Press

Sara Newell of Erie named 2015 Credit Union Youth Ambassador of Pennsylvania

Grosh of York & Ammon of Glenmoore Named Alternates
 
HARRISBURG, PA (May 18, 2015) — At the 39th Annual Youth Ambassador Contest of Pennsylvania, Sara Newell of Erie, representing the Erie Chapter of Credit Unions was named 2015 Credit Union Youth Ambassador of Pennsylvania. The annual statewide contest was held during the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association’s (PCUA) 81st Annual Convention & Expo held recently in Hershey, PA.

Newell, 25, is a Marketing Assistant at Erie Community Credit Union, Erie. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Public Relations from Penn State University and is a graduate of Villa Maria Academy, Erie, PA. For the next year, as the Pennsylvania Credit Union Youth Ambassador, Newell will represent the PCUA at events.

The First Alternate was awarded to Becca Grosh, 24, of York. She is employed as a Lending Services Assistant at First Capital Federal Credit Union, York. She attended Lancaster Mennonite High School, and took some time off from the credit union to travel and do mission work for her church.

The Second Alternate went to Eric Ammon, 21, of Glenmoore. Ammon is a Senior Financial Services Representative at Citadel Federal Credit Union, Exton, and represented the Lan-Chester Chapter of Credit Unions. He attended Delaware County Community College and Temple University.

Serving as the Master of Ceremonies was James Crummel of WHTM-TV, abc27 News, Harrisburg.

Ten finalists won regional contests before advancing to the state finals. The finalists completed a written exam before presenting speeches about credit union topics. A panel of five judges selected the winner, tallying scores from the test, personal interview, and speech.

The contest judges were:

• John Bowser, Target Media, Harrisburg
• Keontay Hodge, Legislative Assistant, Representative Harry Readshaw and the House Professional Licensure Committee, Harrisburg.
• Beth Horne-Beachy, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Harrisburg.
• Bill McKenna, Membership Marketing Support Services, Boyertown.
• Sam Snyder, PSCU, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

The additional ten contestants were:

• Delaware County Chapter — Matt Winter of Sun East Federal Credit Union, Aston;
• Harrisburg Chapter — Rachel Flynn of Members 1st Federal Credit Union, Mechanicsburg;
• Montgomery County Chapter — Frances Monari of TruMark Financial Credit Union, Trevose;
• Northeast PA Chapter — Ana-Maria Mejia of Choice One Community Federal Credit Union, Wilkes-Barre;
• NW Susquehanna Chapter — Rachael Scheller of Service 1st  Federal Credit Union; Danville;
• Philadelphia Chapter — Nina Caranci of American Heritage Federal Credit Union, Philadelphia; and
• Susquehanna Valley Chapter — Lyndsay Dougherty of Wyrope Williamsport Federal Credit Union, Williamsport.

The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association conducts the contest to attract young people to credit unions and to prepare them for leadership roles.  Credit union members between the ages of 17 and 25 compete and are sponsored by the Association’s chapters. The contestants are judged on their knowledge of credit unions and their ability to communicate that knowledge.

Several hundred young people have competed in the Credit Union Youth Ambassador Contest since the early 1970s. Many of the contestants have gone on to hold volunteer and professional positions within the credit union movement.

Credit unions are financial cooperatives that provide affordable financial services to help their owner/members. The Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Credit Union Association is a trade association that provides legislative, promotional, educational, and operational support for nearly 400 credit unions in Pennsylvania. These credit unions have assets in excess of $38 billion and serve more than 3.8 million members. For additional information about credit unions or to find a credit union near you, visit www.ibelong.org.

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