Library; Jennifer Marshall, branch manager at Peach State’s Young Harris branch; Peggy Keys-Burrell, regional book processor for Mountain Regional Library; Suzanne Carter, president of Friends of the Library; and Scott Roland, business development for Peach State. The funds will support two Northeast Georgia libraries over the next five years. The Mountain Regional Library and Towns County Public Library branches will receive $500 per year through 2023 from the credit union beginning this year.

Dee Schriner, president/CEO of the $75 million Trius Federal Credit Union in Kearney, Neb., poses for a picture with kids of staff members who played in the FootGolf Tournament. With matching funds from Miracle Match, the credit union raised $3,000 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Members of 105.7 The Point’s morning show, The Rizzuto Show, and employees from the $2.7 billion First Community Credit Union in St. Louis, Mo., present a check to Greater St. Louis Honor Flight Operations Manager Jim Pettit and his wife Connie. First Community teamed up with St. Louis’ hit morning radio show, The Rizzuto Show on 105.7 The Point, to raise funds for local organization Greater St. Louis Honor Flight. From June 22 to July 12, red, white and blue stickers were sold at First Community’s 43 locations throughout Missouri and Illinois. With a combination of donations from sticker sales, First Community employee donations and a corporate contribution, a grand total of $7,500 was raised for Greater St. Louis Honor Flight. A donation that size can sponsor 10 veterans and their flight to Washington, D.C., about half the size of the group the organization takes. The Honor Flight experience comes at no cost to the veterans who attend and creates a wonderful memory for each veteran and their family.

CAP COM Cares Foundation volunteers pack and assemble backpacks at the $1.8 billion Albany, N.Y.-based CAP COM Federal Credit Union. Each year the CAP COM Foundation, the charitable arm of the credit union, aims to deliver backpacks filled with school supplies to local children in need. This year the program has delivered 1,020 donated backpacks to 26 organizations and schools in the Capital Region community. New backpacks were filled with school supplies including notebooks, folders, pencils, crayons, rulers, glue sticks and more. Fifty-eight CAP COM employees volunteered their time to assemble, pack and deliver the backpacks over a week’s time. Backpacks were delivered the week of July 22 to 26 to youth at various organizations.

James G. Johnson, president/CEO for the $99 million Hopewell Federal Credit Union in Heath, Ohio, and William Hepner, Jr., chairman of the credit union’s board, present a $1,000 donation to the 2019 Hopewell Federal Scholarship winner, Greta Buckenberger of Newark, Ohio. Buckenberger, a recent graduate from Utica High School, will depart in the fall to attend Taylor University in Upland, Ind. Buckenberger excels both academically and personally and has created a strong presence in the community. Applicants were asked to pick one of the five fundamentals of credit unions and use it to convince their best friend why it is better to use a credit union than any other kind of financial institution. Though a strong field of applicants came forward with submissions, Buckenberger was a standout and chosen as the winner.

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