SAN DIEGO — Cabrillo Credit Union is doing its part to reduce its ecological footprint and conserve energy by turning the thermostat up and incorporating shorts into its dress code.
During the summer months, in exchange for turning up the thermostat, Cabrillo CU changed its dress code from standard business to very business casual, allowing staffers to wear cropped pants or shorts with credit union logo shirts.
"As a business, we want to do our part to conserve the environment," said Robin Lentz, Cabrillo CU CEO. "We haven't forgotten the energy crises of the past, and we want to help out. It also raises our staff members' morale as they enjoy dressing casually for a while."
–mdigiovanni@cutimes.com
Calif. Announces Desjardins Winners
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — Educational Employees Credit Union and Sonoma County Grange Credit Union both received first place honors in the statewide Desjardins Youth Financial Education Awards.
The $1.7 billion Educational Employees won in the asset category of $250 million and above, while Sonoma County Grange, currently $35 million in assets, won in the less than $35 million asset category. The awards recognize leadership within the credit union movement on behalf of youth financial literacy.
As first-place winners, both received plaques from the California Credit Union League and will advance to the national Desjardins Youth Financial Education Awards, which is administrated by CUNA.
"Both credit unions impressed the judges for using unique and innovative programs and partnerships to provide quality financial education programs to young people," said Catherine Arra, league credit union development project manager and administrator of the California competition.
Fresno-based Educational Employees partnered with eight libraries to offer youth financial literacy workshops during the summer while children were out of school.
Santa Rosa-based Sonoma County Grange Credit Union reached out to a demographic unique for credit unions: young people involved in agriculture.
This past year, young members took out $50,000 in loans as part of its 4-H/FFA Agriculture Loan Program. As part of the program, the credit union gives up to $1,500 for initiation or expansion of a project. This teaches young people how to complete a loan application and make timely loan payments. The loan is reported to the credit bureau so that youths receive a credit score.
The Desjardins Youth Financial Education Awards takes into consideration all activities supporting the personal finance education of young members and nonmembers, including classroom teaching, publicity, lobbying for curriculum requirements, teacher and volunteer training, and the promotion and use of the National Endowment for Financial Education's High School Financial Planning Program.
The award is named in honor of Alphonse Desjardins, the founder of the North American credit union movement, who established the first "caisse populaire," or people's bank, in Quebec in 1900, and helped establish the first American credit union in New Hampshire in 1909. Desjardins was an ardent believer in the value of teaching children to save, and he promoted the idea of in-school savings programs, or "caisses scolaires."
–handerson@cutimes.com
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