Virtual Wine Auction Raises $1.17 Million for CMN Hospitals in California, Nevada

From left to right, John Cassidy, president/CEO of Sierra Central Credit Union ($1.3 billion, Yuba City, Calif.), CO-OP Financial Services President/CEO Todd Clark and CU Direct President/CEO Tony Boutelle show off their Gaelic wear during the 16th annual California and Nevada Credit Unions for Kids Wine Auction. The wine auction took place as a virtual, interactive event on March 12 and raised $1.17 million for 11 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH) in the two states, marking the seventh consecutive year the event has raised more than $1 million.

Themed “Gala Caisleán [Castle in Gaelic],” the event was supported by 57 credit unions, business partners and hospitals, and gave attendees the opportunity to bid on more than 650 packages that included bottles of fine wine and whiskey, travel getaways, sports events and concerts. The event’s special guest was 11-year old CMNH Miracle Child Hudson Kent, who was diagnosed with kidney cancer at the age of 15 months in March 2011. He underwent four surgeries and six months of chemotherapy before the age of three at Children’s Hospital Orange County and has now been cancer-free for eight years.

Grant recipients and their invited guests are honored by the board of The Foundation of VCCU, a philanthropic non-profit organization established by the $1.1 billion, Ventura, Calif.-based Ventura County Credit Union, and the board’s advisory team during a virtual celebration on March 10. The Foundation awarded a total $31,000 in grants to eight local non-profit organizations: The Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo, El Concilio Family Services, People’s Self-Help Housing, Project Bicycle Love, Ventura College Foundation, Ventura County Area Agency on Aging and Westminster Free Clinic. The non-profits will use the grant money to support a wide variety of programs and services that benefit the Ventura County community.

The $3.2 billion, San Diego-based California Coast Credit Union, along with its members and the community, raised $35,000 during a recent initiative that was created to support local minority-owned businesses and four local non-profits that have been impacted by the pandemic. During the campaign, members were encouraged to shop locally, and each time they used their Cal Coast MasterCard debit or credit card, Cal Coast donated proceeds to the Strategic Alliance – San Diego, which represents local minority-owned businesses. The effort raised $20,000, all of which will go directly to aid small businesses with the greatest need. Cal Coast will also donate an additional $10,000 to the Strategic Alliance, bringing the total for this portion of the campaign to $30,000. Additionally, area residents were asked to donate directly to their choice of four local non-profits that make a difference in the lives of people in San Diego and Riverside Counties. Their donations, along with a match from Cal Coast, raised $5,000 for the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, the Cal Coast Cares Foundation, the Monarch School and Operation SafeHouse. Pictured are representatives from Cal Coast, the Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce, the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Asian Business Association of San Diego.

The $499 million, Houston-based People’s Trust Federal Credit Union recently donated a surplus of 14 HP Chromebook devices to Change Happens, a local non-profit that addresses the needs of underserved populations in the Greater Houston area. The 14 laptops were hand-delivered to Change Happens on March 11 by People’s Trust Assistant Vice President of Marketing Patrick Flynn (far right) and Community Outreach Specialist Shelly Chinnery (second from right). Six non-profits vied for the donations in December when People’s Trust issued a donation proposal request to its community partners. The HP Chromebooks were initially purchased by the credit union at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to allow employees who did not already have a work laptop to work remotely until a more permanent remote working technology solution could be deployed. Once employees were issued permanent devices, People’s Trust looked to its community partners to unload the extra Chromebooks that otherwise would have gone unused. Change Happens plans to utilize the Chromebook donations for its youth computer lab, community computer room and adult service staff to conduct virtual trainings, job fairs and other virtual activities. Pictured from left to right with Chinnery and Flynn on the day of the delivery are Nekia Robinson, Kelva Clay and LeoMarcus Newman, all with Change Happens.

From left to right, Branch Manager Lori Hoskin, Senior Member Service Officer Gnanu Ayysola and Community & Business Development Manager Lisa Barshinger, all with First Capital Federal Credit Union, pose with donated hats, scarves and mittens. The $270 million, York, Pa.-based First Capital collected the items throughout the month of December and donated them to the West York Area School District on Feb. 18. First Capital also made two other recent charitable giving announcements. On Jan. 26, First Capital President/CEO Sue DeStephano virtually presented a check for $8,242 to United Way of York County Senior Corporate Engagement Manager Alicia Bowman. The money was raised through First Capital employee contributions and fundraisers such as jeans days. And from March 1-7, the credit union participated as a book drop-off site for Women United’s book drive, held in honor of Read Across America and to support the United Way of York County’s #yorkreads initiatives. That week, the community donated 2,236 books for all ages, which will benefit the Little Free Libraries. Women United is a part of United Way of York County and focuses on promoting literacy and lifelong learning.

The $1.17 billion, Greenbelt, Md.-based Educational Systems Federal Credit Union recently donated over 3,700 hats, gloves, scarves and socks, as well as 550 toiletry bags, to K-12 and community college students in the eight Maryland counties it serves: Anne Arundel, Calvert, Caroline, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s and Talbot. The donations were made possible through the credit union’s Support Education Foundation, which it established in 2017 to help fulfill its core purpose of serving the education community.

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