MARIETTA, Ga.–Members of this community in need are being helped through the holidays by Operation Donation, a fundraiser for needy families operated by employees of LGE Community CU here. At LGE’s annual holiday breakfast, retiring CEO Ed Collins read aloud accounts of the families helped by this year’s 2008 Operation Donation.
This year, the employees, helped by a credit union matching donation, raised $35,097. Among those getting assistance: Two sisters struggling to survive on the bare minimum, their gas and electricity recently cut off, and a single mom and her boys living in a high crime area and unable to come up with the $500 needed for a down payment on a Habitat for Humanity home.
Each year, departments within the credit union form teams and raise money through various fundraisers and personal donations for local families in need or charities of their choice. Once all of the funds are collected, the credit union matches dollar-for-dollar the total amount raised, allowing the teams to give twice as much. Teams began fundraising efforts as early as September, and for over two months, emails and hallway signs abounded alerting employees to a craft sale, a bake sale, a raffle, a jewelry sale, a luncheon, and many other events.
