GLENDORA, Calif. – America’s Christian Credit Union (ACCU) has concluded its sixth annual Patriot Week, which is organized in collaboration with Project Glendora Yellow Ribbon and which seeks to reinforce one of the credit union’s corporate priorities of “Building Stronger Communities.”
Patriot Week unofficially kicked off when ACCU staff joined forces with Operation Community Cares (OCC) to pack more than 500 care packages for service members and women abroad. Community members from throughout Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties united in the pre-Memorial Day event to commemorate the spirit of the holiday, the credit union said.
The traditional Patriot Week opening ceremony took place at the credit union’s headquarters with a ceremony attended by local service members, law enforcement, first responders, and educators, Glendora’s city council, and distinguished guests such as World War II veteran Carl Harstine, and Vietnam veterans Gary Lynch and Leonard Coates.
‘A Special Week’
“This is a special week in the life of our nation,” said ACCU President/CEO Mendell L. Thompson. “Too often we forget to pause and pay tribute. Without that pause, we can easily miss the significance of this holiday that honors the sacrifice and service of thousands of America’s heroes.”
One day later Citrus College Board Vice President Dr. Barbara Dickerson and President/Superintendent Dr. Geraldine Perri, along with other representatives of the college, addressed ACCU staff at their weekly meeting. Citrus is consistently ranked among the nation’s most military friendly colleges, and its Veterans Success Center (VSC) is credited with having helped many transition into fulfilling post-military careers. As such, funds raised during Patriot Week were donated in support of VSC, according to ACCU.
Essay Contest
The festivities ended with the Patriotic Essay award ceremony. Each year, local students are asked to write a patriotic-themed essay. This year, they had to imagine writing to the surviving family members of a servicemember or a parent who had died in combat. Approximately 80 Glendora-area schoolchildren in grades 3, 6, 7, and 8 submitted essays titled “Letter to a Young Patriot.”
ACCU staffer Richard Mathews, who was one of the three judges, reminded attendees that it was fitting to wrap up the Patriot Week commemoration on the eve of the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
“To this day, we owe our freedom to the brave service members who, at great sacrifice, stood up to the Nazi aggressors, reclaimed France and the European continent, and reversed the course of WWII. It was a crucial victory for all peace, justice and freedom-loving patriots,” said Mathews.