Massive destruction on Fort Myers Beach in aftermath Hurricane Ian (Source: AdobeStock).
More than two weeks after the powerful Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwestern Florida, credit union organizations have continued to announce ways to help credit union employees and volunteers rebuild.
Hurricane Ian, a high-end Category 4 hurricane, made landfall on Sept. 28 near Fort Myers, Fla., causing an estimated 126 deaths in the state and an undetermined amount of damage.
Last week, the National Credit Union Foundation committed up to $225,000 from its CUAid program to assist credit union employees and volunteers in the devastated areas. According to the NCUF, they have identified more than 350 such people.
"CUAid was made for moments like this. We manage the fund in such a way as to position us to provide support, even when multiple disasters happen in quick succession. But we are seeing environmental disasters wreak more havoc, more often. In light of that, and following both Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, the Foundation is calling on our credit union and system partners to continue to donate to CUAid," André Parraway, the Foundation's chief financial and operations officer, said.
In the days following the hurricane, the NCUF and Inclusiv also committed $250,000 in CUAid funds to storm victims.
According to the NCUF, "The commitment is made to the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation, which will then work on the ground across Florida to identify and provide financial support to affected credit union colleagues."
Bobbi Grady, executive director at the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation, said, "Hurricane Ian has leveled entire communities to the ground. This was the fifth strongest storm to ever hit the USA, and a week later, it's still hard to take in the sheer scale of damage and destruction."
On Tuesday, Achieva Credit Union ($2.6 billion in assets, 171,908 members) in Dunedin, Fla., announced the Achieva Foundation began a dollar-for-dollar campaign to match every dollar donated to hurricane relief efforts.
"Every dollar donated through this program will provide twice the support for victims of the storm, meaning twice the amount of water, gasoline, generators and other essential supplies to those who need it most," the statement read.
Many Achieva employees had homes devastated by the storm, according to the credit union.
"Hurricane Ian had a major impact on communities we serve and many are need," Gary Regoli, president/CEO of Achieva, said. "We're calling on you to join us and help increase our positive impact on these communities."
"The culture that has been created in our organization is amazing. Community is what we do here," Achieva Marketing and Public Relations Manager Tasha Cohen-Glynn said. "To do good is at the root of who we are."
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Michael Ogden
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.
