Why the Foundation is thankful for credit unions this year
It’s hard to believe that 2017 is coming to a close, with Thanksgiving this week and the holiday season right around the corner. At the National Credit Union Foundation, we have so much to be thankful for this year as we look back at all the amazing things that have been accomplished in cooperation with credit unions.
On March 7, 2017, the Foundation accepted the U.S. Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award on behalf of America’s credit unions. This award was presented by Junior Achievement (JA) USA for over 15,000 volunteer hours dedicated to Junior Achievement programs by America’s credit unions. This award demonstrates just how passionate credit union people are about youth financial education and for giving back. Way to go credit unions!
Speaking of youth financial education, because of credit unions who believe in the importance of improving the financial futures of the next generation, the Foundation was able to bring back Biz Kid$ for a brand new Season 6! Exclusively funded by credit unions, Biz Kid$ is produced by the same creative team behind Bill Nye the Science Guy and takes a fun approach at teaching financial literacy. Biz Kid$ is a great resource for credit unions to reach the younger demographic, and has accompanying lesson plans mapped to each episode, activities, episodes in Spanish and more on bizkids.com! We are thankful for all who supported the production of the new season and who continue to utilize the program.
In July, the Credit Union Development Education (CUDE) Program celebrated its 35th anniversary! With over 1,800 DEs from around the globe, these passionate credit union professionals serve as advocates for the credit union movement. Individually and collectively they are working to improve the lives of their members and those in their communities, and we are thankful for their dedication to credit union principles and philosophy.
This year, credit unions and the Foundation have worked together to delve into the issue of consumer financial health. The Foundation recently wrapped up a year-long grant funding effort to conduct consumer financial health check-ups with the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) with support from CUNA Mutual Group. This initiative looked into the financial health of the members at 6 different credit unions, and the findings show a real need to help consumers to stabilize their finances. For example, the research found that only a quarter of members are highly satisfied with their present financial situation. Working cooperatively, we can work together to fix that statistic. You can read the full report of the findings here.
Last, but certainly not least, we are extremely thankful for all of the support from the credit union community in the wake of all the natural disasters that have occurred this year. When many of our credit union friends and family had their world turned upside-down from disasters such as Tropical Storm Harvey, Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and the California Wildfires, the credit union movement stepped up and demonstrated that the “people helping people” spirit is alive and strong. Collectively, the credit union movement has raised over $2.9 million this year towards CUAid.coop to support those affected. We are honored to be the point entity for the movement, and we are so proud to be a part of a community that cares so much for others.
We cannot do all that we do without the support of credit unions, and we are thankful for their dedication to members’ financial well-being this year. Together, we are going to make an even larger impact in 2018!
