TAMPA, Fla. – Card Services for Credit Unions (CSCU) has awarded $10,000 in Community Outreach Scholarships to 13 credit unions.
The awards follow an invitation to CUs to submit their best community outreach plans for 2011 to win scholarship funding for their cause. More than 100 credit unions entered. The first place award ($2,500) went to Sylvania Area FCU in Ohio, which spearheads outreach efforts all year long to benefit the Sylvania Area Family Services, a non- profit agency that assists more than 6,000 families per year.
Second place ($1,500) went to Erie FCU in Pennsylvania for its community outreach efforts, including one that benefits the John Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation. Erie FCU is utilizing its EZ Saver accounts to allow members to contribute funds to the foundation. The EZ Saver account rounds up the member’s debit card purchases and a 5% match is added each month to the member account. Members can elect to donate their monthly 5% match amount to the Foundation and the credit union then matches these contributions dollar for dollar.
Third place ($1,000) went to which partnered with local county social services agencies, child welfare advocates, and a foster youth advisory group to launch Money Matters, an interactive financial literacy education program that provides foster youth, ages 15 to 21, with the tools they need to develop financial responsibility.
The three winners, as well as 10 runners up, will be recognized at the Involve2011 CSCU Annual Meeting, April 27–May 1, at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club in Orlando.
