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Iowa Credit Union Foundation awards $23,000 to scholarship winners

WEST DES MOINES, IA (April 27, 2022) — The Iowa Credit Union Foundation (ICUF) recently awarded scholarships to eight high school students and four post-high school students as recipients of its Warren A. Morrow Memorial Scholarship.

The annual scholarship program is in memory of the late Warren Morrow and is open to credit union members pursuing or completing post-secondary education.

This year’s post-high school recipients are:

§ $2,000 to Amanda Dougherty, a member of Dupaco Community Credit Union who currently attends University of Iowa

§ $2,000 to Kaleb Stevens, a member of Veridian Credit Union who currently attends Iowa State University

§ $2,000 to Reegan Zinkula, a member of Power Co-Op Employees Credit Union who currently attends University of Northern Iowa

§ $2,000 to Angelia Gallardo, a member of Affinity Credit Union who currently attends Iowa State University

This year’s eight high school senior recipients are:

$3,000 to Zuzanna Wheeler, a member of Premier Credit Union and a graduating senior at Dowling Catholic High School, West Des Moines, IA
$3,000 to Andrew Knipper, a member of GreenState Credit Union and a graduating senior at Linn Mar High School, Marion, IA
$2,000 to Maylee Callahan, a member of DuTrac Community Credit Union and a graduating senior at Bettendorf High School, Bettendorf, IA
$2,000 to Erica Sons, a member of Ascentra Credit Union and a graduating senior at Assumption High School, Davenport, IA
$1,500 to Rylee Bezoni, a member of North Star Community Credit Union and a graduating senior at Cherokee Washington High School, Cherokee, IA
$1,500 to Araceli Tapetillo, a member of Community 1st Credit Union and a graduating senior at Cardinal High School, Eldon, IA
$1,000 to Zachary Geil, a member of MEMBERS1st Community Credit Union and a graduating senior at Marshalltown High School, Marshalltown, IA
$1,000 to Taylor Wickman, a member of Community Choice Credit Union and a graduating senior at Dallas Center-Grimes Community High School, Grimes, IA

Applicants completed an online entry form and answered an essay question. This year’s question was:

Since March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the US economy has been tremendously impacted. Describe how an emergency savings account is more crucial than ever and how someone might utilize their credit union to focus on saving. Consider sharing personal examples in this essay.

“The mission of the Iowa Credit Union Foundation (ICUF) is to champion financial well-being for all guided by the credit union philosophy of ‘people helping people’,” said Ena Babic Barnes, Executive Director, ICUF. “We do this through programs such as the Warren A. Morrow Memorial Scholarship. This year’s scholarship finalists passionately voiced their understanding of the credit union difference and developed outstanding ideas on how to work with their credit union to create an effective savings plan.”

About Iowa Credit Union Foundation

Founded in 1995 as the philanthropic arm of the Iowa Credit Union League, the Iowa Credit Union Foundation's (ICUF) primary focus is to eliminate poverty in the state of Iowa. ICUF seeks to carry out its mission to empower people and communities to achieve financial well-being through its various programs, grants and scholarships. For more information, visit www.IowaCreditUnionFoundation.org.