Community Financial Credit Union Awards Nearly $800,000 to Michigan Organizations

Tansley Stearns

​Metro Detroit-based Community Financial Credit Union (CFCU) awarded nearly $800,000 in donations to 289 organizations across Michigan during 2022, including $80,000 toward tornado relief for the city of Gaylord, $45,000 in grants to 12 area public school districts, $60,000 to local food pantries via Thankful Thursdays and $40,000 toward its Warming Hearts and Homes initiative.
 
“Community is more than our name, it’s at the core of all we do. Supporting the organizations and institutions that work tirelessly to strengthen our communities is part of our identity and a key focus for us 24/7, 365. These institutions are addressing the most pressing needs in Michigan, and we’re proud to walk alongside them,” said Tansley Stearns, president & ceo of CFCU.
 
After a tornado created a path of destruction through Gaylord in May 2022, CFCU provided monetary and volunteer assistance to organizations on the front lines. In total, CFCU donated $80,000 and volunteered two days, one with Otsego County United Way and one with Otsego-Antrim Habitat for Humanity, to assist with clean up and rebuilding.
 
CFCU also was instrumental in partnering with the Michigan Credit Union League’s Blue Ox Chapter to coordinate tornado grant relief efforts. CFCU housed the grant application on its website to process applications and evaluate documentation to work with other Gaylord credit unions. In total, $47,100 was given to area credit union members to assist in the crisis.
 
Every fall, CFCU also donates to the 12 public school districts of the credit union’s communities. School districts received $45,000 to feed directly back into the classrooms of innovative teachers, including helping Moraine Elementary create a calming room for mental wellness as well as adding pickle ball to physical education classes and buying equipment to enhance the food sciences classes at Novi High School.
 
As part of CFCU’s Warming Hearts and Homes initiative, for a seventh year the credit union also donated $10,000 to The Heat and Warmth Fund, which offers heat assistance to homes across the state. THAW provides aid to Michiganders needing help paying gas bills or delivering cords of wood for home stove heaters. In 2022, CFCU was awarded THAW’s Power Force Award for its commitment to using resources for the good of others.
 
In addition to its financial contributions, CFCU employees volunteered 4,758 hours in 2022 and launched its partnership with Art Foundation, the nonprofit established by local Detroit artist Tony Roko, to support the second phase of the Plymouth ArtWalk program.

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