PLYMOUTH, Minn.–The TruStone Financial Foundation has awarded $15,000 in scholarships to 12 high school seniors from Minnesota and Wisconsin who are members of the credit union.
Ten students received a $1,000 scholarship, while the two students with the highest scores on their scholarship applications received $2,500. The applicants were scored on their academic merit, extracurricular activities, work experience and an essay response regarding financial management.
“It’s an honor to be able to support local students and TruStone members with this scholarship every year,” said Sam Stern, chairman of the TruStone Financial Foundation. “These students have proven to have a strong work ethic, dedication to their academics, and commitment to financial responsibility. On behalf of the Foundation, I wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors and am confident they will succeed.”
One of the $2,500 scholarship recipients, Owen L., expressed his appreciation for the scholarship: “Thank you so much for selecting me for your 2021 scholarship. I am honored to be one of the recipients and this scholarship has made a huge difference for affording college. Again, thank you so much and have an amazing summer.”
WAUPACA, Wis.–A leadership gift commitment from Community First Credit Union will help replace an aging playground at Swan Park with a modern, inclusive and accessible play area and splash pad.
The $1.4 million project will reinvigorate one of the city’s busiest parks while enhancingWaupaca’s reputation as a great place to live and visit, says Andrew Whitman, WaupacaParks and Recreation Director.
“Portions of the playground have been removed due to safety concerns and issues,”Whitman said. “This started the conversation about replacing the playground with anopportunity to make this a special place for the Waupaca community.”
Community First has pledged $100,000 to the project, providing a major boost to efforts by the city and the Friends of Waupaca Parks to raise half the project cost (about $700,000) through donations and grants. The plan is to break ground next spring on the state-of-the-art splash pad, new ADA-compliant play structures, poured-in- place rubber surfaces and new restroom facilities.
The Friends of Waupaca Parks group recently started pursuing donations from businessesand individuals. The city has included $700,000 in its capital improvement budget and it hopes to hear back this fall on a state grant application that could cover a sizeable portion of the $700,000 fundraising goal.
“The commitment from Community First Credit Union is an incredible display of generosity and a contribution that gets us one step closer to a project that will positively impact families in the city for decades to come,” said Waupaca City Administrator Aaron Jenson.
“The new playground and splash pad will be an awesome upgrade to an already premier park inWaupaca,” said Adam Ross, Friends of Waupaca Parks Vice President & Fundraising CommitteeChair.
“We need community involvement such as Community First Credit Union and others to make this project a reality. Every little bit helps.”