Credit Union Spotlight, presented by CUInsight, features credit unions taking action and changing their local communities. Join us as we recognize and celebrate the important work these credit unions do to bring their mission to life.
What started as a way to help people feel connected, SECU has evolved into a movement. SECU’s Kindness Campaign has grown into a powerful program that has brought communities together to make Maryland a kinder place.
Each year, SECU sets a goal to increase their acts of kindness and community impact. This year, their goal was to inspire 500,000 acts of kindness. These kindness activities emphasized financial education and wellness as a central focus. All were encouraged to participate in Kindness Month and they were able to log their acts of kindness on SECU’s dedicated kindness website: SECUkindness.org. We are thrilled to announce that they surpassed their goal, achieving an incredible 590,583 acts of kindness.
The Story:
SECU, Maryland’s largest state-chartered credit union, kicked off its fifth annual Kindness Month this October. Building on the campaign's successful legacy of inspiring good deeds, SECU aimed to fulfill the credit union ethos of ‘people helping people’ by inspiring 500,000 acts of kindness in one month. These acts were logged within the Kindness Tracker with the help of its members and dedicated community partners.
SECU staff, volunteers, members, and Marylanders statewide completed 590,583 acts of Kindness in total! Here are some of the ways SECU and the SECU MD Foundation spread kindness throughout the campaign:
- Donated over 900,000 pounds of food to the Maryland Food Bank for their “Pantry On the Go” program.
- Awarded $50,000 in Kindness Grants to partners, Special Olympics of Maryland, and the Kennedy Krieger Institute.
- Donated more than 1,200 pumpkins to Kennedy Krieger Institute to create a pumpkin patch on-site for patients undergoing treatment who were not able to attend fall festivities in their communities.
- “Sprinkled” kindness to members at 25 financial centers across the state with snacks, surprises, SECU swag, and treated patrons at local coffee or pastry shops by 'paying it forward', and much more, totaling more than $2,400 in sprinkle donations.
- Raised $131,000 for the SECU MD Foundation through the SECU Golf Classic to support scholarships for University System of Maryland students.
- Over 350 SECU team members logged over 650 volunteer hours at 24 locations for over 30 activities on its Annual Day of Kindness. Volunteers completed activities like: walking dogs at BARCS (a local animal shelter), harvesting vegetables at Terp Farm (University of Maryland's farm that supplies fresh produce for on-campus dining options), preparing meals for families at The Ulman House (a home for cancer patients and families receiving treatment in the Baltimore-area), and packing and distributing snack packs and nonperishables at UMD food pantries.
A single act of kindness can have a great impact. SECU’s team, members, and community recognize the importance of this initiative and took action, supporting so many people and creating a lasting impact.
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