BURNSVILLE, Minn.–Firefly Credit Union announced that two of its members were selected as winners of the Minnesota Credit Union Foundation Scholarship Council’s (FSC) 2017 scholarship. Out of nearly 600 applicants from credit unions across the state, Anne Kopas of St. Paul was awarded $1,000, and William Lopno of Minneapolis was awarded $500 for higher education expenses.
The FSC considered each applicant’s school and community involvement, as well as an essay answering the following question, “How can the credit union of the future best serve you?”
“The credit union of the future, being my trusted financial source, would send me information and links to help me become a savvy consumer and investor,” said Lopno. “The credit union of the future would serve me best by keeping our trusted relationship and fair products while continuing to change with the times and add the technology.”
Kopas, who is a second-year winner of the FSC scholarship, followed suit by writing that “the credit union of the future is… about informing and adapting.”
Scholarships were given away to students in two categories: Traditional and Non-Traditional. Firefly Credit Union has been a long-time supporter of the FSC Scholarship program.
“At Firefly, we continually seek new and relevant ways to serve our members and the community through digital solutions,” said Michelle Swanson, Digital Strategist at Firefly Credit Union. “In the last year, we have added many resources including free digital learning modules, 24/7 card management, and a steady stream of personal finance tips on our social media channels to help individuals continually manage and improve their financial lives.”
At right, above, Firefly Credit Union President/CEO, Bill Raker, with FSC scholarship winner Anne Kopas.
Separately, Firefly said it awarded more than $5,000 in scholarships to Burnsville and Rosemount High School seniors during the 2016-17 academic year. Scholarships were awarded for both Firefly’s third annual Great Savings Challenge and a Community Cares Scholarship.
Two students were awarded $1,000 scholarships as part of the credit union’s 3nd annual Great Savings Challenge. A third recipient received $535. The challenge was open to seniors at both Burnsville and Rosemount High School – recipients included Callie Gudmonson (Burnsville), Jacob Norring (Burnsville), and Brynn Tonn (Rosemount).
Over the course of four months, students at Burnsville and Rosemount High School participating in the challenge completed a variety of financial activities to prepare them for future expenses such as reviewing tuition prices and a semester’s worth of textbook expenses at their higher education institution, tracking and categorizing their spending for a month, and completing a course on student loans via Firefly’s digital learning platform, EverFi.
Students were also asked to be diligent and save for their college expenses throughout their senior year. The winners from each school received a scholarship, which was a savings match of up to $1,000.
“Every penny truly counts,” said Tonn. “You don’t need to live off of nothing to save money. You really just have to be smart about budgeting and truly ask yourself about if you need something or if you simply want it.”
Firefly provided scholarship dollars in collaboration with Memorial Blood Centers (MBC), awarding three Burnsville High School (BHS) seniors, Callie Gudmonson, Joseph Koski, and Ally Saba, for their efforts in coordinating the largest blood drive in MBC history. Both Firefly and MBC donated $10 for each unit of blood donated at the Life Illuminated Blood Drive held at
Above right, from left, Misty Johnson, Executive Assistant at Firefly; BHS Seniors Callie Gudmonson, Ally Saba, and Joseph Koski; Courtney Banker, Senior Marketing Specialist at Firefly.