GIBSONIA, Penn.–Credit union employees at a number of NASA-related facilities have a unique, upfront and personal look at events this week celebrating the 50thanniversary of man landing on the moon, but one credit union’s 11% APY may be the biggest attention-getter.
The $37.4-million North Districts Credit Union—which has no ties to the space program—is offering the 11% rate on a term of exactly nine days—the length of the Apollo 11 mission—and on only one amount--$1,969. The term begins on July 20 (the day Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon) and ends on July 28, the same day in 1969 Apollo 11’s crew splashed down in the ocean.
The amount of interest a member will earn: $5.34.
"This is a little bit of nostalgia, and many of our older members say they like it and have opened the CD," said CEO Paul Fero, who added the CU does not expecct to have members "lined up out the door" for the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary 11% CD Promotion. “We’re just having some fun and being a little different.”
Fero said a number of the credit union’s older members told branch staff they fondly recalled watching the moon landing, when rates back on Earth were above 10%.
‘Being Different’
“Being different was the key point,” said Fero. “I am new here—I have been here about a year—and wanted to show members that we are changing. We wanted to grab their attention.”
North Districts Credit Union was chartered in 1942 to serve the needs of 10 school districts that have merged into four districts, and now has a community charter.
JSC FCU Sponsoring ‘Apollo 11 5oth Live’
Meanwhile, at least one credit union that serves NASA is involved in the celebration of the 50thanniversary of landing on the moon. JSC Federal Credit Union in Houston, which serves the Johnson Space Center, is sponsoring “Apollo 11 50thLive” on July 20 at the Space Center.
The all-day and evening celebration includes special panel celebrations that will feature Apollo-era flight controllers, book signings, an outdoor concert and a public countdown led from the stage to Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon at 9:56 p.m. CST, complete with synchronized digital lighted wristbands for those in attendance.
World’s Largest Moon Pie
In Florida, at the Kennedy Space Center is also hosting a number of events. The facility is served by the former Kennedy Space Center FCU, which is now known as Launch Federal Credit Union. The Space Center said it has added a number of new and redesigned exhibits to its Apollo/Saturn V Center.
NASA also plans to host a two-hour live program to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, focusing on the agency’s past and the missions to return to the Moon. The program, entitled “NASA's Giant Leaps: Past and Future” will broadcast live from various locations around the United States, including Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Apollo/Saturn V Center at 1:00 p.m. on July 20. Broadcast locations include other NASA centers, as well as from Neil Armstrong’s hometown in Wapakoneta, Ohio, which is home to one credit union branch, that of Superior Credit Union.
The Space Center will also be unveiling the world’s largest Moon Pie.
Video is Sponsored
Also in Florida, fittingly, Space Coast Credit Union has been a sponsor of “Eyewitness to History: Apollo 11, Fifty Years Later,” as broadcast on WFTV Channel 9. The video report includes an introduction from Space Coast CU CEO Timothy M. Antonition. The video can be found here.
Astronauts Featured
In Washington, D.C., where NASA FCU has a branch at its sponsor’s headquarters, numerous events are also planned. NASA and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum are hosting the Apollo 50 Festival, a free three-day event on the National Mall that includes exhibits, speakers, demonstrations and other activities. NASA said its researchers, scientists and engineers will showcase NASA’s newest technologies and innovations.
While not strictly related to the Apollo 11 moon landing, Purdue FCU has used a number of astronauts as spokespersons in recent years, including Gene Cernan, who was the last man on the moon. It has also featured astronaut Jerry Ross, shown working on construction of the International Space Station, on its plastic cards.
Purdue University has a strong connection to the space program, as both Armstrong and Cernan were graduates.
