CU Giving Supports Needy Families, Student Athletes & Elder Care

Employees of the $1.1 billion, Albuquerque, N.M.-based Sandia Area Federal Credit Union celebrate the milestone of providing 593,477 meals to local families. In partnership with the food pantry Storehouse New Mexico, Sandia Area matched donations from the community for a total of $118,300 and collected food donations in branches, resulting in a total of 2,373 pounds of food along with the matched donations for the food pantry's annual FACE (Feeding Area Children Everyday) the Hunger Campaign. The credit union more than doubled its goal of raising $50,000, including $25,000 in pledged matches.

The $1.2 billion, Honolulu-based Aloha Pacific Federal Credit Union donated $26,250 to the University of Hawai'i Esports team to establish the team's first scholarship program. Pictured from left to right are UH Esports Program Director Sky Kauweloa, UH Esports athlete Brandon Tabios, UH Esports athlete Ethan Nguyen, Aloha Pacific President/CEO Vince J. Otsuka, UH Esports athlete Justin Chow, UH Esports athlete Isai Foglesong and UH President David Lassner.

The senior leadership team for the $3.8 billion, Tullahoma, Tenn.-based Ascend Federal Credit Union take a break from hiking Chestnut Mountain with members of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Tennessee during a field trip. Ascend recently donated $50,000 to TNC in Tennessee, supporting TNC projects to improve the water quality and connectivity of the Duck and Elk Rivers in Middle Tennessee. Ascend and its members have contributed nearly $1.2 million since 2011 to fund TNC initiatives, and Ascend president/CEO Caren Gabriel has been a member of TNC's Tennessee board of trustees since 2014.

Educational Systems Federal Credit Union ($1.2 billion, Greenbelt, Md.) recently supported K-12 and community college students by donating over 3,000 hats, gloves, scarves and socks, and 575 toiletry bags. The donations were made through the Support Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization started by the credit union to provide programs that benefit the education community. Pictured from left to right are Elaine Chang with Montgomery County Public Schools Department of Partnerships; Veronica Juarez, Pamela Lanning and Maria Cartagena with International Admissions and Enrollment for the schools; and Educational Systems Director of Business Development Dominic Powell.

Redwood Credit Union member Alexandra Villalobos Valencia (second from left), poses by her new vehicle with RCU President/CEO Brett Martinez, RCU Lower Lake Branch Experience Manager Becky Perez and RCU mascot Reddy. The $7.5 billion, Santa Rosa, Calif.-based RCU hosted a truck giveaway on Feb. 5 at a block party at its Lower Lake branch in Lower Lake, Calif. More than 2,800 entries were received from Lake County residents who became a new member of RCU, referred a friend or applied for a loan between July 5, 2022 and Jan. 21, 2023. Ten finalists were selected at random, and they had to be present at the block party to win. While only Valencia walked away with the Toyota Tacoma valued at $44,000, all finalists received prizes such as a television, Apple Watch or $500 gift certificate.

The SECU Foundation, the charitable arm of the $50.9 billion, Raleigh, N.C.-based SECU, awarded a $500,000 grant to Senior Services, a non-profit in North Carolina's Forsyth County offering programs that respond to the needs of the elderly and their caregivers. The grant will support the campus expansion of a new Intergenerational Center for Arts and Wellness to provide comprehensive care for underserved and vulnerable seniors. Through the Center, the non-profit will offer collaborative senior adult services for physical health, dementia care and experiential arts education, respite services for caregivers and clinical services across the age spectrum. Pictured from left to right are SECU Foundation Grants Analyst Daniel Nobles, SECU Foundation Grants Manager Caitlin Duke, Senior Services President/CEO T. Lee Covington and SECU Regional SVP Damian Carter.

Please send your Community news items to Natasha Chilingerian at [email protected].

NOT FOR REPRINT

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.