Lending a Hand to Students in Need & Black Communities

Brian Branch, president/CEO for the World Council of Credit Unions, shows his approval for the boxes of masks donated by the National Credit Union Federation of Korea (NACUFOK). NACUFOK donated 40,000 face masks to WOCCU to distribute to more than 30 countries to protect credit union employees and members from COVID-19. Branch consulted with partners across the world to identify those credit unions still in dire need of personal protective equipment. He then worked with the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions' staff to repackage the masks for shipment. Project Storm Break, the Worldwide Foundation's disaster relief program, aided in covering the cost of shipping the masks to more than 30 national and regional credit union associations across five continents.

From left to right, Denise Jackson, Vianney Mendoza and Vanessa Campozano from the Alameda County Family Justice Center in Oakland, Calif., show off donated backpacks. 1st United Credit Union recently wrapped up its annual school supply and backpack drive in support of the Alameda County Family Justice Center and Alternative Family Services, a foster, adoptions and mental health agency in Oakland. Credit union staff, members and the community donated $1,215, and combined with 1st United's donation, proceeds totaled enough to provide over 400 Alameda County students with school supplies this year. Due to COVID-19, the $1.2 billion, Pleasanton, Calif.-based 1st United accepted monetary donations in lieu of collecting backpacks in branches.

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From left to right, Nick Estes, Tay Sorrell and Markus Hood, basketball coaches at Marietta High School in Marietta, Ga.; and Kathy Winiarczyk, business development officer at the $411 million, Woodstock, Ga.-based Credit Union of Georgia, pose by the school's new scores table. This year, the Marietta High School Basketball program was seeking a supporter for a state-of-the-art LED scores table for not only its basketball season, but for all winter sports and to allow the school's audio-visual department to showcase its talents. Credit Union of Georgia provided the $12,000 donation, allowing the high school to create a better game and education experience for years to come.

Credit Union of Southern California ($1.8 billion, Anaheim, Calif.) President/CEO Dave Gunderson (top left corner) and Vice President of Business and Talent Development Melissa Manning (to Gunderson's right) present a donation to representatives from the Children's Defense Fund California. CU SoCal's employee-inspired charity, CU SoCal Helping Hands, recently donated $20,000 to five non-profit organizations that work to advance the lives of those in the Black community. Credit union employees nominated non-profit organizations that help Black communities and neighborhoods in CU SoCal's field of membership. The five organizations selected from the list were: Black Women for Wellness, Children's Defense Fund California, Riverside Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Unstoppable Awards and Whittier College's Black Student Union.

This year's BrookLynk intern, Sumei Vang (second from right), poses with TopLine Federal Credit Union marketing team members (from left to right) Madilyn Pieper, Vicki Erickson and Meredith Engman. The $517.5 million, Maple Grove, Minn.-based TopLine recently hosted its fifth summer youth intern through youth employment and work-readiness training program BrookLynk. BrookLynk connects youth ages 14-21 that live or attend school in Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park, Minn., and face barriers to employment with local business partners for a six- to eight-week internship. All youth receive work readiness training and the program offers youth ages 16 and older the opportunity to learn essential job skills, gain valuable work experience, and develop a professional social network to help develop pathways to college and a career. TopLine's BrookLynk intern graduated this past year from Champlin Park Senior High School in Champlin, Minn., and will be attending Augsburg College in Minneapolis in the fall.

From left to right, Saundra MacDonald, assistant superintendent of schools for the Rochester (N.H.) School Department; Leah Taylor, director of financial education for the $339 million, Rochester-based Holy Rosary Credit Union; and Kyle Repucci, superintendent of schools for the Rochester School Department, pose with donated books and backpacks. HRCU donated copies of the book "Amazing Masks" by Jennifer Brock, a second grade teacher at William Allen School in Rochester, to Rochester Elementary schools, local pediatric offices, dentists, daycares and the Rochester Library. According to Brock, the goal of "Amazing Masks" is to help ensure children are as emotionally prepared as possible as they enter the upcoming school year and the new normal of wearing masks. HRCU also donated Staples gift cards to fund school supplies for students in need within the Rochester School District.

Please send your Community news items to Natasha Chilingerian at [email protected].

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Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.