Point West wins a Dora Maxwell Award for Caring Tree
Wow! We recently were awarded a Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award for our annual Caring Tree program during the Northwest Credit Union Association’s annual Amplify Convention, October 7-9, 2014 in Spokane, Washington.
“The Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award recognizes model efforts by a credit union to significantly improve the lives of people in the community regardless of whether they are a member,” said Troy Stang, President and CEO of the Northwest Credit Union Association. “Point West partnered with Multnomah County to help 50 families, who might not otherwise have had a holiday season, to celebrate with lights, trimmings and custom-selected gifts. That credit union has a big heart.”
As you know, each year our Caring Tree is decorated with the gift requests of local children or families in need. Staff, members and the community at large are welcomed and encouraged to pick a name or names from the tree to help these families have a brighter holiday season – and this past year was a huge success. The program, in coordination with the Multnomah County Department of Health’s Early Childhood Services team, has supported well over 1,000 local children and families since its inception over 20 years ago.
“Empowering those most in need of a hand up in our community is at the core of what we do here at Point West,” said Amy Nelson, your President and CEO here at Point West. “While we are thrilled to receive this honor, the real winners are the affected children and families we have been able to serve over the past two decades.”
The award is named for Dora Maxwell, a pioneer in the American credit union movement. In addition to organizing hundreds of credit unions, Maxwell developed volunteer credit union organizations to help improve the living standards of the poor and needy. The Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award was established to encourage credit union involvement in community projects and activities.
Point West kicks off its 2014 Caring Tree in mid-November to help yet another 50 children and families. Find more information here.