OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington State Employees Credit Union has found a way to help members in the fight against identity theft while building lots of community goodwill with its first "Shred It and Forget It Day." Over 250 cars lined up to toss their old records into two Shred-It trucks stationed at WSECU headquarters. A total of some 16,000 pounds of paper were destroyed during the event. "Over the past two years we've really been trying to find new ways to help our members protect themselves from the risks of identity theft and fraud," said WSECU Vice President of Public Relations Ann Flannigan. "Providing a free, safe way for members to get rid of old documents seemed like an important service for us to offer. In addition, we opened it up to the public in our headquarters community of Olympia for the public relations benefits of the event. The good news? It was a success beyond our expectations. Several participants inquired about membership at WSECU, and the goodwill we generated was terrific." WSECU staff made it a festive half-day affair. In addition to being able to shred documents, members and the public could also drop by tables set up in the headquarters parking lot to pick up fraud prevention literature, first-aid kits and flashlight branded giveaways, as well as enter to win a $200 gas card or one of five personal document shredders. "I was frankly surprised at how many people pulled over and climbed out of their cars to visit the booths," Flannigan said. "They loved what we were giving away, but by far, the comments mostly were about how grateful they were to be able to unload their papers. For many people, sitting on these old documents is a worrisome burden. It was such a great feeling to be able to help members in this way."

Plans are underway to make Shred Day an annual event in addition to hosting regional shredding events as well at other WSECU locations across the state.