More than $1 million! That’s the total impact from the #CreditUnionsCareChallenge in Alabama, Florida in Georgia because of credit unions. The Southeastern Credit Union Foundation (SECUF) and the League of Southeastern Credit Unions’ (LSCU) affiliates in Alabama, Florida and Georgia set out to make an impact for the good. Those good intentions resulted in the #CreditUnionsCareChallenge.
Credit unions of all sizes in the three states were asked to commit a suggested amount of $25 per employee for each employee to invest in a locally owned business or to thank an essential worker while adhering to social distancing protocols. Some credit unions gave more.To double the impact, SECUF matched every dollar contributed by affiliated credit unions up to $25 per employee. These matched funds were given back to each credit union to be donated to local community organizations of their choice.
Here are the numbers from the #CreditUnionsCareChallenge:
- Credit unions participating: 88 and LSCU & Affiliates
- Credit union staff participating: 14,334
- Total amount pledged by credit unions: $771,795.00
- Total amount matched by the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation: $330,405.00
- Total impact on the communities served: $1,102,200.00
“We have seen heartfelt appreciation and enthusiasm from the credit union employees taking part and from the local businesses they are patronizing and charities they are sharing the funds with during the challenge,” said Jared Ross, President of LSCU. “It has been inspirational to see how good people feel about being part of this effort and how much it means to those in our communities who are impacted.”
The SECUF was inspired to create this challenge by good deeds witnessed in the credit union world, which was founded on a philosophy of “people helping people” that continues today. The idea was to encourage other organizations throughout the southeast – and the world – to take up the challenge and join together to be #CUStrong while supporting #LocalStrong.
For more information on how we are making an impact, visit the Credit Unions Care Challenge website here.