Every week I receive press releases and announcements from credit unions all over the country about different activities they're completing to improve their local communities, and every week I'm increasingly impressed with the level of community contribution and involvement.

So when my editors and I discussed having me produce a weekly community column solely dedicated to highlighting these contributions, it was an easy decision for all of us.

Thus far, I've written three community columns and we've highlighted so many different community involvement efforts, including donations to the Salvation Army, various scholarship awards, credit union employees teaching financial education at local schools – the list is endless.

When I received an email from Todd Barduson, vice president of marketing and development at the $289 million Richfield Bloomington Credit Union in Bloomington, Minn., I was especially excited about its efforts to raise money to honor our fallen by placing a flag on every headstone at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis for this year's Memorial Day.

Barduson's email also hit a soft spot for me because honoring those who have served is especially important to me – my dad is a Vietnam Veteran, I worked for the military for nearly eight years and I currently work for the Veterans Administration.

Barduson said he met with Flags for Fort Snelling, a new, small non-profit that is helping to raise money to revive the tradition of placing flags on every headstone, just after he started at the credit union in 2017 to get the collaboration and project moving. According to the Flags for Fort Snelling website, “There are 213,000 people buried at Fort Snelling, and at least 60% of them – roughly 130,000 – were military veterans. The cemetery staff hasn't attempted to place flags at all the headstones in 30 years because of the sheer number of headstones.”

This all changed in 2018, and RBCU helped to accomplish that goal. Barduson said the credit union promised Flags for Fort Snelling that it would help to raise $100,000 to restore the tradition of placing a flag on each veteran's headstone at Fort Snelling. The credit union also committed to helping recruit 5,000 volunteers to help place the flags.

RBCU raised close to $150,000 on its own, and also invited Mall of America representatives to host the event; they in turn invited the local NBC affiliate to be a media sponsor. “This generated an additional $150,000-plus to the cause. On Saturday, May 26, RBCU staff, families, the board of directors, vendors and members were joined by nearly 8,000 volunteers in placing the flags,” Barduson said.

Barduson said the event was amazing, emotional and powerful all at the same time. “The unique thing is RBCU reached out to Flags for Fort Snelling to initiate this partnership, not the other way around. RBCU did not just send a check, we held fundraisers and solicited donations on their behalf. We also rolled up our sleeves and served on the planning committee, and provided over 100 volunteers for the event itself,” Barduson emphasized.

Barudson said there are a lot of other national cemeteries around the country that could use a credit union boost for the next Memorial Day, too. “It could become kind of a CU Flags Across America opportunity,” he said.

In April I wrote a column about purpose and the importance of every credit union having a defined purpose. I always say that if you don't have a road map, how will you know where you're going? This is especially true when it comes to credit unions. However, it's clear to me that so many credit unions do have a road map – they've made serving and improving their local community – not just for credit union members, but all community members – their purpose. (If your credit union doesn't yet have a defined purpose or mission statement, now is a perfect time to choose one.)

By being involved in such a large undertaking as the Flags for Fort Snelling project, RBCU came in contact with so many different people and organizations, and now many more people will recognize the RBCU name and brand – which could ultimately lead to an increase in membership.

On the heels of Independence Day, a day that commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, let's celebrate the efforts of RBCU and its contribution to honoring our veterans, and all the credit unions across the country that are working to make their communities a better place – because that truly is the American way.

If you want your community announcement included in our next community column, send it to me at the email address below.

Tahira Hayes is a correspondent-at-large for CU Times. She can be reached at thayes@cutimes.com.

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Community Involvement Defines Your Credit Union's Purpose

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