We want to give a shout out to our staff who marked another successful year full of volunteering, fundraising, donating to charity drives and community groups throughout 2017. They are what makes our organization so unique!
Denim for Dollars
Launching February 2016, Denim for Dollars Day allowed participating credit union employees to donate $1 every Friday, which entitled them to wear blue jeans to work that day. Because supporting our communities is one of our top priorities, we once again partnered with local organizations that share our core values in which to donate these funds. TOGETHER we raised over $3,500 in 2017 by wearing jeans!
Central Missouri Humane Society | $500
Originally formed in 1943, the shelter provides care for Columbia’s abandoned animals. Today it is a regional animal welfare agency caring for thousands of animals annually and providing veterinary services for low-income pet owners. In 2016, Central MO Humane Society took in over 2700 animals and found over 2500 forever homes. 54% of their funding comes from the generosity of donors like those of our staff.
CUPAC – Credit Union Political Action Committee of Missouri | $500
Protecting credit unions’ interest with federal and state legislators and regulatory agencies is a priority for us and our members. We strive to build and preserve relationships with lawmakers and policymakers to ensure credit unions and their members are represented in the legislative and regulatory process. CUPAC is made up of a group of employees representing many different credit unions, that come together to advocate for the credit union movement to politicians. Political contributions are an important part of credit union advocacy. It’s more important than ever to support credit union-friendly candidates so credit unions stay relevant.
The Sparrow’s Nest | $500
The Sparrow’s Nest, located in O’Fallon MO, is a temporary maternity home that provides programming such as childcare/parenting, financial literacy, bible study, sexual integrity, healthy relationships, healthy lifestyles, job skills, and life skills. Case management is provided to ensure the proper medical, emotional, physical, and most importantly, the spiritual needs of the young women living at “The Nest” are taken care of. For more information on The Sparrow’s Nest, visit their website at thesparrowsneststl.org
The Saint Louis Food Bank | $500
Since 1975, the food bank has grown to become the bi-state region’s largest non-profit 501(c)(3) food distribution charity dedicated to feeding those in need. Since moving to their new facility in 2007, their community impact has grown from 12 million pounds to more than 42 million pounds of food distributed to those in need last year. They rely heavily upon its volunteers, and the credit union not only provided monetary support in 2017, our employees donated 87 hours of their time in 2017 working the assembly lines at their volunteer center in Maryland Heights MO.
Marygrove Children’s Center | $500
Many children arrive at Marygrove’s doors with immediate needs that include clean clothes, food and medical treatment. They receive all these things in addition to a safe haven and the nurturing and care of round-the-clock staff and therapeutic treatment. Today, through its broad spectrum of residential and community-based programming, including therapeutic residential treatment and foster care, transitional and independent living programs, crisis care, education and recreational therapy, family counseling, parenting education and mentoring Marygrove enriches the lives of over 1,300 young people each year.
Heartland Credit Union Charitable Fund (HCUCF) | $200 (with dollar for dollar matching)
The HCUCF provides support to credit unions by providing professional growth and technology for smaller credit unions in our area. They also help credit unions develop financial literacy for their communities and provide support to local charities, all while helping to advance the credit union movement through industry and statewide efforts.
Employee Volunteers Served 550 Hours in 2017
The credit union’s volunteer program supports our employees to lend a hand in our communities. Community Partner activities include working at the food bank, giving presentations at local schools, and manning shredding events for the community. With over 70 people on our staff averaging 7.9 hours per person, we totaled 550 HOURS last year. Check out the ticker on our homepage to stay on top of our community hours in 2018.
“Our employees are the lifeblood of our fundraising and community service efforts,” Community Outreach Specialist, Lori Hudson said. “They truly are the driving force behind our activities that put thousands of dollars and hundreds of volunteer hours into the community each year, and we couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Thanks for all you do for our communities!
