DENVER, Colo.– Three Credit Union Development Education (DE) Program Awards were presented during a special reception at the annual DE Workshop here held in conjunction with the jointly held America’s Credit Union Conference and World Credit Union Conference. The DE Program Awards go to those certified Credit Union Development Educators (CUDEs) who exemplify what DE stands for through their individual or cooperative efforts to make a difference in their credit union, community or on a national/international basis.
“The DE program encourages action around the credit union philosophy and this year’s winners exemplify what being a CUDE is all about,” said Lois Kitsch, Foundation National program director.
Recognized were:
- Cooperative Spirit Award – The Disclosures (Chad Helminak and Christopher Morris), recognized for the following: Making a significant difference to youth and the greater credit union community by engaging in the credit union difference in a completely new and unique way using their own talents and gifts; capturing the attention of media, blogs, speaker bureaus, unique entertainment spots that always brought positive attention to the role of credit unions and financial education; creating lasting videos, albums and songs to be leveraged by various credit union groups, and for being fresh, new, unique, inspirational, fun and impactful.
- Individual Achievement Award – Carla Decker, recognized for the following: Helping get needed services to the D.C. Latino Community of local immigrants and others who were underserved through ACCESO; being instrumental in starting and growing the Caribbean DE Program (CaribDE) and related events (she has facilitated nearly every class, if not all); being a mentor and facilitator of the U.S. DE Program; for being the inaugural at-large elected member of the CUDE Advisory Council and Chair of Governance Committee; for speaking at national and international events sharing about credit unions and ways they can serve low income communities, and for being a member of the Federation and NCBA CLUSA, and for being appointed to the CFPB Inaugural CU Advisory Council.
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Joanne Todd, recognized for the following: Beginning, at age 16, working to make an impact on credit unions, the DE program nationally and internationally, in her local community, with cooperatives and through international programs and projects; for starting an intern program at her credit union for youth; for helping create a non-profit called Friends of Kenya in her community, where local community members created a student exchange program; for being very involved with the cooperative movement partnership between the Connecticut Credit Union League and Trinidad and Tobago; for sitting on a cooperative board and helps build collaborative efforts between her credit union and local cooperatives; for participating with a farmer-to-farmer program in Uzbekistan for small cooperatives in rural areas; for helping bring microfinance to a group of Haitian women entrepreneurs through a NGO in Haiti following the devastating earthquakes; for supporting the DE through mentoring, sending DEs from her credit union, attending and completing the United Kingdom DE program (DEUK) and mentored DE Trainings in the Caribbean and Africa; and for conducting and establishing many reality fairs and other financial education related programs.