METRO EAST CHAPTER OF CREDIT UNIONS
CHARITY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
October 28, 2010

The regular meeting of the CHARITY COMMITTEE of the METRO EAST CHAPTER OF CREDIT UNIONS was called to order by Chairperson Crystal Gracz at 9:05 a.m. on October 28, 2010 at Eastside Family Federal Credit Union - Eastpointe, MI

COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
Crystal Gracz, Gail Hernalsteen, Kathy Figgs, Antoinette Funke, Ronnie Johnson, Jenny Bulgrien, Kathi Sitek, Becky Reini, and Aaron Smith.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS EXCUSED: Laura Beauregard and Jessica Johnson

GUEST PRESENT:    No guest present 

PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES: 

Motion made by Gail Hernalsteen and supported by Ronnie Johnson to approve the minutes of August 19, 2010 meeting as is.  Motion carried. 

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT:  No updates or information to report from the Executive Committee. Suggestions on utilizing a local supplier that provides candy bars for fundraising campaigns was discussed.  CMCCU had great success with the company and sales raising PAC funds. 

OLD BUSINESS:
Ronald McDonald House of Detroit – Becky is still collecting pull tabs for RMD due to the amount still being received by the community.  Delivery will be slated soon. In addition Fran Pierce will be contacted for the $500 committee commitment donation by the end of the week. 

CRI survey – No one has received the survey for use on behalf of the Metro East Chapter. 

Phone Home – Crystal is trying to contact the MWR for information on where the donations need to be sent. Collections will continue until the end of October. In addition to credit unions within the committee that are participating, three additional credit unions came on board for the campaign.  They include St. Cletus, Sterling Vandyke and Eastpointe Community. Checks should be made payable to CMCCU Phone Home Fund and mailed to:      

Central Macomb Community CU
P.O. Box 2800
Mt. Clemens, MI  48046
ATTN: Crystal Gracz

NEW BUSINESS:  

Notification was received by the Chairman that effective October 25, 2010 Laura Beauregard has resigned from the committee and her credit union.  She has accepted another position in her field of education and experience.  We appreciate her time and dedication to our committee and her dedication to our annual Relay for Life campaigns.  We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors! 

Gleaners Food Bank – Aaron Smith is the lead and contact for our Gleaners campaign. Boxes, signage and informational flyers were distributed at today’s meeting for the November 1st kick off.  Our efforts will conclude at the end of December at which time Aaron will collect all donations.  It is requested that if possible all participating credit unions separate canned/food items from miscellaneous or personal hygiene items before pick up.

2011 Charities – A lively and productive discussion was held as ideas for the 2011 season were proposed.  We thank everyone for their input, suggestions and creative thinking on how we can provide tools to gain more involvement in volunteerism. The committee has tentatively designated the following charities as outlined below.  Confirmations will be announced after the conclusion of the Metro East Chapter Executive Committee Strategic Planning Meeting which will be held on November 4, 2010.    

Looking for a new spin on our involvement, we have committed as a group to physically volunteer at an organization within our shared communities.  Gail Hernalsteen and Kathy Sitek will be gathering information on what causes we can participate in.  Once decided we will also extend an invitation to the chapter for anyone else that would like to participate. 

The Charity Committee will soon be concluding its third year of service.  In that time we have sought a variety of means to get engagement at our individual credit unions as well as those that are not active with the chapter.  At times we do get credit unions to join in on a particular focus, which is greatly appreciated; however, it is the rarity, not the norm.  We have found that involvement at any level is key to uphold our mission of “people helping people.  To assist in our mission, a list will be compiled of charities and organizations within our combined communities.  This list will provide the name of the organization, a direct contact source as well as a website link.  This information will be placed on the MCUL Charity Committee link.  Sometimes lack of involvement is simply lack of knowledge or knowing how to get started.  It is our hope is that in these difficult times we can provide a tool for other credit unions to get active, volunteer and give back to our community. Additional details will follow with an anticipated completion date of on or before December 2, 2010.       

ELECTIONS:
None to be reported. 

NEXT MEETING:
Thursday, December 16, 2010 at Motor City Co-op Credit Union at 9:00 a.m. 

ADJOURNMENT: 
Motion was made by Aaron Smith and supported by Gail Hernalsteen to adjourn the meeting at 11:10 a.m.  Motion carried. 

______________________________             _________________________________
 Crystal Gracz, Chairperson                                  Antoinette Funke, Secretary