Sun East Federal Credit Union – A Presence in the Community

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Sun East Federal Credit Union builders for Rapunzel's Tower. (l to r) Tom Hennessy, Nicole Buoni, Regina Stoccardo Denise Romanelli (back)

By Denise Romanelli

Attend a fundraiser and you will see names of corporate sponsors prominently displayed on banners, program books, and giveaways.  The benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are marketing exposure, customer loyalty, and employee retention.  But mostly it’s the right thing to do.  Many companies make it part of their mission to be involved with CSR in some form.

Credit unions are a not-for-profit financial institution and adhere to the philosophy of “people helping people.”  The origin of credit unions stems from the cooperative business model establishing a member-owned financial institution that puts people first.

Sun East Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Aston, demonstrates CSR by virtue of their charitable budget, and encouragement of employees to volunteer in the community.

Philanthropic giving and volunteering were initiated by President/CEO, Michael Kaczenski, when he took the helm in 2002 by commissioning a community service team to lead staff in CSR.  A team was formed called SERVICE – Sun East Representatives Volunteering In Community Events. These employees developed in-house fundraisers that were entertaining and brought staff together for a good cause.  To date this group of dedicated, caring volunteers raised over $270,000 from employee contributions.

In 2011 Sun East chartered Sun East Charitable Foundation to expand its reach of CSR throughout the Greater Brandywine Valley.

Volunteer projects consist of holiday “tree tags” which employees purchase gifts for Elwyn, CADES, Toys for Tots, and CityTeam Ministries.  Employees collect food for baskets during the holiday season and volunteer at CityTeam Ministries to sort and distribute toys and food.  Employees participate in stream clean-ups, mock interviews, student mentor programs, school career days, etc.

This is so important to Michael Kaczenski that he created an annual employee pinnacle award for “Volunteer of the Year.” He said, “Inviting employees to become involved in giving back to the community is the cornerstone of the credit union’s mission.”  Employees of Sun East shared how much joy and fulfillment they receive from participating in these events.

Some employees have family members with special needs such as Terry Taggart who said, “My brothers were both special needs and I know how much help they need, and appreciate all the great people who volunteered to help them.”   This personal awareness of how truly blessed we are is just one of the rewards employees receive through volunteering.  This shared impact builds rapport between co-workers and other volunteers.

The latest project from Sun East employees was the construction of a miniature golf hole that was donated to CADES, a special needs school, for their annual fundraiser called Putt Putt Palooza.  Sun East paid for materials and assembled a team of six employees who collaborated on the design of Rapunzel’s Tower.

Tom Hennessy, who served his second year as the lead builder, constructed a 10-foot tower!  The team contributed through painting, paper mâché, floral and brick design, complete with Rapunzel’s hair flowing from her window.

Rapunzel’s tower received first prize from CADES, but the real reward was how the employees formed relationships with each other and shared a sense of pride.  Tom feels, “Employers that let you volunteer on work time is a company that knows the importance of giving.”

What’s next?  Employees will walk for a second year on March 24th in “Get Your Rear in Gear;” a colon cancer awareness race in Philadelphia.  The SERVICE Team will continue to engage employees in donating their time and funds towards charitable initiatives.  And the bond between credit union and community will carry the spirit of Sun East Federal Credit Union.

 

 

 

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