LANSING, Mich. –The Michigan Credit Union Foundation is reporting it has now distributed more than $100,000 in Community Crisis Support Grants.
The grants, announced in April, areaimed at supporting and amplifying credit union community outreach initiatives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since launch, the Foundation has given out a total of 28 grants totaling $101,707. All grants supplemented credit union investment, making the total impact more than $200,000, the Foundation said.
The amount of each grant ranged from $250 to $11,250 and were given to credit unions individually as well as cooperative groups and chapters of credit unions.
According to the Foundation, some of the initiatives have included financial education support for students who had an abbreviated school year, emergency gear and food for frontline workers, financial support for a women’s shelter, delivering food to residents in food deserts, as well as many others.
“In total, tens of thousands of meals were provided while often simultaneously supporting small businesses,” the Foundation said.
“Frankenmuth Credit Union decided to do something for the frontline first responders going head-to-head against COVID-19, a small gesture to show our appreciation to those who could use a kind act to brighten their day,” said CEO Vickie Schmitzer. “In 19 days Frankenmuth Credit Union was able to touch 1,439 fellow essential workers with a lunch or gift certificate from 23 local businesses. Not only did the essential workers appreciate the gesture, but the local businesses that Frankenmuth Credit Union purchased from were very touched too during a trying time. The MCUF Crisis Community Support Grant helped immensely to help defray the costs, so we could make this initiative possible.”
Education Provided
The Foundation also pointed to Ludington, Mich.-based Safe Harbor Credit Union used their grant to provide area school seniors education regarding financial cooperatives and community involvement after their school year was cut short.
“With the support of the MCUF we were able to kick start a community wide show of support for our local high schools. These funds truly made a difference in the lives of high school seniors across Mason County,” said Kyle Gurzynski, Safe Harbor EVP. “This gave everyone something positive to rally around in a rather uncertain time in the world. It was almost like a snowball effect, once we got things in motion, everyone started their own support campaign!”
Food for First Responders
With their grant, the Taylor-based Total Community Credit Union was able to provide food for local fire and police departments and, according to Vice President Theresa Wright, deepened their community connections and provided staff an opportunity to remember the important role the credit union plays within that community, the Foundation said.
The Foundation said the grants were made possible through generous donations from credit unions and credit union-support organizations, including a “generous donation” from Alloya Corporate Federal Credit Union.
The Supporters
Additional donations came from the following organizations:
- Commercial Alliance
- Corporate Central CU
- CUNA Mutual Group
- Dolphin Debit Access, LLC
- Holzman Law
- iZale Financial Group
- Member Driven Technologies
- Neighborhood Mortgage Solutions
- Nearman, Maynard, Vallez, CPAs
- Origence
- SAGE DIRECT
- TurboTax
‘Jumped at Opportunity’
“The MCUF Crisis Community Support Grants are just another example of the many ways, once the pandemic hit the state, that the Michigan credit union community jumped at the opportunity to come together and help those in need — both the credit unions creating outreach initiatives and the donors that supported them,” said Dave Adams, Michigan Credit Union League President and CEO. “This crisis has affected Michiganders in so many ways, and these 28 individual grants was a great way to provide for a variety of those needs.”