Credit Unions Donate Over $100,000 to Local Nonprofits

Ventura County Credit Union’s Melissa Miller (left) and Tina Estes (right) present a $2,500 check to Andrea Gallagher of Senior Concerns, an adult day care center in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The gift was part of the $945 million, Ventura, Calif.-based credit union’s recent $50,000 donation supporting 11 local nonprofits that have been helping Ventura County residents through the coronavirus pandemic. VCCU also donated $2,000 each to five local Boys & Girls Clubs, $10,000 to Food Share of Ventura County, $5,000 to the Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project, $10,000 to the Health Care Foundation for Ventura County, $10,000 to the Ventura County Community Foundation and $2,500 to the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging.

GTE Financial Federal Credit Union employees recently received $25 gift cards to make a charitable donation, or support a local restaurant or small business, as part of the industry-wide #CreditUnionsCareChallenge. Each credit union that participates in the challenge receives matching funds from the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation. GTE ($2.3 billion, Tampa, Fla.) donated its matching funds to St. Vincent de Paul CARES – a local institution fighting homelessness in Tampa Bay, Fla. GTE presented St. Vincent de Paul CARES with $12,000 divided between its St. Petersburg and Temple Terrace locations. Pictured are Preeti Larson with GTE and Merrell Dickey with St. Vincent de Paul CARES (left side); and Joe Affronti with St. Vincent de Paul CARES, Kenricia Mercer with GTE and Cheryl Stine with St. Vincent de Paul Society, Food Pantry & Financial Services (top right).

Diana Echavarria, a Hanscom Federal Credit Union partner relations project coordinator, leaps on top of Mount Major in New Hampshire. The Hanscom Federal Credit Union Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the $1.5 billion Hanscom in Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., donated $2,364 to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, matching the amount raised by Hanscom employees for a total of $4,728. This year’s event was rescheduled to June 7, retooled to be entirely virtual and dubbed “Hope From Home.” Leading up to the virtual event, Hanscom employees walked, ran and biked toward a goal of reaching a combined 2,020 miles from June 1-7, with prizes awarded along the way. Hanscom helped to support Hope From Home with a $1,000 sponsorship for the event itself.

From left to right, SEFCU Marketing Project Lead Cheryl Sanders, Albany Medical Center Member Specialist Charles Costantino and SEFCU Solution Specialist Ebony Mayo pose for a photo at Heroes Landing as part of a video about the initiative. In April and May, the $4 billion, Albany, N.Y.-based SEFCU spearheaded an effort to provide health care workers from Albany Medical Center and St. Peter’s Hospital with a place to rest and recharge. The Hilton Garden Inn in Albany became Heroes Landing, a respite where doctors, nurses and other medical professionals could receive much-needed rest, nutrition, comfort and strength between shifts. In total, 526 health care workers received respite, including a care package, meal and access to a room. Heroes Landing was staffed 24/7 by SEFCU volunteers who safely greeted the heroes, took their temperatures and asked a few standard screening questions. More than 50 SEFCU employees committed nearly 2,500 volunteer hours at Heroes Landing.

The $1.2 billion Suffolk Federal Credit Union in Medford, N.Y., donates $3,000 to the Long Island, N.Y., nonprofit Helping Makes U Happy to provide vital assistance to economically disadvantaged residents of Suffolk County. The charity hosts ongoing projects including food and clothing drives, school supply and backpack donations, and scholarship funding. Pictured from left to right are Tara Alberti, senior marketing associate for Suffolk FCU; Keith Caputo, founder of Helping Makes U Happy and Michele Dean, president/CEO for Suffolk FCU.

The $3.4 billion Tower Federal Credit Union in Laurel, Md., and the TowerCares Foundation gifts $30,900 to the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore. The organizations have been long-term supporters of JHCC, donating a cumulative total of more than $750,000 to the hospital over the years. This year’s donation was made in lieu of proceeds typically generated through an annual golf tournament, which was canceled this year due to the pandemic. Pictured from left to right are Tower President/CEO Richard Stafford, JHCC Associate Director of Development Lindsay Kahler and Tower SVP of Member Services Alvin Smith.

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