Credit Union Community: Donations

America First provided new winter boots for special needs students.

The $ 6.3 billion America First Credit Union in Riverdale, Utah, helped bring a financial literacy lesson on Feb. 17 to special needs students by giving them a prepaid Visa card to buy snow boots, a widely sought commodity during this long and snowy winter season. Most special needs students in the Transition Academy at Jordan Valley School never used a credit or debit card to purchase products at a store. With a little help from teachers and aides, each student was able to shop for their new winter boots, approach a cashier and complete their purchase with a America First Credit Union prepaid Visa card. Transition Academy provides students with disabilities opportunities to lead greater independence for living and employment.

A record $3.1 million was raised by 170 credit unions in the 2014 Miracle Match by CO-OP program for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. That total amount raised included $1 million in matching funds from the CO-OP Financial Services, the Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based CUSO announced Feb. 18. These funds will benefit 110 CMN hospitals in 41 states. CO-OP also contributed $138,000 to 11 credit union organizations as event sponsorships for the Miracle Match program. What’s more, the California CUSO collaborated on a National Credit Union Foundation initiative and paid half the cost of all Biz Kid$ DVD box sets purchased by credit unions under a program to enhance the financial education of families at CMN hospitals.