Salisbury, NC (December 6, 2021) |
The Carolinas Credit Union Foundation will be hosting its annual Awards Gala on Thursday, February 3, 2022, in Charlotte, NC in conjunction with the Carolinas Credit Union League’s LAUNCH Conference. Each year, the Gala celebrates statewide and individual award winners and serves as the Foundation’s premier fundraising event.
Three individuals and one credit union will be recognized at the Gala as 2021 Hero Award honorees, along with18 state-level CUNA Award Winners. The Foundation will also debut a new award category, the Advancing Equity Award. This award honors an individual, credit union, business partner, or community non-profit for their commitment to the credit union industry’s 8th Cooperative Principle of DEI. As the inaugural recipient of the Advancing Equity Award, Maurice Smith will be honored for his leadership and advocacy on the national stage, which resulted in the 8th Cooperative Principle being formally adopted by CUNA, the League, Foundation, and numerous credit unions and industry partners.
This year’s honorees include;
Lifetime Achievement Award – Ann Johnston, Board Chair of Allegacy FCU
Advancing Equity Award – Maurice Smith, CEO of Local Government FCU and Civic FCU
Partner in Philanthropy Award – Champion CU
Partner in Philanthropy Award – Paula Richnafsy, Community Outreach Representative for South Carolina FCU & Administrative Coordinator for the South Carolina FCU Foundation;
State-Level and National 2021 CUNA Award Winners – These awards recognize distinguished credit unions that demonstrate social responsibility (the Dora Maxwell Award), the credit union philosophy (the Louise Herring Award), and financial education (the Desjardins Awards). Credit union winners include Acclaim FCU, Allegacy FCU, Carolina Foothills FCU, Greenville FCU, Piedmont Advantage CU, Palmetto Citizens FCU, SRP FCU and Truliant FCU. Two credit unions among this year’s state-level winners also won national recognition and will be honored at the CUNA GAC in Washington, DC. Congratulations to Acclaim FCU, who won second place for the Dora Maxwell Award, and Carolina Foothills FCU, who won second place in the Louise Herring Award.
Full details on all of this year’s honorees can be found here.
Coastal CU Chief Culture & Impact Officer Creighton Blackwell returns as emcee to lead the Foundation’s Awards Gala. Details on sponsorships and tickets are available here.