FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn.– SPIRE Credit Union employees recently participated in a special fundraiser to benefit The Storm Eye Institute: Rebecca Veeck Retina fund, a significant cause for the St. Paul Saints as well as co-owner Mike Veeck’s family. Due to the incredible generosity of SPIRE employees, $2,000 was contributed.
The fundraiser was initiated by two SPIRE employees, Stan Edwards, EVP, and Erik Christenson, Roseville Branch Manager, who competed in a “Biggest Loser” weight loss contest. Employees in all 16 branches were invited to vote on who would win or lose at least 20 pounds. For every $5 donation, a SPIRE employee got one vote, with all monies being contributed to the Storm Eye Institute, an organization which initially began in 1961 when a generous gift by Mrs. Albert Florens Storm helped establish an institute for the treatment of and research in eye disorders.
Additional benefits to the fundraiser were that Stan and Erik each lost 20 pounds each and all employees who participated were given the opportunity to wear jeans to work, rather than professional business attire, for a two-week span of December.
“I am so proud of our staff for their dedication to community,” says Stan Edwards, SPIRE Executive Vice President, “The money contributed funds Storm Eye Institute’s commitment to caring for patients with innovative treatments for eye disease.”
SPIRE Credit Union has a long-standing relationship with the baseball franchise which it said is one built on mutual respect and admiration. This fundraiser was not part of SPIRE’s agreement with the Saints, but rather an event organized solely for the purpose of giving back to community, and an effort to improve the lives of others.
Above right, from left, Stan Edwards, SPIRE EVP; Mike Veeck, St. Paul Saints co-owner; and Erik Christenson, SPIRE Roseville Branch Manager