Credit Unions Support Seniors & First Responders

Brandy Ralston-Lint (left), SVP of corporate communications for the $9.85 billion Security Service Federal Credit Union in San Antonio, presents Lizzy Nemeth, executive director for Catholic Charities of San Antonio, with a $5,000 donation for the Project Cool program. The Security Service Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of Security Service FCU, is helping seniors stay comfortable during hot summer months through its donation, which will be used to purchase box fans for more than 300 seniors at no cost. Any senior, age 60 or older, is eligible to receive a fan. Available for pick up at a convenient location within their zip code, seniors can simply show a photo ID to verify their age to be given a fan. Homebound seniors are encouraged to call for assistance so that a fan can be delivered directly to their home.

Ideal Credit Union President/CEO Brian Sherrick (left) surprises longtime business member Tony Mahmood of Aesop’s Table in St. Paul, Minn., with a check for $1,000. The $791 million, Woodbury, Minn.-based Ideal’s donation will support Aesop’s Table’s partnership with non-profit East Side Elders to provide hot meals to seniors living at Cambric Senior Apartments in St. Paul. The donation is a result of Sherrick’s acceptance of the #CUs4U Challenge launched by Hiway Federal Credit Union President/CEO Dave Boden, who challenged other Minnesota credit union CEOs to step up and show their appreciation to essential workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.

BethAnn Gailey of Gateway Regional Medical Center (left) and Candice Greene, community relations representative for GCS Credit Union, pose with an $1,100 donation for the medical center in Granite City, Ill. During the month of May, employees from the $362 million, Granite City-based GCS made monetary donations to the medical center to help supply an employee candy cart. In addition to the staff donations, GCS provided 20 care packages to local police officers, firefighters and post offices. GCS has also donated bandanas to hospital staff at its local Memorial Hospital.

Jim Codespote, chief of the Laurel, Md., Fire Department (far right) accepts a donation on behalf of the fire department from Tower Federal Credit Union’s (from left to right) Marsha Bradshaw, vice president of real estate lending; Denise Pope, vice president of branch administration; Al Smith, SVP of member services; and Barry Stricklin, SVP and chief lending officer. To help support and protect local first responders working on the frontline, the $3.39 billion, Laurel-based Tower donated 600 N95 masks to the Laurel Fire Department and 410 masks to the Laurel Regional Hospital.

Firefighters with the FDNY Pulaski Association prepare to serve food sponsored by Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union to fire department ambulance operators who went to New York from other states to help fight the pandemic. At the end of March, the board of directors for the $2.01 billion, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based PSFCU established the PSFCU Coronavirus Relief Fund to help Polish-American community members in several U.S. cities who were most in need. By the end of May, PSFCU had financially supported nearly 40 assistance projects, including the delivery of food parcels to hospitals in and around Chicago, and a Memorial Day food parcel delivery to veterans with the Polish Army Veterans Association of America in New Britain, Conn.

Hillary Bobbitt (left), marketing programs coordinator for Robins Financial Credit Union, presents a $5,000 check to Cheryl Glover with Houston County Habitat for Humanity in Warner Robins, Ga. The $2.88 billion, Warner Robins-based Robins Financial’s corporate donation will be used by Houston County Habitat for Humanity to continue to build homes for those in the community.

Please send your Community news items to Natasha Chilingerian at nchilingerian@cutimes.com.