CUs Raise Money for Schools, Service Members & CMN Hospitals

Gary Jones (right) with Live Oak High School in Watson, La., and Live Oak students show off their trophy and $1,500 award from the $1 billion, Baton Rouge, La.-based Neighbors Federal Credit Union. Neighbors recently hosted an online tournament, intended to raise awareness for its Mascot Checking program that has provided more than $163,000 for local schools, with its 15 Mascot schools. Live Oak won for the second consecutive year with 702 votes. Throughout the tournament, Neighbors posted links to polls on its blog, shared them on social media and encouraged participating schools to lobby for as many votes as possible. Woodlawn High School in Baton Rouge came in second with 492 votes, and received $500.

Jeff Clark (left in top and middle photos; middle in bottom photo), president/CEO for the $788 million, Jacksonville, N.C.-based Marine Credit Union, presents checks worth $20,500 each to three community organizations. On Oct. 16, Marine held its 26th Annual Charity Golf Tournament, raising $61,500 total for Hope for the Warriors, which supports injured service members, veterans and their families; the United Services Organization of Jacksonville; and United Way of North Carolina’s Onslow County.

A Texas Diaper Bank staff member provides diapers and wipes to families during a time of increased need due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Security Service Charitable Foundation, the charitable arm of the $10.15 billion, San Antonio, Texas-based Security Service Federal Credit Union, recently partnered with the Texas Diaper Bank, also in San Antonio, donating $5,000. As diapers are considered a hygiene item, they are not covered by safety-net or Women, Infants and Children programs, leaving many area families in need. The foundation’s donation will help provide 25,000 diapers for 1,000 families in the state’s Bexar County and surrounding areas.

Anthony Mincks of Mayo Clinic loads documents for shredding in Rochester, Minn., on Oct. 12. For the sixth year in a row, the $1.19 billion Mayo Employees Federal Credit Union of Rochester participated in Caring It Forward Day, providing free, secure document shredding throughout the day as well as flu shots. The credit union collected over three tons of paper to recycle and shred, and partnered with the Hy-Vee Healthy You Mobile Unit to open a flu shot clinic. In just three hours, 127 people received vaccinations. MEFCU also became the first credit union in Southeastern Minnesota to launch NetGiver, a charitable giving app that cuts administration costs so 100% of donations go to the nonprofits members care about. Its first NetGiver fundraising campaign will benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Rochester.

Students at the Nixon Academy of Multimedia Arts Production, an elementary school in Cerritos, Calif., learn how to use the technology application program Notability via Zoom. As part of its 2020 Adopt-a-School program, the $1.7 billion LBS Financial Credit Union in Westminster, Calif., donated $2,500 to Nixon Academy. The donation funded approximately 450 licenses for third through sixth grade students to use Notability, a note-taking program that combines the skills of handwriting, photos and typing in a single note to bring student projects to life. Now in its 10th year of adopting schools in California’s ABC Unified School District, LBS also donated $2,500 each to a school from the state’s Bellflower and Long Beach Unified School districts this year.

Madisen Lickly, an Ascension Via Christi Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH) champion, poses by a Credit Union of America van. The $1.12 billion, Wichita, Kan.-based CUA hosted its 14th annual golf tournament benefitting the CMNH at Ascension Via Christi on Sept. 17 at the Crestview Country Club in Wichita. The tournament, a joint effort between CUA and the Wichita Open, raised $44,270 this year to directly benefit sick and injured children in Kansas. Lickly and her family were invited to share their story of how CMNH has made a positive impact on their lives.

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