SAN DIEGO – San Diego County Credit Union on Monday said the 2015 version of its SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl raised $22,500 for Biz Kid$.
The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl is the only one of 41 college football bowl games to have a credit union as title sponsor. SDCCU has served as the title sponsor of the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl since the bowl game's inception in 2005.
SDCCU said $1 from each ticket sold to the game was donated to help teach kids in San Diego about money and business.
Biz Kid$, which was launched in 2008 in partnership with the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF), is an award-winning comprehensive financial literacy program focused on teaching kids how to use credit wisely and the importance of saving, budgeting, investing and giving back to their communities.
This year's crowd of more than 21,500 was entertained by the first-ever Stadium Spectacular, a fireworks extravaganza, and 2016 Grammy nominee Andra Day, who sang the National Anthem. Day also took center stage to perform her hit single "Rise Up."
"SDCCU is the proud title sponsor of the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. This year's event created a memorable experience for attendees. They enjoyed some football, watched an incredible performance by Andra Day and witnessed the first ever Stadium Spectacular. The bowl game has not only become a holiday tradition in San Diego, it has also contributed a great deal to our local economy over the past 11 years," SDCCU President and CEO Teresa Halleck said in a statement.
According to the San Diego Bowl Game Association, the non-profit entity that produces the game, the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl generates millions of dollars into the San Diego economy during a week when the region's tourism industry is at one of its slowest times of the year. Officials reported that the previous 10 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl games combined added more than $85 million of revenue into the local economy.
The game, played Dec. 23 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, saw the Boise State Broncos blow out the Northern Illinois Huskies, 55-7. NIU fell to 0-3 in school history in the Poinsettia Bowl, while Boise State improved to 1-1.
SDCCU said its title sponsorship of the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl is one of many ways it gives back to the community. SDCCU is a longtime supporter of more than 75 different local non-profit organizations annually, including the San Diego County Office of Education, Rady Children's Hospital, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, San Diego Blood Bank and Scripps Health Foundation. At the local level, branches are actively involved in Chambers of Commerce and support charitable organizations and events through sponsorships and active volunteerism.
San Diego County Credit Union is San Diego's largest locally-owned financial institution, serving San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties. SDCCU has assets of $7.2 billion, more than 305,000 members, 38 branches and 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs.
