LA CROSSE, Wis. – Since the formation of the Marine Credit Union Foundation in 2014, the CU is reporting more $1 million has been given to more than 1,000 worthy causes in the communities served by Marine, across Wisconsin, Iowa and southeast Minnesota.
Marine employees contributed more than $450,000 to the Foundation during that time; Marine matches employee donations 2:1.
The MCU Foundation supports a variety of local community organizations from efforts to end homelessness in its communities and medical research, to educational programs and youth sports teams.
“At the MCU Foundation, it means everything to us to keep our communities thriving. We’re so proud to have invested over $1 million,” said Quinn Devlin, associate executive director of the MCU Foundation. “Giving back, through both monetary support and volunteer efforts, in the areas where Marine and its employees live, work and play is a top priority at Marine and the MCU Foundation.”
Along with widespread community support, the MCU Foundation focuses on supporting financial literacy programs in our communities. In May 2018, the MCU Foundation launched its Finding HOME program in La Crosse, a free financial literacy program for credit-challenged borrowers that grants home loans to participants upon successful completion of program. “Two years into Finding HOME, the program has graduated 11 families, and provided a path to financial stability and homeownership to over 200 individuals,” said Devlin. “Watching participants develop a sense of hope as they begin to master their finances has been the most rewarding part. It’s changed their whole lives in a way that even I wasn’t expecting.”
The MCU Foundation plans to slowly expand the Finding HOME program in the other communities served by Marine Credit Union in the coming years. In preparation for the expansion, the Foundation recently added four new board members to guide the Foundation’s strategic goals and initiatives in all markets, including:
- Sam Kaufman, Fond du Lac County Court Commissioner and member of the Fond du Lac Area Bar Association
- Elle Henne, director of business intelligence at Envision Greater Fond du Lac
- Jodi Lemmer, City of Milwaukee Common Council-City Clerk
- Ken King, retired (former executive director of Consumer Credit Counseling Service)