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CUNA Announces Winners of the 2012 Desjardins Awards for Financial Education

MADISON, Wis. (November 2,2012) – CUNA is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Desjardins Awards for Youth and Adult Financial Education. Entries from 29 states yielded 10 first place winners, along with several second place and honorable mention winners, in both the adult and youth education categories.

The Desjardins Awards are named for Alphonse Desjardins, the founder of the North American credit union movement. Besides founding the first credit unions in Canada and the U.S., Desjardins pioneered youth savings clubs and in-school “banks,” known as caisses scolaires. This award honors credit unions, chapters and leagues for their commitment to both youth and adult financial literacy.

“A core value of credit unions is to assist their members with a better understanding of their finances so that they can make the best decisions possible with their hard-earned money,” says Bill Cheney, CUNA President and CEO. “The individuals and institutions honored with the Desjardins Awards personify this timeless value of our movement. I am honored to represent an industry that counts these award winners among its supporters.”

“Congratulations to this year’s winners and honorees for their admirable work to develop financial education skills in members of their communities,” says Vikki Kinsler, CUNA’s program coordinator for the Desjardins Awards. “Credit unions, chapters and leagues from nearly 30 states applied for the award, which shows the strength of the movement’s commitment to caring about its members.”

Recipients were recently chosen from among the state-winning entries by CUNA’s national awards committee.

Winners for the Desjardins Youth Financial Education Award include (asterisks indicate repeat winners):

  • Clarence Community & Schools Federal Credit Union (Clarence, NY)
  • CommunityAmerica Credit Union (Kansas City, MO)*
  • CORE Federal Credit Union (East Syracuse, NY)*
  • Generations Federal Credit Union (San Antonio, TX)
  • Northwest Chapter of the Ohio Credit Union League*

Second place winners for the Desjardins Youth Financial Education Award include:

  • Acadia Federal Credit Union (Fort Kent, ME)
  • Horizon Credit Union (Spokane Valley, WA)*
  • Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation (Herndon, VA)

Honorable mention winners for the Desjardins Youth Financial Education Award include:

  • Arapahoe Credit Union (Englewood, CO)*
  • CASE Credit Union (Lansing, MI) Commonwealth Credit Union (Frankfort, KY)
  • Tarrant County Credit Union (Fort Worth, TX)

Winners for the Desjardins Adult Financial Education Award include:

  • Beach Municipal Federal Credit Union (Virginia Beach, VA)*
  • Credit Union 1 (Anchorage, AK)*
  • Town & Country Credit Union (Minot, ND) United Labor Credit Union (Kansas City, MO)

Second place winners for the Desjardins Adult Financial Education Award include:

  • Capital Credit Union (Kimberly, WI) Community Credit Union (Lewiston, ME)*
  • Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union (Columbia, SC)*

Honorable mention winner for the Desjardins Adult Financial Education Award included:

  • CommunityAmerica Credit Union (Kansas City, MO)* The Maine Credit Union League was also awarded a first place award for their efforts to improve financial literacy for both youth and adults.

In December, PDFs of the winning entries will be available for viewing on CUNA’s website. Winning entries will be on display at CUNA’s 2013 Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC), February 24-28, in Washington, DC. The award winners will be honored during a reception at the GAC on February 27.

About CUNA:
With its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, Credit Union National Association (CUNA) serves 90 percent of America’s 7,200 state and federally chartered credit unions, which are owned by more than 95 million consumer members. Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives providing affordable financial services to people from all walks of life.  For more information about CUNA, visit www.cuna.org or the CUNAverse blog and follow @CUNAverse on Twitter.  For more information about credit unions, visit www.aSmarterChoice.org and follow @asmarterchoice on Twitter.

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