Heroes and credit unions shine at the Carolinas Foundation Awards Gala
Held in conjunction with the Carolinas Credit Union League’s LAUNCH Conference, the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation’s annual Awards Gala was a night filled with stories of social responsibility, collaborative community impact, and individual dedication to the credit union industry. Held on February 3, 2022 in Charlotte, the gala was hailed as a night not to be missed and an inspiring time of “people celebrating people” for all in attendance.

The night began with a cocktail reception where more than 200 credit union friends mixed, mingled and took red-carpet photos. Dan Schline, CCUL president/CEO and Foundation board member, welcomed attendees to the gala and dinner was served following an invocation from John Slack with CUNA Mutual Group. Carolinas Foundation President Lauren Whaley followed dinner with remarks touting the Foundation's accomplishments in 2021, which were made possible by the generosity of time, energy, and financial support from the Carolinas credit union system.

Before welcoming the emcee, Whaley closed with the hopeful sentiment that attendees would walk away feeling inspired and empowered to work in an industry with such passionate, caring and dedicated individuals. Creighton Blackwell, CUDE and chief culture and impact officer at Coastal Credit Union, served as the night’s emcee. He began with a thought that the night was not only about the industry’s core philosophy of “people helping people” but it was also about “people celebrating people”. Blackwell then recognized each credit union recipient in the state-level CUNA Awards categories -- Desjardins, Dora Maxwell, and Louise Herring -- and introduced the 2021 Hero honorees recognition videos. This year also marks the introduction of a new Hero Awards category titled, the Advancing Equity Award.

Videos of each Hero Awards honoree are available to watch on the Foundation’s YouTube channel. Award videos were produced by UnCommon Marketing Partners.
Relive the 2021 Awards Gala!
✔️ Watch the ceremony on the League’s Facebook page
✔️ Download the Awards Gala program
✔️ View or download photos from the gala (Enter lwhaley@carolinasfoundation.org to access the album, and use the same email address and pin no. 8649 to download photos). Don’t forget to tag the Foundation on social media – @CarolinasCreditUnionFoundation on Facebook or @CCUFoundation on Twitter.
Other News from the Foundation
2021 Impact & Donor Appreciation Report Released
The Carolinas Credit Union Foundation recently released its 2021 Impact & Donor Report highlighting the many ways we are making a difference in communities across North and South Carolina.

Over the last five years, nearly $7.5 million has been distributed by the Foundation as disaster relief, hardship assistance, educational programs and grants, academic and needs-based scholarships, and non-profit grant support.

Read more about the accomplishments in the Foundation’s 2021 Impact Report and the many donors that make our successes possible.
Notice: Annual Meeting - March 31, 2022 at 9:30am
The Carolinas Credit Union Foundation’s Annual Meeting of the Members & Annual Meeting of the Directors will be held virtually at 9:30 am on Thursday, March 31, 2022. Please email Lauren Whaley at lwhaley@carolinasfoundation.org for meeting details.

Those interested in serving on the Foundation’s Board of Directors may submit a Declaration of Candidacy form for consideration by the Nominating Committee. Forms must be submitted prior to March 18, 2022 for consideration.
Contact the Foundation:
Lauren Whaley, President | 919-600-8219 | E-mail |
Jeff Hardin, Director of Collaborative Programs | 336-601-1764 | E-mail |

The Carolinas Credit Union Foundation was incorporated in 1993 as a charitable organization dedicated to the embodiment of the “people helping people” philosophy of credit unions. Its mission is to empower and inspire credit unions in the Carolinas through collaborative opportunities to enrich our communities. The Foundation serves as a founding partner to Victory Junction, a year-round camping facility, located in Randleman, NC, for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. Over the last 16 years, more than $5 million has been raised by credit unions in the Carolinas to support its camp and outreach programs. The Foundation also serves as a partner in philanthropy with credit unions, assisting charitable giving through donor-advised funds, managing scholarship programs, supporting small credit unions with professional development grants, and aiding disaster relief for the local, national, and global credit union communities.