GREENSBORO, N.C.–Countless employees at credit unions across the country used the Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day holiday this week this week to volunteer their time.
Their efforts to give back were part of both larger initiatives organized by state associations, and independent efforts.
In addition to those CUtoday.info has already reported, other givebacks included:
Vizo Financial Day of Service
Greensboro, N.C.-based Vizo Financial Corporate Credit Union said a total of 117 Vizo Financial staff members—from throughout Central Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Greensboro, N.C., and Columbia, S.C along with family members and friends--participated during the volunteer day.
“The time was spent assisting in a thrift store, sorting food and various donated items, packaging meal kits, writing thank you notes, assembling craft kits for children, making blankets, putting together goody bags, cleaning outdoor spaces, helping with event preparations and more,” Vizo Financial said.
“We began our annual Day of Service in 2019 to provide our credit union with an opportunity to give back to our communities and be truly hands-on in our mission of people helping people,” said President and CEO David Brehmer. “Year after year, no matter which organizations we work with or what our volunteer efforts look like, the experience never disappoints and always proves to us just how rooted our movement is in the everyday lives of the people we serve.”
Royal CU Hosts Third Annual Day
Eau Claire, Wis.-based Royal CU hosted its third Community Give Back Day event, allowing team members the opportunity to volunteer at 80 nonprofit organizations across Wisconsin and Minnesota.
“In just one day, Royal’s 850 team members were able to provide more than 5,500 hours of service in across twenty different communities,” the credit union said.
One of the organizations that benefited from the event was the New Richmond School District’s SOAR educational center. SOAR Stands for Students Opportunities with Agricultural Resources and is a student-run school farm that produces goods for school lunches, Royal CU explained.
“We have a lot of work to do on the farm, and you graciously came out with your group of Royal folks to help. You know the old saying, ‘many hands make light work,’ we’ve proved that today,” shared Agriscience Instructor and SOAR Center leader Rachel Sauvola. “Some of the many things we did include winterizing the goat houses and animal water tanks, dismantling the garden, harvesting celery for school lunch and producing food for the chickens.”
Additional Projects
Royal said other project examples included creating blankets for homeless students attending the Eau Claire Area School District, cleaning and doing yard work at the Taylor House in Medford, hanging holiday lights in Irvine Park in Chippewa Falls, stocking the shelves at the Somerset Community Food Shelf, and planting trees in the Twin Cities.
Some of Royal’s fully remote team members spent their day helping individuals with visual impairments through a partnership with the Be My Eyes organization.
“It takes careful planning and preparation to make Give Back Day possible,” said Royal CU VP-Community Engagement Jennifer McHugh. We’ve had an internal group of Royal team members working for over a year to coordinate the logistics. It is incredible to see all of their hard work come together to make a positive impact for so many deserving organizations.”
Statewide Efforts in Wisconsin, Minnesota
In addition to Royal, many other credit unions across Wisconsin and Minnesota choose to use Oct. 9 as a day of service. Each year, The Minnesota Credit Union Network hosts CU Forward Day on the second Monday in October and encourages credit union employees, members and partners to come together to spread kindness, Royal CU said.
This year, the Wisconsin Credit Union League held its first CU Community Day with a goal of highlighting the sixth and seventh Cooperative Principles: Cooperation Among Cooperatives and Concern for the Community.
Members First, Michigan CUs Support Communities
In Midland, Mich., Members First Credit Union celebrated CU Kind Day along with 76 other credit unions across Michigan.
“This year’s celebration is especially significant for the credit union as it marks the first anniversary of the Members First Little Free Libraries,” the credit union said.
One year ago, Members First said it introduced its Little Free Libraries initiative as a tangible demonstration of its commitment to community well-being. Each of the credit union’s 11 branches have a Little Free Library to which the credit union contributes financial education books.
“The Little Free Libraries have become a staple in the communities it serves,” according to Members First. “Community members have come to know and love the libraries and actively visit them and contribute to the collection of books.”
Members First said it donated 350 books to Little Free Libraries throughout the many communities and neighboring regions it serves in celebration of CU Kind Day and the LFL anniversary.
It added that many of the credit union's team members embraced the pay it forward notion that the Little Free Libraries embrace and donated books from their own personal collections.
“Books are the current of imagination,” said VP-Marketing Bethany Dutcher. “We are proud to support CU Kind Day by donating books to our community to empower minds and foster a bright future for our community.”
Putting the Gloves On
In Auburn Hills, Mich., employees of Genisys Credit Union put on their work gloves and waders and volunteered to clean-up waterways and parks across 12 communities as part of the CU Kind initiative.
“By taking care of our community spaces, we are ensuring the safe keeping of our local ecosystems so that future generations can enjoy the shared beauty of nature as we do today,” said President and CEO Jackie Buchanan.
Over 145 Genisys employees, family and friends banded together to clean-up trash and debris at various park locations across their communities in Michigan and Minnesota, GCU said.
The effort resulted in the removal of about 500 pounds of debris, trash, and more from the parks and waterways.
The credit union said “highlights” included weeding, clearing branches, and removing overgrown shrubs at the skatepark in Oakland Park in Pontiac; using waders to remove glass from the Clinton River at Heritage Park in Utica; and cleaning up downed tree limbs, weeding, and bagging leaves at Hillside Cemetery in Belleville.
Several of the parks were cleaned in partnership with the Clinton River Watershed Council as part of their “Clinton Clean-Up.” This annual initiative aims to improve the health of the watershed through trash cleanups that promote preservation.
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