Race for the Cure
Four bake sales, hundreds of ribbon sales, a garage sale, two ice cream socials and a silent auction, plus the standard “will you sponsor me” requests netted more than $10,500 in contributions for the Group Health Credit Union Race for the Cure team this year. Ninety GHCU staff, friends and family turned out on June 7 to walk or run in the 5K Race—the largest team the credit union has had in its many years of participating.
GHCU employees, friends and families gather to walk and run in support of Puget Sound Race for the Cure. Photo courtesy of GHCU and used with permission.
Despite the credit union’s modest size (just over 100 employees), GHCU was the number two corporate team in funds raised, a number which is a source of great pride to Team Captain Meghin Margel.
Says Margel, “We are a small, not-for profit credit union with a big heart. Dollar by dollar we earned these donations because we believe in the importance of breast cancer research and finding a cure for this disease that touches the friends and families of our employees and members. I am just so proud of our team!
International District Clean Up
On May 16, 2009, GHCU staff, along with family and friends, participated in the annual Spring Clean Up and “paint-out” in Seattle’s International District. The event was organized by SCIDpda, the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority, in order to enhance the look and safety of the district.
More than 250 volunteers gathered at the “ID” (International District) Community Center and armed themselves with paint, rollers, cleaning products, garbage bags and trash grabbers. For two hours on a sunny Saturday, the GHCU team painted over graffiti, picked up trash and spread fresh wood chips around the base of trees.
“It was an opportunity to do a real service for the International District, for the people who live there and the businesses that operate there,” said Bob Schweigert, Clean-Up Team Captain and GHCU’s Chief Lending Officer.
Credit University teaches kids about money
To help educate high school students about money management Group Health Credit Union is partnering with six other credit unions to sponsor Credit University, a financial literacy program for high school students. The program teaches kids the importance of saving their money through pop culture. The results have been great! Pre- and post-testing of 6,500 Credit University students in 2006 showed an 11 percent increase in teen savings. GHCU is pleased to partner with Qualstar, Sound, Watermark, America's, Seattle Metropolitan and Verity credit unions to bring Credit University to Washington state students. Listen to a NPR story on the program here.
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