VSECU Donates $32,400 to the Central Vermont Community Action Council

802/800 371-5162

VSECU Donates $32,400 to the Central Vermont Community Action Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 3, 2009

VSECU recently donated more than $32,400 to the Central Vermont Community Action Council (CVCAC) through their W.A.R.M. program, a community-giving project established to help address the home heating fuel needs of Vermonters.

In 2008, the Board of Directors of the Vermont State Employees Credit Union created W.A.R.M.—We’re a Responsive Membership. Through W.A.R.M., VSECU’s members had the opportunity to donate to the project, and VSECU matched those donations dollar-for-dollar.

The donation represented funds contributed by individual members, VSECU’s matching funds and an additional amount from the credit union’s community-giving budget to help Vermonters seeking assistance from the community action agency.

“VSECU’s Board of Directors and members want to help our friends and neighbors in our communities,” said Judy Rosenstreich, a board director and the chair of VSECU’s Community Giving Committee. “We recognize the challenges many Vermonters face in the tough economic times we face today. Many of us who never thought we would need assistance are seeking out agencies like the Central Vermont Community Action Council for the first time. We hope our donation will make a difference.”

“This is one of the largest single donations we have received for our fuel assistance programs,” noted Hal Cohen, CVCAC executive director. “We are seeing many new faces coming to our offices for help this year. A donation of this magnitude from VSECU and its membership, especially in these tough economic times, speaks volumes regarding its commitment to the community and the Vermont tradition of neighbors helping neighbors in need.”

Since 1965, the CVCAC has provided a variety of health and human services to low-income Vermonters of all ages in the central Vermont area. Programs and services include food shelves, emergency fuel assistance, tax preparation assistance, housing counseling and more. For further information, visit www.cvcac.org or call 1-800-639-1053.

The Vermont State Employees Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative, which offers a full range of affordable financial products and services to its member-owners. People eligible to join the credit union include anyone who lives or works in Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Rutland and Washington counties, along with Vermont's state employees and their families. For more information about VSECU, call 802/800 371-5162 or visit www.vsecu.com.

Judy Rosenstreich, member of VSECU’s Board of Directors and chair of VSECU’s Community Giving Committee, presents a check for more than $32,400 to Hal Cohen, executive director of the Central Vermont Community Action Council. VSECU’s donation was made possible by contributions through the credit union’s W.A.R.M. program, providing funds for home heating fuel assistance.