Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Jason Goodman, Vice President of Collections Sidney Burkins, Assistant Vice President of Card Services Eric Jenson, and Debit Card Manager Shadon Calip with Greater Texas delivered the gift cards to the Austin Delivery Relief Network on Friday (Source: Greater Texas CU).
Austin, Texas-based Greater Texas Credit Union has donated $15,000 worth of gift cards to be delivered and distributed to those people in five states who are trying to rebuild their lives after the deadly and destructive tornadoes earlier this month.
In a statement released on Monday, Greater Texas CU ($941.5 million in assets, 78,187 members) officials said the credit union pulled together the money in the form of 250 Visa gift cards in denominations of $50 and $100. The cards were sent to the Austin Delivery Relief Network for "distribution to people who lost their homes in the devastating line of storms December 11."
"Our hearts and our prayers are with each person affected by these tornados," said Howard N. Baker, president/CEO of Greater Texas CU. "Their lives will never be the same, but we hope these gift cards will be an encouragement to them and allow them to buy the things they need most during this devastating time."
Storm victims will be able to use the Visa gift cards to purchase gas, food, clothing and any supplies they might need.
In Kentucky, considered the hardest-hit state by the tornadoes, 77 deaths have been recorded and more than 1,000 homes and businesses were destroyed.
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Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
