CUs Show Support for Local Community Programs & Businesses

The $5.16 billion, Endwell, N.Y.-based Visions Federal Credit Union recently donated $6,000 to Café Esperanza, a "pay-what-you-can" café run by Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Reading, Pa. The credit union made the donation to help fund the Grow Hope Initiative launched by the café, which provides a space for art, music, education and job training for people in the community. Pictured from left to right are Milagros (Millie) Lockhart of Visions, and Pastor Mary Wolfe and David Nazario of Cafe Esperanza.

The $3.7 billion, Lone Tree, Colo.-based Canvas Credit Union has partnered with local chef Alex Seidel to provide outdoor heaters for his three restaurants to allow more patrons to visit them safely and comfortably. Local restaurants have been struggling to stay afloat amid the pandemic, and with outdoor heaters currently in high demand, their cost has increased and created an extra burden and expense for many businesses. Canvas provided a total of 15 heaters to Seidel's eateries:

Six at Mercantile, located in Downtown Denver's Union Station (pictured)
Four at Chook, located in Aurora, Colo., at Stanley Marketplace
Three at Chook, located in Denver at 8th Avenue and Birch Street
Two at Fruition, located in Denver at East Sixth Avenue and North Marion Street

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TruMark Financial Credit Union CEO Richard F. Stipa (far right) and Vice President of Public Relations and Government Affairs Chris Woods (second from left) present a $30,000 check to Philabundance Director of Business Development S. Scott Smith (far left) and Chief Development Officer Sara Hertz. The $2.59 billion, Fort Washington, Pa.-based TruMark Financial recently made the donation to the Philadelphia-area hunger relief association to help combat food insecurity. The credit union has also scheduled smaller monthly donation initiatives throughout the year. In February, it delivered more than 2,000 pairs of socks to the following shelters in its five-county area: Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia, Connect/Connect by Night in Upper Darby, Pa., the Family Service Association of Bucks County, Orion Communities in Phoenixville, Pa., and Your Way Home in Norristown, Pa.

Pelican State Credit Union member Carolyn Thomas (right) celebrates the purchase of her new home with Pelican Credit Counselor Nanette Diaz. Throughout 2020, the $527.7 million, Baton Rouge, La.-based credit union conducted 2,878 one-on-one credit counseling sessions with members looking to take control of their financial health or be equipped with extra tools and resources to make sound financial decisions. This reflected nearly a 56% increase in the number of sessions held by Pelican compared to 2019. Sessions can be held either in-person or remotely and are free for all Pelican members. The credit union also celebrated 32 members graduating from its Financial Wellness Program in 2020. These members overcame personal and financial obstacles, reaching outstanding milestones such as paying off negative accounts, purchasing new vehicles and becoming homeowners.

The $1.2 billion, Oklahoma City, Okla.-based WEOKIE Federal Credit Union recently gifted a $50,000 endowment scholarship in the name of former WEOKIE CEO E. Brent Taylor to the Steed School of Accounting in the Price Business College at the University of Oklahoma. The scholarship honors the career of Taylor, a 1987 alumnus of the college with a bachelor's of business administration in accounting. Taylor provided over 30 years of service at WEOKIE and served the last 13 years as president/CEO. Under his leadership, the credit union more than doubled in assets. Pictured from left to right are WEOKIE Board Chairman Warren Pybas, Rhesa Brewster and Kristen Lazalier with the University of Oklahoma, Taylor, current WEOKIE President/CEO Jeff Carpenter and Corey Phelps with the University of Oklahoma.

The SECU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization funded by the contributions of members of the $47.3 billion, Raleigh, N.C.-based State Employees' Credit Union, awarded a $200,000 grant to the North Carolina Education Fund in support of a new project, the North Carolina Education Corps (NCEC). The initiative was developed in 2020 by North Carolina educators and leaders to help tackle some of the most pressing needs of public schools throughout the state – specifically addressing the learning inequities intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foundation grant will assist the North Carolina Education Fund with administrative services, including NCEC training programs and in-service support for the first cohort of corps members delivering services to students and school systems as tutors, mentors or technology navigators. NCEC is a joint project of the North Carolina State Board of Education, the Governor's Office and Local Education Agencies. Pictured from left to right are VolunteerNC Executive Director Caroline Farmer, SECU Foundation Board Chair Jo Anne Sanford, State Board of Education Chair Eric Davis, NC Education Corps Program Director John-Paul C. Smith and NC Education Corps Director of Corps Experience and Recruitment Shanitah Young.

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.