We want to give a shout out to our staff who marked another successful year full of volunteering, fundraising, donating to charity drives and community groups throughout 2016. They are what makes our organization so unique!
Denim for Dollars
Launching February 2016, Denim for Dollars Day allowed participating credit union employees to donate $1 every Friday, which entitled them to wear blue jeans to work that day. Because supporting our communities is one of our top priorities, we once again partnered with local organizations that share our core values in which to donate these funds. TOGETHER we raised over $2,900 in 2016 by wearing jeans!
APA – Animal Protective Association of Missouri | $400
The Animal Protective Association of Missouri, located in Brentwood, is a non-profit organization with an open-door policy, which means they never turn animals away for any reason. The staff is dedicated to the quality of life for each and every animal while it’s in their care. In 2015, 91% of APA pets or 2,534 animals were adopted into loving homes. The majority of their expenses are covered by the contributions of individuals who share their passion for the animals. For more information on the APA, visit their website at www.apamo.org.
CUPAC – Credit Union Political Action Committee of Missouri | $500
Protecting credit unions’ interest with federal and state legislators and regulatory agencies is a priority for us and our members. We strive to build and preserve relationships with lawmakers and policymakers to ensure credit unions and their members are represented in the legislative and regulatory process. CUPAC is made up of a group of employees representing many different credit unions, that come together to advocate for the credit union movement to politicians. Political contributions are an important part of credit union advocacy. It’s more important than ever to support credit union-friendly candidates so credit unions stay relevant.
The Sparrow’s Nest | $500
The Sparrow’s Nest, located in O’Fallon MO, is a temporary maternity home that provides programming such as childcare/parenting, financial literacy, bible study, sexual integrity, healthy relationships, healthy lifestyles, job skills, and life skills. Case management is provided to ensure the proper medical, emotional, physical, and most importantly, the spiritual needs of the young women living at “The Nest” are taken care of. For more information on The Sparrow’s Nest, visit their website at thesparrowsneststl.org
The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri | $500
The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri, located in Columbia, is a regional disaster and hunger relief network that acquires and distributes millions of pounds of food annually to partner agencies. Because of these partnerships, they are able to turn every dollar donated into $21 worth of groceries! The Food Bank works with food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other agencies to ensure food gets into the hands of those who need it most. They rely heavily on donors and volunteers to operate efficiently.
Not only do our employees donate jeans day contributions to the Food Bank, Tigers employees also show support outside of a monetary donation by volunteering at least 10 hours a month at the Food Bank! For more information on the Food Bank, visit sharefoodbringhope.org
Children’s Miracle Network of Greater St. Louis (CMN) | $500
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of Greater St. Louis is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for St. Louis Children’s Hospital and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Since their inception in 1988, they have provided over $40 million dollars in support. All of the money raised stays local, equally benefiting these two amazing hospitals and helping them acquire new programs, equipment, and facility renovations to meet the needs of area kids. For more information on the Children’s Miracle Network, visit online at cmn-stl.org
New Haven Elementary Holiday Adopt a Family | $200
New Haven Elementary is a local Columbia elementary school educating children from Kindergarten to 5th Grade. They are a Partner in Education School with Tigers Community Credit Union. Each year for the holidays, they implement an Adopt a Family project to help lower income families who are in need. This year, the credit union has adopted 5 children and purchased holiday gifts of clothing, toys and stocking stuffers to brighten their family Christmas.
Children’s Home Society of Missouri Holiday Wish List | $250
The Children’s Home Society is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children in need. They provide short and long term care for children with significant developmental disabilities, adoption assistance, education and mental health counseling services, pregnancy counseling, and infant placements. West Community partnered with them for the 2016 Holiday Season with a Holiday Wish List drive. In addition to the donations collected at our branches, the credit union purchased several items on the wish list, including diapers, personal care items, toys, art supplies and home goods. For more information on the Children’s Home Society, visit online at chsmo.org
Employee Volunteers
The credit union’s volunteer program supports our employees to lend a hand in our communities. Community Partner activities include working at the food bank, giving presentations at local schools, manning shredding events for the community, or manning the radiothon for the Children’s Miracle Network. With over 70 people on our staff averaging 9.3 hours per person, we totaled 680 HOURS last year. Check out the ticker on our homepage to stay on top of our community hours in 2017.
“Our employees are the lifeblood of our fundraising and community service efforts,” Community Outreach Specialist, Lori Hudson said. “They truly are the driving force behind our activities that put thousands of dollars and hundreds of volunteer hours into the community each year, and we couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Thanks for all you do for our communities!
