Press
Federation 2013 Annual Conference Baltimore Raven Michael Oher to Make Special Guest Appearance
NEW YORK, NY (May 7, 2013) The National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions (Federation) is excited to announce Michael Oher, offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens and inspiration for the Academy Award-winning movie The Blind Side, will make a special guest appearance at The Federation’s Annual Conference, June 5-8th in Baltimore, MD. The event will be the single largest gathering of credit unions with a mission of community development in the nation and will offer exciting and innovative strategies, ideas, partnership opportunities and practical solutions for connecting low- and moderate-income Americans to high-quality financial services.
Michael Oher, who will appear at the evening reception on Thursday, June 6th, expressed his personal connection to the event. “The Federation’s Annual Conference is a great opportunity for me to meet the people that are committed to bettering lives through community development credit unions. It is that cooperative spirit that has made a real difference in my life.”
Federation president and CEO, Cathie Mahon welcomes Oher’s participation in the Conference noting, “Mr. Oher has such an uplifting story to share about perseverance and commitment. His life experience will resonate deeply with conference attendees and energize their commitment to serving their communities nationwide.”
Michael Oher’s appearance is made possible by MasterCard. “MasterCard is committed to financial inclusion and providing the tools and access that benefit populations that are unbanked and underbanked. There are synergies in our work, Mr. Oher’s story and the Federation’s mission to connect low- and moderate-income Americans to high-quality financial services. It is truly our pleasure to sponsor Michael Oher’s participation in the conference,” said John Ainsworth, SVP, independent banks and credit unions for MasterCard.
The Federation’s Annual Conference will bring together thought leaders, researchers, policymakers and practitioners in the community development and financial empowerment fields for several days of learning, sharing and networking.
The Federation is a dynamic, growth-oriented community development financial institution (CDFI) specializing in financial, technical and educational services to credit unions serving low-income and economically disenfranchised communities. The Federation represents more than 250 community development credit unions (CDCUs) that provide credit, savings, transaction services and financial education to more than 2.2 million residents of low-income urban, rural and reservation-based communities across the United States, and hold over $15 billion in community-controlled assets.
For more information and to register for the conference, please visit our website at www.cdcu.coop.