NAPERVILLE, IL ( March 6, 2014) – The Illinois Youth Involvement Council’s (IYIC) Young Professionals Advisory Committee is proud to announce CU*Reach, a new group that is aiming to engage young professionals while inspiring lifelong careers in the credit union movement.
“Young people are the future of the credit union movement. CU*Reach is a fantastic outlet for the passion and energy of our future leaders,” said Dan Plauda, president/chief executive officer of the Illinois Credit Union League.
CU*Reach will provide opportunities for networking, mentoring, education, leadership development and community involvement. The advisory committee is currently hard at work developing programming for young professionals at both the local and statewide level.
“It has been exciting watching CU*Reach develop through the work of an enthusiastic committee,” said advisory committee member Jennifer Riebold of Scott Credit Union. “CU*Reach is a great opportunity for professional development as well as a chance for young professionals to recognize their potential within the credit union movement.”
The Young Professionals Advisory Committee was established last summer to create a statewide program which encourages young employees to establish life-long involvement in credit unions. As part of the process, the committee is examining activities and initiatives of other state leagues, similar organizations (like chambers of commerce and charitable groups), and past programs of the IYIC. The committee includes the following individuals who are serving a one-year term through June 30, 2014:
|
Name |
Credit Union |
|
Jana Stevens |
CEFCU (Peoria) |
|
Wednesday Medlen |
Community Plus FCU (Rantoul) |
|
Scott Leiser |
Cornerstone CU (Freeport) |
|
Derrell Walls |
CTAFC FCU (Chicago) |
|
Parease Alexander |
Maroon Financial CU (Chicago) |
|
Melissa Clopper |
Members First Community CU |
|
Aaron Heldt |
NuMark CU (Joliet) |
|
Jennifer Riebold |
Scott CU (Edwardsville) |
|
Jen Laud |
First Financial CU (Chicago) |
The target membership for CU*Reach is ages 40 and under, although there are ample opportunities to get involved as a “CU*Reach Champion” for those above 40. Individuals are encouraged to join the CU*Reach e-mail list by visiting: http://www.cureach.com. In addition, CU*Reach may also be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/180697412125991/.
The mission of the Illinois Youth Involvement Council (IYIC) is to ensure the future of the credit union movement by involving young people as members, employees and volunteers. The IYIC strives to reach out to young people and share information about credit unions as a financial service alternative.
The Illinois Credit Union League (ICUL) is the primary trade association for credit unions in Illinois and provides its members with compliance and other pertinent operating information, legislative advocacy and educational development opportunities. Membership is open to any credit union operating in accordance with the Illinois Credit Union Act or the Federal Credit Union Act. There are 336 credit unions in Illinois serving almost 3 million members