DECATUR, Ill. - For a $91 million institution, Staley CreditUnion pulled out all the stops to celebrate its 75th Anniversary,hosting a weeklong celebration of special events. Throughout theweek, members bid in a silent auction on a variety of high-dollaritems donated by credit union vendors. Auction items included thepopular giveaway iPod Shuffle, a digital camera, an all-in-oneprinter, St. Louis Cardinals tickets, a gift basket featuring fanitems from current NCAA Men's Basketball Champions, the Universityof Illinois Fighting Illini, a "Summer Fun" package featuring anabove ground swimming pool, and more. The credit union donated$3,000 in proceeds from the auction to the Children's MiracleNetwork. Members conducting transactions during the week were alsoeligible to enter a drawing for three large gift packages,including a resort stay. As if the celebration wasn't enough todraw members to the credit union, the institution ran a certificatespecial, featuring a 5% yield, 5-year term and a minimum deposit of$500. Brown said the promotion resulted in about $1 million incertificates, a combination of new money and maturing Staley CreditUnion reinvestments. Brown said the promotion also resulted inseveral new members, although it's too early to know exact numbers.The highlight was the grand finale on Saturday, July 9, kicking offwith an invitation-only luncheon honoring members who have beenwith the credit union 50 years or more. According to StaleyPresident/CEO Karen Brown, at least 300 long-time members attendedthe event. The credit union created commemorative pins for honoreesto keep as mementos, and local politicians recognized the members'contributions to the institution and community. Saturday'sfestivities continued throughout the day, featuring an antique carshow, musical performers, a local golf pro known for trick shots,inflatable kid's bouncers, karate demonstrations, and free hot dogsand soda. Further supporting the concept "if you feed them, theywill come," the credit union also hosted a members' breakfastoutdoors on July 7, providing entertainment by a local barbershopquartet, and offering a wellness clinic that included bone densityscreenings and blood pressure checks. "Since it was during the workweek, we mostly saw retired members on Thursday, which weexpected," Brown said, "so we planned things they would enjoy."Staley Credit Union was chartered in 1930 to serve employees of theA. E. Staley Company. The Staley Company was a pioneer in thedevelopment and refinement of soybeans and corn-based sweeteners,and was bought by London-based Tate & Lyle Global in 1998. Thecompany is now known by the Tate & Lyle name, but the originalmanufacturing plants are still in operation, including facilitieswith credit union branches in Decatur, Lafayette, Ind. and Loudon,Tenn. Football fans know the Staley name as one of the founders ofthe present-day National Football League. The company sponsored theStaley Bears, one of the original teams that founded the AmericanProfessional Football Association in 1920. The Bears later moved toChicago, and became the current day Chicago Bears of the NFL. Thecredit union expanded its charter in 1987 to include residents in afive-county area in Central Illinois. It has 13,000 members. -

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