League Announces Winners of State-Level Social Responsibility Awards

CONTACT:
Lewis Wood
Vice President, Public Relations and Communication
800.768.3344, ext. 1629
lwood@vacul.org

The Virginia Credit Union League was proud to present the 2022 state-level Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award, the Louise Herring Philosophy-in-Action Member Service Award and the Desjardins Awards for Financial Education at a recognition ceremony on Nov. 10 in Richmond. The awards are given annually at the state and national levels, with credit unions competing in categories based on their total assets.

“Congratulations to our award-winning credit unions, who are being recognized for their commitment to their members and communities,” said Virginia Credit Union League President/CEO Carrie Hunt. “We celebrate their efforts to showcase the Credit Union Difference and our People Helping People philosophy in the areas of social responsibility, the credit union philosophy and financial education. Service to our members and community is what defines the credit union system.”

Dora Maxwell Award Winners

The Dora Maxwell Award is presented to credit unions for outstanding social responsibility projects in their communities.

More than $1 Billion in Assets

• Chartway Credit Union (1st Place) - Through fundraising and charitable partnerships, the Chartway Promise Foundation brings joy, hope, and smiles to children in our communities who are facing medical hardship or illness. Chartway’s current project supports the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters and its construction of a new pediatric mental health hospital and outpatient center to address the mental health needs of children in our region. Specifically, our Chartway Promise Foundation’s $500,000 donation is funding the development of an art therapy center where therapists will support children by providing opportunities for creative expression.
• BayPort Credit Union (2nd Place) - With the launch of the BayPort Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the credit union, BayPort is funding annual corporate giving of half a million dollars to local charitable organizations. To launch the Foundation, BayPort planned two inaugural fundraising events: the BayPort Foundation Crawlin’ Crab Race Weekend and the BayPort Foundation Charity Golf Classic. The success of our inaugural fundraising allowed us to increase our Scholarship Program to $100,000 in tuition assistance. In addition to BayPort’s annual corporate giving and Foundation launch/fundraising efforts, our staff continued doing what they have always done through community involvement and volunteerism with legacy nonprofit partnership across Hampton Roads.

Louise Herring Award Winners

The Louise Herring Award is given to a credit union demonstrating the internal application of credit union philosophy to help better financial matters and increase financial education for its members.

More than $1 Billion in Assets

• DuPont Community Credit Union (1st Place) - Through the Make a Difference When You DIY campaign, DCCU offered members ways to leverage credit cards and put additional income in their wallets while helping those in the community gain access to affordable housing. During July 1- Aug. 31, 2021, members were encouraged to use their DCCU credit cards at DIY merchants and earn 5% cash back or 5X rewards points, and in turn, DCCU donated 2% of those purchases to Habitat for Humanity. The Make a Difference When You DIY campaign displayed DCCU's commitment to support our members still recovering from the economic effects of the pandemic and allowed us to provide assistance to many businesses in the community; from local "mom-and-pop" garden centers and hardware stores to larger home improvement retailers that support the local economy. The CU donated $28,291.11 to four local Habitat for Humanity affiliates, as part of the program.
• BayPort Credit Union (2nd Place) - BayPort's commitment to increasing member satisfaction by providing digital services and virtual tools that make banking easy and convenient led the CU to roll out YourTeller® interactive teller machines (ITMs) and new enhanced self-service features available 24/7. This technology allowed members to perform personal and complex banking transactions from the comfort and safety of their vehicle. Members can bank with BayPort without ever stepping foot in a branch.

Desjardins Award Winners

The Desjardins Awards honor credit unions, chapters, and leagues for their commitment to both youth and adult financial literacy.

Desjardins Adult

$50 million in assets to $250 million in assets category

• Baylands Family Credit Union (1st Place) - Baylands partnered with ROAR (community advocates in Chesterfield County) and BizWorks to host a Smart Money Saturday program. While the focus was on budgeting, the diverse group of attendees engaged in a question & answer session on a broad range of financial topics. In addition, the Baylands Classroom Takeover allowed Baylands staff to teach fun, interactive sessions on important financial concepts to students at West Point High School.

$250 Million - $1 Billion in Assets

• CommonWealth One Federal Credit Union (1st Place) - CommonWealth One enhanced its comprehensive Adult Financial Education programs, modifying its curriculum to assist members during the pandemic and provide additional engagement channels to help members improve their financial management skills. The CU developed virtual workshops, including "The One University” certification program, webinar presentations, promotions and video contests, and weekly electronic news sources to keep members abreast of current issues and help them shore up their finances during the pandemic.

More than $1 Billion in Assets

• BayPort Credit Union (1st Place) - BayPort refreshed its commitment to financial education through the launch of its Virtual Wellness Series – a comprehensive series of free, weekly virtual workshops hosted on Facebook Live and Zoom. The CU streamlined its ever-growing financial education content by creating a new webpage that serves as an immersive, guided financial wellness video library.
• Virginia Credit Union (2nd Place) - VACU was recognized for its virtual, month-long Financial Success for Women Program, designed to help program participants with spending, saving, borrowing and planning. Participants also had a chance to network with other members, share ideas and encourage one another to meet their financial goals. The credit union also created a private Facebook page and weekly emails to provide participants with additional content and financial tools to help them on their journey.

Desjardins Youth

$50 million in assets to $250 million in assets category

• Virginia Educators Credit Union (1st Place) - VECU continued to support local schools during the 2021-2022 school year through various partnerships and initiatives. Primarily using remote channels due to COVID-19 health restrictions in place in schools, the CU utilized Zoom and Teams virtual meeting platforms for its popular Career Day, classroom presentations, online classroom visits and mock student interviews. The CU financially supported students and teachers with scholarships and through various school events.

$250 Million - $1 Billion in Assets

• CommonWealth One Federal Credit Union (1st Place) - Throughout the 2021-2022 school year, CommonWealth One partnered with the City of Alexandria Public School District, Harrisonburg City Public Schools and several other community groups to provide a host of financial education resources. Among the resources it offered: “Banzai” modules, “Centsable” games and cartoons, plus "It's a Money Thing" presentations and instructional webinars, Youth Month contests, and summer reading games and programs. The CU also introduced a new "Adulting101" program for high school seniors and college students to help prepare them for their financial futures.

More than $1 Billion in Assets

• Virginia Credit Union (1st Place) - In 2021, the VACU financial education team taught more than 300 financial literacy presentations, reaching 12,046 students. The CU purchased 2,880 books for families with preschoolers, introducing these kids to spending and saving; and created 30 new economics lessons for students in grades K-12. The CU's most valued partnership was with the City of Richmond Mayor’s Youth Academy. The MYA was launched in 2010 to develop Richmond’s future leaders and workforce, by reaching and serving youth ages 14 to 19, VACU designed 6 effective financial literacy lessons for MYA members and offered youth checking and savings accounts to all participants.
• BayPort Credit Union (2nd Place) - BayPort went "back-to-school" last year, resolving to provide a more influential presence in 60 schools participating in its financial education programs. The CU provided free education, games and technology to help participants understand personal finance basics. While BayPort’s primary focus remained its popular "Savings Days" events for its partner elementary and middle schools, as well as maintaining its high school-based Student Run Credit Union (SRCU) branches, the CU offered additional resources on its website, through social media and via its YouTube channel to promote financial education.

Photos

BayPort Credit Union won awards across all three award programs, including 1st place in the Desjardins Awards' Adult category.	Baylands Federal Credit Union placed 1st in the state-level Desjardins Awards.
Chartway captured the 1st place Dora Maxwell Award.	DuPont Community Credit Union was a 1st place winner in the Louise Herring Awards for Philosophy in Action.
Virginia Credit Union captured a 1st place award in the Desjardins Awards' Youth category and the 2nd place award in the Adult category.