CUs Give Back to Their Communities Ahead of Thanksgiving

Nicole Cypers, vice president of public relations at the $11.5 billion, Riverdale, Utah-based America First Credit Union, awards 90&9 with a $10,000 donation. As part of its mission to enhance and improve local communities, America First donated $25,000 to local nonprofits operating throughout Utah. In addition to a monetary donation, America First also donated 40 bikes, built by America First staff members, to Ogden Bicycle Collective.

Employees from the $414 million Clackamas Federal Credit Union in Milwaukie, Ore., present a $5,000 check to Mt. Hood Search and Rescue Council. This is the seventh annual donation from Clackamas FCU to Mt. Hood Search and Rescue Council, totaling more than $65,000. This year’s donation will be used to purchase 15 much-needed GPS units and new tires for a communications vehicle. Mt. Hood Search and Rescue Council is composed of nine Oregon County Sheriff offices, volunteer rescue teams and other collaborators that work together to cover a large region of the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association. Together they coordinate and improve search and rescue missions throughout the region. In addition to risking their lives, the volunteers give thousands of hours of time (often using personal vacation time), purchase their own equipment, and pay for their own gas and vehicles that are used for rescue missions. Mt. Hood Search and Rescue Council does not receive government funding, so it relies on the generosity of its volunteers and private donations.

Employees from the $694 million Connex Credit Union in North Haven, Conn., donate 25 whole turkeys and $1,000 to the Connecticut Food Bank’s 2019 Thanksgiving Stuff-a-Bus collection. This is the seventh consecutive year that Connex has supported the event, which is now in its 29th year and was held on Nov. 21 and 22. With support from local iHeartMedia radio stations, Connecticut Food Bank collected non-perishable food items and monetary donations at the Hamden Plaza for the approximately 270,000 people struggling with hunger in the six counties it serves. The annual Stuff-A-Bus event is just one of numerous community initiatives that Connex participates in throughout the holiday season as part of its ConnexCares philanthropic program.

Brittani Forbush (left), assistant vice president of public relations at the $9 billion Mountain America Credit Union in Sandy, Utah, and Humane Society of Utah staff showcase empty kennels at the end of the “Fall in Love” event. Mountain America and the Humane Society of Utah teamed up to save 163 homeless pets ahead of the holiday season. As part of the “Fall in Love” adoption special, Mountain America paid for all pet adoption fees at the Humane Society of Utah on Nov. 23, 2019. During the event, nearly all of the animals at the Humane Society of Utah were adopted. The available space allows the Humane Society of Utah to save hundreds more homeless pets by accepting additional owner-surrendered animals and animals from overcrowded shelters.

From left to right, Laura Galeski, social responsibility manager from the $1.4 billion Hanscom Federal Credit Union in Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.; and Jason Gray, chief of voluntary service and recreation therapy from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at the VA Boston Healthcare System pose with items donated by Hanscom. In total, the credit union donated $1,000 worth of new toiletries, clothing and personal care items to the VA Boston Healthcare System on the Brockton campus. The Brockton VA Medical Center offers short- and long-term care to veterans, including rehabilitation, medical, psychiatric and hospice care. This donation continues the credit union’s ongoing commitment to supporting the health and welfare of our nation’s active duty service members and veterans.

Employees from the $4.3 billion Veridian Credit Union in Waterloo, Iowa join United Auto Workers Local 838 to host the 38th annual Mike and Leona Adams Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 25. Volunteers served a traditional Thanksgiving feast at the UAW Local 838 Union Hall in Waterloo for 535 people. The Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging delivered an additional 252 dinners to its current Meals on Wheels recipients. In total, the event served a free meal to 787 people this year. The event is named for former Veridian board member Mike Adams and his wife, Leona. The late couple built a partnership between the credit union and the local UAW to offer the first free Thanksgiving dinner in 1982, when many Iowans were impacted by tough economic times and struggled to make ends meet. Although both Mike and Leona have both passed, the tradition that still bears their names has grown. Each dinner includes turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, corn, a dinner roll, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. The event also offers other free services, including a haircut from Clip Art Corner, blood pressure check from Cedar Valley Hospice and transportation from Cedar Falls, Evansdale or Waterloo, Iowa by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Black Hawk County.

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