PSCU partners with Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona
CUSO’s facility in Phoenix to host series of art installation events to help fight child neglect and abuse
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (June 5, 2017) — PSCU, the nation’s leading CUSO, has partnered with Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona (Free Arts), a nonprofit organization in Arizona, to host an art installation and employee painting event on June 5, 2017 at its Phoenix, Ariz. Operations Center to benefit children ages 3 to 21 who have endured abuse, neglect and homelessness. Free Arts uses the healing powers of the arts to help abused and homeless children build resiliency and learn to trust and heal. All of the children in Free Arts programs have experienced combinations of family trauma, homelessness, and violence.
“The credit union family extends far and wide and its members actively contribute their time and resources to advance the health of the communities they serve. We’re excited about this opportunity to team up with our friends at Free Arts to help them help the children who need it the most,” said Lynn Heckler, PSCU EVP and Chief Talent Officer.
In 2015, Free Arts was awarded the 2015 Arts Advocacy Group Award by the Greater Arizona Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters. This award recognizes a non-profit organization which has demonstrated outstanding achievements in the arts community. In 2016 Free Arts was named as the Innovative Organization by the Mayors Arts Awards.
According to Heckler, partnering with Free Arts provides the means to bring awareness to the organization’s investment in the wellbeing of every community’s most valuable, yet most vulnerable asset, children. Initially, PSCU will host several children’s art exhibits specifically selected for display on the walls throughout PSCU’s facility in Phoenix. Each painting will be accompanied by the artist’s story of what the painting means to them.
On the day of the art installation, Free Arts will join PSCU in a meet-and-greet celebration, where employees will be encouraged to help create their own art exhibit. The theme of the artwork will be “Helping Make Dreams Come True.”
About PSCU
PSCU/Co-op Solutions is the nation’s premier payments credit union service organization (CUSO) and an integrated financial technology solutions provider. With over four decades of industry experience and a commitment to service excellence and innovation, the company serves more than 4,000 financial institutions throughout North America. PSCU/Co-op Solutions leverages its expertise and resources on behalf of credit unions and their members, offering an end-to-end product portfolio that includes payment processing, fraud and risk management, data and analytics, digital banking, instant payments, strategic consulting, collections, ATM and POS networks, shared branching and 24/7/365 member support via its contact centers. For more information, visit pscu.com and coop.org.
About Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona
For 24 years, Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona has used art as a tool to help more than 105,000 children gain self-confidence, learn to express their emotions in positive ways, and build trusting relationships with adults who care. The organization was founded in 1993 by art therapist Margaret Beresford and Executive Director, Stephanie Small, with an initial budget of $30,000 and a volunteer base of 5 individuals serving 60 children. Today, Free Arts employs 15 staff members and has more than 900 trained volunteers and artists, who help heal more than 8,000 homeless and abused children each year through artistic elements that promote safety, self-expression and a sense of belonging. For more information, visit http://www.freeartsaz.org/.
