SOCU Receives National Award

The Credit Union National Association recently announced the winners of this year’s national Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Awards.”Early this year, we unveiled our Unite for Good initiative, which urges credit unions to come together toward the establishment of a shared strategic vision: ‘Americans choose credit unions as their best financial partner,’ ” said Bill Cheney, CUNA president/CEO.

“To achieve this vision, we have identified a ‘shared agenda’ for the credit union movement: To remove barriers, create awareness and foster service excellence. In fact, the winners of this year’s awards are among the vanguard of credit unions that are already pursuing this shared agenda — by employing the credit union philosophy and by taking on social responsibility projects,” Cheney said.

SOCU was awarded second place in the nation in its asset category ($100 million to $200 million) for its Think Pink Campaign, which lasted all of 2012. SOCU decided Think Pink was a fitting campaign because of having so many female employees. The employees participated in different activities each month to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and American Cancer Society (earmarked specifically for breast cancer). Some of the notable activities included an employee-sponsored rummage sale at the branch, a You’ve Been Pinked traveling ribbon yard sign campaign, the Think Pink football game and the animated light show that added pink elements such as a breast cancer ribbon for the O in SOCU spelled out on the roof. In all, more than $30,000 was raised and donated for breast cancer research and awareness.

SOCU won first prize in the statewide competition in late August, which advanced it to the national competition. The winners, selected by a national committee, will be honored during a Wednesday, Feb. 26, reception — part of CUNA’s 2014 Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C.