LISMORE, NSW, Australia—Credit unions around the world marked International Credit Union Day in a variety of ways, with everything from in-person visits, to branch events, to social media.
Two cafes here in New South Wales even changed the word “Bank” in their names, at least for a day. The change was made in response to a challenge from Summerland Credit Union. The two cafes, The Bank Café here and the Bean Bank Café in Ballina, NSW, erected signs for the day in which “The Bank” is covered by a red slash, and a similar-looking logo reading “The Credit Union Café & Espresso” appears, along with the words “Today Only.”
- In the U.K., the Duchess of Cornwall issued what was described as an “impassioned plea” to the nation to support credit unions as an alternative to the payday loan industry. The Duchess, better known as Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles, appeared at Clarence House and was described by attendees, including credit union reps, as “keen to tell people about the credit union movement.” The U.K. has 520 credit unions with more than one-million members and £1billion of assets.
- In Kansas, 17 credit unions participated in events at 17 different locations in the state the reached more than 1,000 Kansans. The “Make A Difference” events were coordinated by the Kansas Credit Union Association and included credit unions surprising consumers in their communities by giving away cash, gift cards or free gas, worth $30,500 in total. Some communities had multiple locations. Each event was a surprise with the locations announced via Twitter and Facebook.
- In Canada, the Canadian credit union system released a report saying Canadian CUs contributed more than $49.3 million dollars through direct donations, financial services, sponsorships, scholarships and bursaries in 2013. This was up from $35.6 million donated the previous year.