Michigan Credit Unions Win Three National, 24 State CUNA Awards

CUNA National Awards Committee announced the 2022 recipients of the Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award, Louise Herring Philosophy-in-Action Member Service Award, and Desjardins Awards for Financial Education. State leagues across the nation select winners in various asset sizes, and these League winners are then considered for the national awards.

Three Michigan credit unions won awards at the national level: Adventure Credit Union, TRUE Community Credit Union and Astera Credit Union. Seventeen additional Michigan credit unions combined for a total of 24 state-level awards.

“The League congratulates the Michigan winners of the 2023 CUNA Awards,” said MCUL CEO Patty Corkery. “The recognized programs, which range from financial education to equitable service to community volunteer work, is a great representation of the service our movement provides to nearly 6 million Michiganders.”

“Congratulations to this year’s winners for the exemplary work done for their communities and the members they serve. These leaders have made it their mission as credit union advocates to promote financial well-being,” said CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle. “Each winner has demonstrated a passion in helping others, advancing their communities, and making a difference. I applaud their commitment to the credit union movement.” 

National CUNA Award Winners

Dora Maxwell Award, Second Place: Adventure Credit Union
Adventure was awarded first place in the Dora Maxwell Award category for the project Adventure Gives - Holistic Health for our Communities. They partnered with six non-profit service organizations in the Grand Rapids and Lansing communities pertaining to physical health, mental/emotional health and financial health. Through 55 volunteer events, they gave more than 867 hours and raised $25,293.

Louise Herring Award, First Place: TRUE Community Credit Union
TRUE Community Credit Union partnered with Michigan Saves, the nation’s first nonprofit green bank, to launch the Detroit Loan Fund, an innovative pilot program aimed at serving the underserved by eliminating the use of credit scores in underwriting. Through this program, a greater percentage of applicants in Detroit have received access to capital at an interest rate lower than what they would normally receive.

Alphonse Desjardins Adult Award, Honorable Mention: Astera Credit Union
Astera was recognized for their project, EmpowerMe!, an outcomes-based financial health program for all age groups which utilizes a customized, web-based financial wellness application called "LifeCents" as its foundational financial education platform. LifeCents takes registrants through an initial onboarding financial health and wellbeing assessment process that establishes an individual benchmark financial health score and a separate financial wellbeing score.

State CUNA Award Winners

Below is a list of all award winners at the state level by asset size.

Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award
This award promotes social responsibility among credit unions by formally recognizing their community service achievements.

$1B+

First Place: Lake Michigan Credit Union

Second Place: Financial Plus Credit Union

Honorable Mention: Genisys Credit Union

$250M-$1B

First Place: Adventure Credit Union

Second Place: Cornerstone Community Financial Credit Union

Honorable Mention: American 1 Credit Union & TRUE Community Credit Union

$50M-$250M

First Place: Family Financial Credit Union

Second Place: Isabella Community Credit Union

Louise Herring Philosophy-in-Action Member Service Award
This award promotes credit union philosophy by formally recognizing credit unions that demonstrate in an extraordinary way the practical application of that philosophy for their members.

$1B+

First Place: Community Choice Credit Union

Second Place: Genisys Credit Union

Honorable Mention: Michigan State University Federal Credit Union

$250M-$1B

First Place: TRUE Community Credit Union

Second Place: Northland Area Federal Credit Union

Alphonse Desjardins Youth Financial Education Award
This award honors leadership within the credit union movement on behalf of youth financial literacy.

$1B+

First Place: Frankenmuth Credit Union

Second Place: University of Michigan Credit Union

Honorable Mention: Lake Michigan Credit Union

$250M-$1B

First Place: Peninsula Federal Credit Union

Second Place: FreeStar Financial Credit Union

Alphonse Desjardins Adult Financial Education Award
This award honors leadership within the credit union movement on behalf of adult financial literacy.

$1B+

First Place: University of Michigan Credit Union

Second Place: Michigan Schools & Government Credit Union

Honorable Mention: Michigan State University Federal Credit Union

$250M-$1B

First Place: PFCU

Second Place: LAFCU

$50M-$250M

First Place: Astera Credit Union

More details about each award can be found here.

MCUL is currently accepting nominations for the MCUL and Michigan Credit Union Foundation (MCUF) Awards. MCUL/MCUF Awards recognize both credit unions and individual employees for industry innovation, chapter effectiveness, community leadership and more.

Learn more and submit here.

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