Marking a new plug for the co-op system, a group of Georgia credit unions joined the bike riding hype this week by celebrating the long-distance Cabot Creamery Community Tour – stretching from Miami to Maine – by sponsoring a Savannah stopover.
Hosting a special reception at a Savannah hotel, the Coastal Empire Credit Union Chapter of Georgia Credit Union Affiliates provided snacks and beverages to help refresh the hardy group of cyclists as they make their way up the East Coast on a 2,300-mile trek winding up July 7 in Portland, Maine.
Credit unions and other co-ops in more than a dozen cities on the Eastern seaboard have pledged to help sponsor local fairs and family events as they greet the touring bicyclists. The cycling contingent is expected to include credit union CEOs and other managers.
“We’re happy to host the cyclists and welcome them to Savannah,” said Don Hill, president/CEO of the $16 million Memorial Health Credit Union and Coastal Empire Credit Union Chapter president. “This is a great way to show the spirit of the cooperative movement. We’re proud to partner with Cabot for this event.”
As the cyclists come through cities in North and South Carolina over the Memorial Day weekend and later in Virginia and Maryland and into the Maritime, credit unions are being encouraged to use the bike stopovers to promote credit union and co-op benefits in media messaging.
The North Carolina Credit Union League, for one, said four of its “Little Guy” riders will kick off their portion in Shallotte on Tuesday passing through Wilmington reaching Dunn by Thursday in time for a breakfast soiree sponsored by a State Employees’ Credit Union branch. The league group also will take part in a Co-Op-A-Fair in Diamond View Park in Durham.
Meanwhile, the Virginia Credit Union League said it is preparing to greet the Cabot riders at a June 9 stopover in Fredericksburg with NSWC FCU setting up a co-op credit union booth
Participating Virginia credit unions “will have the opportunity to display their credit unions’ logos, membership materials and more,” said the league stressing the Cabot tour highlights “the virtues of cooperatives, community service and volunteerism.”
