American Heritage CU
Mike Dinneen (right), SVP of marketing for the $4 billion, Philadelphia, Pa.-based American Heritage Credit Union, presents a Habitat for Humanity partner family with the keys to their new home during a May ceremony in North Philadelphia. The credit union provided funding for the home for a local partner family through Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia's Homeowner Program. Acceptance into the program is based on a partner family's need, ability to pay and willingness to partner with the organization. Through American Heritage and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Philadelphia, the family will also receive an affordable mortgage for their Habitat Home.
Ascentra CU The Ascentra Credit Union Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Ascentra Credit Union ($542 million, Bettendorf, Iowa), recently partnered with Safer Foundation Quad Cities in Davenport, Iowa and adopted one of its six Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) sessions for 2022, donating $5,000. The YEP is focused on serving youth who have disengaged from high school and/or been involved with the criminal legal system. It helps at-risk youth overcome barriers in developing critical life and workplace skills, earning their high school equivalency diploma and linkage to employment, job training, or post-secondary education with the overarching goal of a safer community. Pictured from left to right are YEP Program Manager Kaitlyn Holland, Safer Foundation Quad Cities Resource Development Manager Brian Monroe, Safer Foundation Quad Cities Director Erica Lee, Ascentra President/CEO Linda Andry and Ascentra SVP and Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Naeve.
APCU Recommended For You
Nelsy Bacon, member of the $2.5 billion, Atlanta-based Atlanta Postal Credit Union and postal employee in Mount Vernon, Wash., poses by the right-hand-drive 2011 Jeep Wrangler she uses on her rural mail route. As the winner of APCU's Auto Loan Payoff Sweepstakes, Bacon's auto loan balance of $23,084.57 was fully paid off by the credit union. During the sweepstakes that ran from Jan. 1 to March 31, any member who financed an auto loan during that time period with APCU – or Center Parc Credit Union, a division of APCU – was automatically entered to have their loan balance paid in full up to $35,000. Members who also purchased GAP Insurance or Route 66 Extended Warranty Protection through the credit union received additional entries into the sweepstakes. Bacon's name was randomly selected from more than 3,300 entries.
LMCU Volunteers build an early childhood center playground located at the 415 Franklin building in the Madison area of Grand Rapids, Mich., on May 2. The project was the result of a partnership between the $12.1 billion, Grand Rapids-based Lake Michigan Credit Union and the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids. Volunteers from LMCU, the YMCA, the Early Learning Neighborhood Collective in Grand Rapids and the community gathered to prepare the site and help build a colorful new playground structure, which is now complete.
MAC FCU The $175 million, Fairbanks, Alaska-based MAC Federal Credit Union recently hosted a gas giveaway in Fairbanks and Palmer, Alaska. Each vehicle received up to $50 in gas, with MAC giving away a total of $20,000 worth of fuel to over 400 people ($10,000 in each location) and the credit union's chief officers and branch managers pumping for them. It was the third time MAC has hosted a gas giveaway, but the first time to do so in Alaska's Mat-Su Valley, where MAC plans to open a new Palmer location soon. Pictured from left to right are MAC Marketing Coordinator Alyssa Goforth, CEO Angela Head and Chief Marketing Officer Sara Smith.
InRoads CU InRoads Credit Union ($350 million, St. Helens, Ore.) President/CEO Brooke Van Vleet (center) presents an $11,488.70 check to Rainier School District Superintendent Dr. Joseph Hattrick (left) and Rainier Junior/Senior High School Principal Graden Blue as part of InRoads' Team Up for Schools program. The program encourages members to use a co-branded debit card featuring one of three high school mascots for Oregon's St. Helens, Scappoose and Rainier high schools. When members use their card for a purchase, InRoads contributes $0.05 to their favorite school. For the 2021/2022 school year, members helped raise $99,842.70, with St. Helens High School being awarded $51,424.15 and Scappoose High School receiving $36,929.85. Since launching in 2017, the program has raised over $334,000 for local high schools.
Please send your Community News items to Natasha Chilingerian at [email protected].
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Natasha Chilingerian
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.
