Credit Unions Brighten Back-to-School Season

Employees of the $1 billion Educational Systems Federal Credit Union in Greenbelt, Md., and Prince George’s County Public Schools load more than 130 boxes filled with 2,000 backpacks into a school bus at the credit union’s Bowie branch parking lot. The donated backpacks will be given to middle school students during the Prince George’s County Public Schools’ Back-to-School Block Party on Aug. 17 at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Center. The backpacks were donated through the Support Education Foundation, which was established by Educational Systems FCU. In total, 6,500 backpacks will be provided to middle school students across the counties served by the credit union. Each backpack includes a 100-sheet pack of college ruled paper, a pack of six ballpoint pens, a highlighter and a 12-inch ruler.

Brian Best, president/CEO of the $2.1 billion GTE Financial Credit Union in Tampa, Fla., stands with the 50 scholarship recipients of 2019 during a scholarship awards luncheon. During the past five years, GTE Financial has awarded 36 scholarships, but in 2019 it increased this number to 50. GTE Financial chooses scholarship winners based on criteria that include academic achievement, demonstration of leadership abilities and commitment to community service. Each student was awarded a $2,500 scholarship. This year’s event featured high school scholarship recipients like Alyssa Kowalczyk, who is delivering Bags of Hope to thousands of people in need in Tampa Bay.

Employees from the $460 million Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union in Rocky Hill, Conn., prepare backpacks for a school supply donation. From left to right are employee Dan Fonseca, president/CEO John Holt and employee Charlene Higgins. The credit union donated more than 100 backpacks filled with school supplies to students throughout the greater Hartford, Conn., area. As a Community Development Financial Institution and long-time supporter of local charities, this is Nutmeg’s fifth year of donating backpacks and school supplies. Since the start of this initiative in 2015, the credit union has donated a total of over 1,000 backpacks to further the education of students in the Hartford area. To many, these donations are crucial to beginning the academic year successfully.

Employees from the $906 million RTN Federal Credit Union in Waltham, Mass., and Enterprise staff pose for a picture at the Reality Fair at the Massachusetts State House on Aug. 1. This summer, RTN was one of the participating credit union partners of the fifth annual Cooperative Credit Union Association, Inc.’s Reality Fair program known as “Scholars and Cents.” Nearly 70 high school, college and graduate student interns participated in this credit union-founded and designed financial education program. This interactive event helps young people understand real-life financial issues by assigning them occupations and salaries so they can figure out how to create spending and savings plans.

Team members from the $265 million Sperry Associates Federal Credit Union in Garden City Park, N.Y., lend a helping hand at the Island Harvest Senior Mobile Food Pantry in Glen Cove, N.Y. The Senior Mobile Food Pantry delivers food directly to people in need, and enables Island Harvest to increase the availability of nutritious perishable and non-perishable items for people in low-income and senior neighborhoods.

Kelly Richardson, Lowell Police Department Superintendent of Police (in uniform); and Lauren Robinson, vice president of marketing at the $594 million Align Credit Union in Lowell, Mass., stand with the winners of the Unsung Hero Bicycles. Align sponsored the Lowell Student Police Academy for the ninth consecutive year. The Academy is a summer leadership program run by the Lowell Police Department’s School Resource Officers for students in grades five through eight from Lowell and surrounding towns. The three-week program is run at Lowell High School and teaches students a variety of important skills such as CPR and first aid, bullying prevention, gang awareness and prevention, avoiding peer pressure, internet safety and the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Academy activities and homework assignments are designed to help students build self-confidence and self-esteem, and teach teamwork and leadership skills.

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