ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – PSCU, the card processing cooperative for over 500 credit unions which use the First Data card platform, has donated $50,000 to CUNA's Lending Council Scholarship Fund. The Scholarship Fund offers educational resources to enhance the lending expertise of personnel in credit unions with less than $50 million in assets. “At PSCU Financial Services, we are committed to helping credit unions of all sizes develop new programs that attract new members and enhance member service,” said David Serlo, CEO, PSCU Financial Services. “We support the Scholarship Fund because education and training plays an important role in the success of each credit union and ultimately the entire credit union industry.” The donation brings the cooperative's total charitable donations for this year to almost $500,000 so far, an amount which spokesman Merry Pateuk said reflected its two main philanthropic efforts toward credit unions and toward civics. The credit union donations include the Filene Research Institute, WOCCU and the CUNA Scholarship Fund. Civics covers the Williamsburg Foundation which works to improve the teaching of civics and American history in grade schools. Pateuk said some of the cooperative's giving this year had also been driven by the tsunami which struck South Asia late in 2004 as well as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita this year.