CUNA recognizes 2018 award recipients at GAC Conference

The 2018 awards for the Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award, the Louise Herring Philosophy-in-Action Member Service Award, and the Desjardins Awards for Financial Education were presented at CUNA’s 2019 Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC), March 10 - 14, in Washington, D.C.

“On behalf of the CUNA Awards Committee, I would like to congratulate all of the 2018 CUNA Award winners. We had an impressive number of submissions this year, and the quality of the ideas and projects credit unions have put in place in their communities once again impressed the committee,” said Awards Committee Chair Winona Nava, CCUE, ICUDE, president and CEO of Guadalupe Credit Union in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Following are stories about winning Cornerstone Credit Union Members Tinker Federal Credit Union in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Diamond Lakes Federal Credit Union in Malvern, Arkansas; and the Fort Worth Chapter of Credit Unions from Fort Worth, Texas.

Desjardins Adult Financial Education Award—Tinker FCU receives Honorable Mention

Category: More than $1 billion in assets

Tinker FCU addresses critical financial education need

Tinker Federal Credit Union partnered with the Muscogee Creek Nation (MCN), the fourth-largest self-governed Native American tribe in the U.S., to provide financial education to its 83,900 tribal members.

When MCN became a select employee group of Tinker in 2017, discussions with the principal chief identified the critical need for financial education.

The training is offered at the MCN Tribal Complex and has been well-received. The workshops provide participants with the tools they need to manage their money and improve their quality of life.

Tribal members also have access to a free financial coaching program that provides one-on-one counseling to fit individual needs.

Additional financial coaching is also available through the credit union’s partnership with BALANCE Financial Fitness for issues such as foreclosure prevention, early delinquency intervention, and debt management plans.

Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award Winner—Diamond Lakes FCU earns second place

Category: Less than $50 million is assets

Special ed students’ transition eased

A request for a credit union tour from the Cutter Morning Star School District’s high school special education teacher blossomed first into a Reality Fair and then into a collaboration.

Diamond Lakes Federal Credit Union and the school district together created a Transition Fair for special education students across seven school districts in Garland County, Arkansas.

For these students, transitioning from high school to post-secondary education or job placement can be challenging. The fair was organized so students could gain ideas and make plans for the types of jobs they would do after graduation.

The credit union recruited members of the community including representatives from health care, trades, government, hospitality, and colleges to spend the day with students talking about opportunities.

By putting a “face” and a “voice” to career choices, students interacted one-on-one with business people to learn more about careers, and the type of education and experience required for each vocation.

Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Recognition Award Winner—Fort Worth Chapter earns second place

Category: Chapter or Credit Union Group

Fort Worth CUs make sure Santa Claus IS coming to town

Thanks to the Fort Worth Chapter of Credit Unions, Santa Claus has come to Sam Rosen Elementary School for 27 years and visited students at Webb Elementary School for 17 years.

By hosting annual Christmas parties cumulatively, the Chapter has offered hope and joy to more than 26,000 children. If it weren’t for these parties, hundreds of children would have no Christmas at all. Students at Sam Rosen come from economically disadvantaged homes, and many in the student population at Webb list the local homeless shelter as their address.

The parties include a personal visit with Santa Claus complete with a souvenir button, midway games, face painting, a Christmas show,  and a goodie bag to take home with food, gifts, and financial education materials.