CUs Give Non-profits Over $140,000 to Support Communities in Need

Courtney Evans (left), Allegius Federal Credit Union's Toys for Tots organizer, and Reggie Hess, local director for Toys for Tots, stand by the toys the credit union purchased for area families during the 2020 holiday season. For the eighth year in a row, the $176.9 million, Burns Harbor, Ind.-based Allegius joined forces with the Porter County Toys for Toys program to help bring the joy of Christmas to area families and children. Funds to purchase toys were raised through member donations, member gifts, credit union staff jeans day donations and Allegius's monetary donation, which resulted in more than $3,700 that it used to obtain over 300 toys. During the past eight years, Allegius has raised over $18,000 to purchase more than 2,600 toys.

Volunteers load roast donations into an Alaska USA Federal Credit Union van. The $9.5 billion, Anchorage-based Alaska USA and the Alaska USA Foundation, the credit union's charitable organization, recently donated a combined $20,000 to Covenant House Alaska in Anchorage to continue its mission to provide services for youth experiencing homelessness. The donation will fund Covenant House Alaska services including providing warm clothing, meals and the tools its young people need to feel supported and safe during the current pandemic. Additionally, Alaska USA employees donated multiple roasts to Covenant House Alaska to feed youth staying at the shelter as part of its employee holiday gift-giving campaign.

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The $6.8 billion, North Liberty, Iowa-based GreenState Credit Union recently gifted $100,000 to support a fund within the UI Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa that had been dwindling due to additional burdens caused by COVID-19. The Extenuating Circumstances Fund functions independently but falls under the Continuity of Care program at UISFCH. The Continuity of Care program is a family-centered service of the hospital, helping families with children who have special health care needs. Within the Continuity of Care program, the Extenuating Circumstances Fund can provide families with gas cards, hotel stays and meal cards, and pay the occasional electricity bill at home. Pictured from left to right are Janine Petitgout and John Werner of UISFCU, alongside Jim Kelly and Fred Mims of GreenState.

Langley Federal Credit Union Director of Facilities Rick Shook and Senior Maintenance Technician Robert Johnson work together to install new flooring at the Crossroads Village Boys & Girls Club in Newport News, Va. The $3.5 billion, Newport News-based Langley began a new tradition in 2020 – a Day of Service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy. This year, Langley's facilities team installed flooring in the games room of the Crossroads Village Boys & Girls Club, which has been open to members since September to provide a safe place with hands-on assistance for virtual schooling. Additionally, the credit union's Hilltop Branch team in Virginia Beach assembled 20 welcome home kits for veterans in need moving into safe, permanent housing through the Vet Re-Connect Program with STOP Inc. The kits included a dish set, laundry basket, cleaning supplies, utensils and bathroom kits. The STOP organization fights for economically disadvantaged individuals and families, including within the military community, by offering transformational opportunities. Up to 13 other projects, including clean-up assistance, painting and assembling kits, will be hosted throughout the year as part of the Day of Service initiative.

The $1.6 billion, Rapid City, S.D.-based Black Hills Federal Credit Union recently donated $18,025 to South Dakota's United Way of the Black Hills. Credit union staff pledges, a corporate donation and several jeans day fundraisers held throughout last year made up the amount donated. In 2020, United Way of the Black Hills touched the lives of over 101,000 individuals through its programs and outreach, which included giving over 66,000 age-appropriate books to children and libraries and providing access to essential health services. Pictured from left to right are Jerry Schmidt, president/CEO for BHFCU and Brad Keizer, development director for United Way of the Black Hills.

David Hall (left), associate vice president of external relations for Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (GLFHC) and Alison Hughes, assistant treasurer and community engagement officer for the $1.6 billion, Lowell, Mass.-based Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union, holds the award check for the We Share a Common Thread Foundation's quarterly Give-a-Click program from Jeanne D'Arc. GLFHC is the latest non-profit organization to be awarded a $1,500 donation from Jeanne D'Arc's We Share a Common Thread Foundation as part of the fourth quarter (October to December 2020) Give-a-Click program. The Give-a-Click program runs quarterly on the We Share a Common Thread Foundation website. Community members visit the site, learn about the worthy non-profit contestants and cast their vote for the organization they would like to support. GLFHC is focused on improving the health of people and their families in the Merrimack Valley area of Massachusetts, and the awarded funds will be used to help renovate and expand its Lawrence, Mass., clinic, which is its largest and accounts for 33% of annual patient visits.

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.