Credit Union Foundation of the Dakotas makes donation to CUAid for flood victims
BISMARCK, ND (September 6, 2016) — The Credit Union Foundation of the Dakotas met on Thursday, September 1, and approved a donation in the amount of $8,000 for CUAid to assist flood victims in the southeastern United States. The contribution will be divided, with $5,000 going to Louisiana flood victims and $3,000 to West Virginia.
Eight continuous days of storms recently inundated Louisiana with 7 trillion gallons of water – creating the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy and affecting some 300 credit union employees in that state alone. West Virginia has also been severely impacted by the flooding.
Here in the Dakotas, we can relate to this tragedy. It was only five years ago, in 2011, that we experienced some of the worst flooding ever along the Missouri River through North and parts of South Dakota. Minot and Bismarck, ND were two of the areas that were severely impacted, with nearly 5,000 residential homes destroyed or damaged. Through generous contributions to CUAid at that time, the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas (CUAD) was able to present $36,000 in assistance to credit union employees and members.
“Having communities devastated by floods is something we can certainly relate to,” said Jeff Olson, CUAD President-CEO”. “We were humbled by the CUAid response and the tremendous outpouring of concern and help that we received from the credit union community all over the country in our time of need.” He continued, “The generous contributions were instrumental in helping hundreds of credit union employees and families rebuild and get back on their feet, and the gesture was a great comfort to the suffering at the time.”
Mike Reisnour, Board Chair of the Credit Union Foundation of the Dakotas and CEO of Dakota Plains Credit Union in Edgeley, ND agrees with Olson. “Our Foundation Board unanimously approved the donation as a token of our appreciation and sincere gratitude to the credit union community. It is the right thing to do, it is in line with the credit union motto of ‘people helping people’, and it is our way of paying it forward,” said Reisnour.
About Credit Union Association of the Dakotas
The Credit Union Association of the Dakotas (CUAD) is the professional financial trade association serving 71 credit unions that employ 2,200 individuals in 221 branches. With more than 500,000 members in North and South Dakota, Dakota credit unions have assets in excess of $7.6 billion and currently are providing Dakota consumers with over $5.2 billion in loans while safely housing more than $6.6 billion in savings. In our mission to help credit unions succeed, CUAD plays a key role in growing membership and helping to provide service excellence to members from offices in Bismarck, ND and Sioux Falls, SD. For more information about CUAD visit our website at www.cuad.coop.
The Credit Union Foundation of the Dakotas’ purpose is to build community awareness of Dakota credit unions through support of children’s charities; community and social impact organizations or projects; financial education and financial literacy programs through the credit union chapter system; and to provide higher education scholarships throughout our service region in North and South Dakota.
