SHREVEPORT, La. -- The numbers have been tallied on credit unions' contributions to the building of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. national memorial.
The final count showed 134 credit unions, 13 leagues including the American Association of Credit Union Leagues, three corporate credit unions, all of the industry trade organizations and six CUSOs had donated.
A check for $1.2 million was presented to Harry Johnson, president/CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, during CUNA's recent Governmental Affairs Conference, said Hubert Hoosman, AACUC treasurer and president/CEO of Vantage CU. Hoosman has spearheaded the CU fundraising campaign for the last two years. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell also made mention of the contribution during his speech at the GAC and was on hand when AACUC Chairperson Barbara Stephens presented the check to Johnson.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the first monument on the National Mall to honor an African-American took place in November 2006. The foundation (www.mlkmemorial.org) has raised $90 million of its $100 million goal. The King memorial will be situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.
--msamaad@cutimes.com
