Credit Unions Share Funds, Time & Love This Past Holiday Season

America First Credit Union ($16.3 billion, Riverdale, Utah) supported The Giving Machines at City Creek Center in Salt Lake City (pictured) during the 2021-2022 holiday season. The Giving Machines, sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are vending machines that allow donors to swipe their credit card to make an essential purchase for someone in need. The donations benefitted four local charities: American Indian Services, Rise Up School of Dance, Rose Park Neighborhood Center and Utah Refugee Connection. America First donated $1 for every social media post at the America First Selfie Station that contained the hashtags #AFCU and #CityCreekCenter up to $10,000, and provided early access to City Creek Center for America First members and a free Chick-Fil-A breakfast for the first 100 members on Dec. 13.

American Eagle Financial Credit Union ($2.3 billion, East Hartford, Conn.) donated baskets of holiday cheer last month to families with loved ones who faced challenges from the pandemic or illness this past year in Massachusetts’ Hampden County. From left to right, Baystate Children’s Hospital pediatric staff members Nancy Rines and Kristy Parker accept baskets from AEFCU’s Lisa Rood and Tony Roda, along with the Springfield, Mass., hospital’s Becky Larsen and Jen Siewers. AEFCU representatives filled baskets with holiday treats, gifts and tickets to the Springfield event Bright Nights at Forest Park, which they also delivered to West Springfield High School and families staying at Ronald McDonald House of Springfield. In addition, Bright Nights tickets and gift cards were delivered by Springfield radio stations on the credit union’s behalf to Shriners Children’s New England and the Boys & Girls Club of Springfield.

LAFCU ($930 million, Lansing, Mich.) projected artwork onto Lansing’s convention center during Silver Bells in the City, a holiday season kick-off event held in late November, to raise awareness of the importance of love and equality. The 10 pieces of art projected on the center’s exterior east-facing wall were of healing words depicted by area residents for LAFCU’s Love & Equality Art Initiative: Love, Humanity, Change, Peace, Kind, Empathy, Unity, One, Hope and Heal. For the Empathy projection, Lansing’s Brian Whitfield created each letter to reflect a story where empathy is desired. The art was also displayed statewide on billboards and LAFCU’s social media, and several organizations, including Lansing Lugnuts and The Eaton Theatre, used their platforms to share the images.

Representatives of Navy Federal Credit Union ($151 billion, Vienna, Va.) celebrate a record-breaking season of support for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation on Giving Tuesday on Nov. 30. Navy Federal has supported the Foundation for 25 years, and in 2021, members and employees donated over $20,000 and 20,000 toys. Navy Federal’s branches served as drop-off locations for toys, with over 260 of its domestic branches participating in the Toys for Tots drive last year – around 75% of the credit union’s worldwide branch network. Members and employees also had the option to donate online. In addition to the annual Toys for Tots drive, Navy Federal employees gave back by fulfilling the wish lists of over 200 local families through its employee-driven Project Neighbors program. Families were identified in partnership with local school districts and nonprofit organizations near the credit union’s operations in Vienna and Winchester, Va., and Pensacola, Fla.

Representatives from SEFCU ($5.4 billion, Albany, N.Y.) and CAP COM Federal Credit Union ($2.7 billion, Albany, N.Y.), which are in the process of merging, present checks for more than $350,000 to nearly 50 food pantries and rescue missions in New York’s Capital Region, as well as the state’s Binghamton, Buffalo and Syracuse areas. SEFCU has been making these donations to pantries and shelters since 2010 as part of its year-round commitment to fighting hunger through financial support for local nonprofits and funding solutions that offer greater access to fresh, healthy food for people in need. CAP COM joined the effort for the first time last year.

The Summit Federal Credit Union ($1.1 billion, Rochester, N.Y.) announced a three-year, $30,000 commitment to Big Brothers Big Sisters programs in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, N.Y. The amount will be split in three, with $10,000 being dispersed to each of the following: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie, Niagara and the Southern Tier; and Peace, Inc. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central New York. Each organization will receive $4,000 in 2021, $3,000 in 2022 and $3,000 in 2023 to assist in supporting and creating programs for disadvantaged youth. Pictured celebrating from left to right are The Summit President/CEO Laurie Baker, Big Brother Basil Barrett, Little Brother Chanze Hardgers and The Summit Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement Twanda Christensen.

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