SPRINGFIELD, Ore.— To celebrate its 85th birthday, SELCO Community Credit Union said it “turned the tables on the traditional birthday celebration” and recognized, surprised, and rewarded its communities with “85 acts of Kindness.”
The Acts took place in the 27 counties SELCO serviced and, all told, 284 acts of kindness were completed during October and November, ranging from free car washes and meals for frontline healthcare workers, to giving away $25 DonorsChoose gift cards that recipients could in turn use to make a donation to a local classroom of their choice, SELCO reported.
“Given the team members we have in place and their enthusiasm for SELCO, our members, and the communities in which they live and work, I’m thrilled but not surprised that 85 Acts of Kindness grew to 284,” said Tiffany Washington, SELCO’s executive vice president of finance and operations.
SELCO said it saw the 85th anniversary as opportunity to thank members for their loyalty and to give team members the chance to engage with their communities in other meaningful ways - something they have missed amid the pandemic.
The Various Acts of Kindness
Among the various Acts performed by staff members.
- Handing out 20 Café Yumm! gift cards to healthcare workers as they went on their lunch breaks (planned/individual)
- Paying it forward by picking up the tab for someone else’s dinner at a restaurant (random/individual)
- Handing out 100 DonorsChoose gift cards that recipients could use to make a $25 donation in their own name to a local public school teacher’s classroom project (planned/branch)
- Restocking 12 Little Free Library neighborhood locations (random/individual)
- Providing 50 free car washes to unsuspecting customers at a local car wash and to members during in-branch visits (planned/branch)
- Donating 30 pairs of new socks to an elementary school sock drive (random/individual)
- Purchasing and donating pumpkins to a local after school program serving the needs of K-5 families (planned/branch)
- Taking flowers to an elderly neighbor whose spouse is in a memory care facility (random/individual)
‘Feeling Fulfilled’
“Having witnessed the random acts of kindness firsthand, I can attest that they left our team members feeling fulfilled, our members feeling valued, and our communities at large feeling optimistic that kindness still matters,” said Christi Shaw, SELCO’s assistant vice president of team member experience.
The credit union said Shaw’s team coordinated and delivered the restaurant gift cards to health care workers, as well as treats from a local bakery to neighboring businesses of SELCO’s new corporate headquarters.
The $2.5-billion SELCO Community CU has more than 143,000 members.