The Credit Union’s Community Committee budget is calculated at 10% of the after-tax surplus. In keeping with the cooperative philosophy, all Branch community committees share this allocation of funds, with each community committee receiving a budget that is based on the branch’s assets and number of members.
There are seven cooperative principles – voluntary membership, democratic member control, autonomy and independence, education/training and information, cooperation among cooperatives and concern for community. Cooperative values of self-help, self responsibility, democracy and equality, combined with the traditional beliefs of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others form the basis of these principles.
East Coast Credit Union’s successes originate from our community-rooted branch network through our customer/owners and employees. In building a tradition of community mindedness, East Coast Credit Union strives to live our cooperative values. This past year has seen a more concentrated focus by our board in community endeavours, yet every effort has been made to maintain individual branch autonomy in this respect.
East Coast Credit Union’s bursary program of $16,080 aided in support to our schools and forty youth members from eight area high schools. Our non-financial partner, L’Arche, was the beneficiary of $8,402 through the support of the East Coast Employee Payroll Deduction Plan. This plan program has raised $ 22,752 since 2006. Again, through the efforts of our employees, the 5th Annual L’Arche Barbeque raised $5,064, the most successful thus far, totalling in excess of $17,000 over five years. The participation of East Coast employees helped raise $ 10,856 in support of the Annual Charity Bowl-a-thon benefiting both the IWK and local charities. In 2009 the East Coast Credit Union continued its ongoing commitments to the Inverness Hospital Capital Campaign, Strait Area Transit, Cape Breton University, as well as fulfilling its obligations to Feis Mhabu and Cape Breton Pathways.
In addition, the East Coast Credit Union Community Committee helped sponsor Chris McDaniel, who is the son of Stella McDaniel in our Accounting Department, to attend the Canadian Cooperative Association’s 100th Anniversary Congress in Ottawa, Ontario. In his thank you letter to the community committee after the event, Chris noted: 'I attended two plenary sessions. The first session (Dangerous Opportunities: Moving Beyond the Economic Crisis) was held in regards to the current global economic crisis. I know that personally, I have heard many people speak of how the co-operative model is the perfect model to get us out of this crisis without too much harm. It is for this reason that I found it very interesting to see a panel of very diverse professionals from in and outside of the co-operative movement present their views on what has to be done next and what steps must be taken. The second plenary session (Young Co-operators - Perspectives on Vision, Voice and Change) was held in regards to youth’s involvement in the cooperative sector; it is a well-known fact that many co-operatives struggle when it comes to gaining new youth as members and this session let co-operators from across the country hear from five young co-operative professionals on their views on what is to come next, as well as what works and what doesn’t work.’
Again in 2009 ECCU was pleased to present motivational speaker Norbert Georget. Norbert’s message of “ IT’s OK NOT DRINK” and IT’S OK NOT TO DO DRUGS” is a powerful message to our youth. This year’s topic of “TEXTING WHILE DRIVING” relates the story of a tragic loss.
Junior Achievement was introduced to Nova Scotia in 1969. In the 2009 school year students from a number of our schools again participated in JA programs with the assistance from ten EC staff. This year Baddeck Academy Junior Achievers came away with the top three awards in the Company Program throughout Nova Scotia. Please visit our website for more information on this tremendously successful program as well as other important pieces.
East Coast Credit Union has contributed significant time, energy and money to enhance the quality of life in our communities. In reaching out to you and your community in 2009, East Coast has invested $125,000 and 98 weeks of volunteer hours to influence a positive impact in our communities.
This past year East Coast Credit Union contributed 3,993 volunteer hours as part of our vision of social responsibility to local involvement and community enhancement.
As a commitment to our vision of social responsibility in 2009, here are some of the other endeavours
We have supported.
Inverness Garden Club
Baddeck Nursery School
Belle Cote Community Centre
Festival of the Strait
ECCU Annual Fall Food Drive
Mulgrave Museum and Heritage Centre
Havre Boucher Medical Centre
Richmond Academy
St. Anne’s Resident Therapeutic Garden
River Bourgeois Cenotaph Restoration
Chestico Days Parade
Mabou Fire Department
Respectfully Submitted
Kathy MacDonnell-Rankin
Chair, Community Committee
