First-Ever CU Community Day Nets Nearly 9,000 Volunteer Hours, $8,000

On Indigenous Peoples' Day, over thirty Wisconsin credit unions participated in the first-ever CU Community Day, a community outreach event showcasing the ways credit unions give back to their communities throughout the year. The event was held in conjunction with several other state League community outreach days across the country and highlights the sixth and seventh Cooperative Principles of Cooperation Among Cooperatives and Concern for Community.

As a result, Wisconsin's credit unions made a significant impact across the state, donating nearly 9,000 volunteer hours and $8,000 with 3,530 volunteers participating. Volunteer efforts included assisting at food pantries, helping with highway cleanup efforts, partnering with local charitable organizations, collecting food (1,945 pounds of it), and assembling 3,002 care packages--just to name a few. 

Here's some of the ways credit unions participated:

1st Community Credit Union - We encouraged our team to bring used or new coats to donate to local community shelters and organizations. The fall is a time they typically are looking for winter coats to help those in need. Our team delivered with several large bags full of coats to be donated amongst three communities! 

Altra Federal Credit Union - Employees volunteered at 32 organizations in Wisconsin, one in New Jersey, three in Minnesota, four in Tennessee, and five in Texas. 

Arcadia Credit Union - Training Day & Non-Perishable Food Donation collection and disbursement to local food pantries.

Brokaw Credit Union - Brokaw is holding a fall shred event from October 10-31, where members are invited to drop off up to two medium-sized bags or boxes of papers to be securely shredded each week.

Capital Credit Union - Capital volunteered at more than 15 nonprofits in Northeast Wisconsin, including Bridge the Gap, Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, Green Bay Botanical Garden, CP Center, Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary, Heritage Hill State Historical Park, Howe Community Resource Center, YWCA, Country Villa Assisted Living, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Pillars, Riverview Gardens, United Way Fox Cities Hub, BEAMING, Money Management Counselors, Oshkosh Area Community Pantry, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Program.

Community First Credit Union - Community First's team had a blast making 206 teddy bears complete with birth certificates, notes of encouragement, and personalities. The bears will be distributed to local law enforcement agencies in our communities to comfort children in crisis through the Police Lights of Christmas. We also raised nearly $2,100 for Habitat for Humanity's Women's Build and almost $700 for the United Way.

Connexus Credit Union - Connexus employees volunteered with non-profits in the Central Wisconsin area, helping prepare a community garden for winter, facilitating a poverty simulator, and assisting at a local shelter.

Co-op Credit Union - Co-op's employees volunteered at the community garden, made tie blankets or quilts for local nursing homes, painted fencing in a local park, raked and beautified landscape at the library, school, and community member's homes, made baked goods for a local nonprofit, and worked concessions for the school district.

Educators Credit Union - Educators supported Women's Resource Center, Project 16:49, Twin Oaks Shelter for the Homeless, Women's & Children's Horizon, Waukesha Hebron Housing Center, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, and United Way by making 500 tie blankets, assembling 500 care packages, and donating 1,312 pounds of food.

Evergreen Credit Union - Evergreen packed kits for We Gotcha Girl and helped Heckrodt Wetland Reserve clean up their Creepy Crawlies event.

Fond du Lac Credit Union -  Fond du Lac participated in Habitat for Humanity's Rock the Block. 

Fort Community Credit Union - Fort Community assembled 100 personal care item kits and distributed to local homeless shelters. 

Fox Communities Credit Union - Fox Communities collected 633 pounds of food for Paul's Pantry.

Governmental Employees Credit Union - Governmental Employees dropped off Oktoberfest parking lot donations at Hamilton Elementary School and Northside Elementary School. These funds will help purchase an all-abilities swing and send 3rd and 4th graders on a field trip to Madison along with supplying school snacks. 

Gundersen Credit Union - Gundersen made tie blankets for the local Gundersen Health System Children's Miracle Network 2023 Heroes. 

Holy Family Memorial Credit Union - Holy Family volunteered at the Salvation Army of Manitowoc Food Pantry. 

LCO Federal Credit Union - LCO hosted a coat, hat, glove, and ski pant drive for their local shelter. 

Marine Credit Union - Marine took part in its annual Day of Service, where employees participated at dozens of organized volunteer opportunities across their footprint, including a winter item/clothing drive, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity Build, the La Crosse Area Children's Museum, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, the Hammon Library, and Viroqa Hockey. 

Marshfield Medical Center Credit Union - Marshfield volunteered at the local Ronald McDonald House by raking and bagging leaves, deep cleaning and wiping down counters and cabinets, and organizing children's books.

N.E.W. Credit Union - N.E.W. adopted and cleaned up two stretches of highway, made blankets for Rainbow House (a shelter for victims of domestic abuse), and made care packages for the oncology center at our local hospital.  

Oakdale Credit Union - Oakdale helped package food at Beyond Blessings Food Pantry, sorted items at one of the SEA of Changes homes, organized clothing at Beyond Beginnings, and helped a long-time member with cleanup after an estate sale.

Royal Credit Union - Royal hosted its third Community Give Back Day event allowing team members the opportunity to volunteer at 80 nonprofit organizations across Wisconsin and Minnesota. In just one day, Royal’s 850 team members were able to provide more than 5,500 hours of service in across twenty different communities. One of the organizations that benefited from the event was the New Richmond School District’s SOAR educational center. SOAR Stands for Students Opportunities with Agricultural Resources and is a student-run school farm that produces goods for school lunches.

Other project examples included creating blankets for homeless students attending the Eau Claire Area School District, cleaning and doing yard work at the Taylor House in Medford, hanging holiday lights in Irvine Park in Chippewa Falls, stocking the shelves at the Somerset Community Food Shelf, and planting trees in the Twin Cities. Some of Royal’s fully remote team members spent their day helping individuals with visual impairments through a partnership with the Be My Eyes organization. 

Sheboygan Area Credit Union - Sheboygan volunteered at the Sheboygan Salvation Army and prepared a meal for 35-40 people. Another group helped with painting the new facility for A Million Dreamz, a local non-profit providing 24X7 daycare services to the public. The last group assisted with fall yardwork at the Generational Intergenerational Center, which sponsors fitness, educational, recreational, and social programs to meet the interests of all ages.  

Shoreline Hometown Credit Union - Shoreline Hometown Credit Union finished up the year for Adopt-A-Highway on their stretch of Hwy. 147 north of Two Rivers. Keeping the road clear of trash has been their mission for the past six years.

Simplicity Credit Union - Simplicity  volunteered at Wildwood Zoo, the Aging and Disability Resource Center, Shirley's House of Hope, United Way, Memory Lane Farms, Soup or Socks, PDC, Chestnut Center for the Arts, Upham Mansion, and Ronald McDonald House. They also collected material for Portage County Humane Society, Clark County Humane Society, Neenah Humane Society, and Marshfield Area Pet Shelter.

TruStone Financial Credit Union - Four branches volunteered at the Salvation Army, Women's and Children's Horizons, United Way, and Project Concern. 

UnitedOne Credit Union - UnitedOne raised a total of $1,810 for local non-profits in both Manitowoc and Sheboygan County. 

Verve, a Credit Union - Verve spent the afternoon giving back to a variety of organizations in their community, including the Military Veterans Museum. 

Winnebago Community Credit Union - Winnebago Community volunteered at Jake's Network of Hope and prepared 2,000 Gotcha Girl bags for girls at Winnebago County Middle & High School. 

League staff also took part in the day's activities by donating to charitable causes, giving blood, and volunteering time at the Dane County Humane Society Store & through the Caring Canines program. 

Countless photos of credit unions in action are available on The League's Facebook page. We look forward to growing our impact in 2024!