"We've raised about $1,200 to $1,300 for Tom and his wife, and we hope to collect a few more dollars since he lost everything and is living in a stranger's condo," said Chris Rosland, Southshore CEO, referring to Tom Pekar and his wife, who lost their home to the Midwest floods.
Last week Southshore posted a photo of the Pekar home on its Web site with an appeal for donations, noting that Pekar had served as a CU director for over 20 years. The couple "lost their home, land and most of their possessions in the Lake Delton flood," according to the Web site.
Rosland said the couple was recently notified by city officials that they must also pay demolition expenses. Donations can be sent to the Pekar Relief Fund at P.O. Box 100737, Cudahy, WI 53110.
Meanwhile, more Wisconsin CUs were stepping up financial relief programs, waiving payments and easing terms to ease the burden on individuals and businesses.
For one, CitizensFirst CU of Oshkosh said it has established a $1.5 million emergency relief fund offering low fixed-rate home equity loans to members who own homes damaged by flooding in northeast Wisconsin. First-American CU of Beloit said it was honoring the work of Rosie Gaulke, one of its employees, for helping flood victims by setting up donation containers in all of its branches.
--jrubenstein@cutimes.com
