In keeping with the credit union philosophy of "people helping people," Arsenal Credit Union strives to give back to the communities to which we belong. We put the credit union philosophy in action with internal programs and services for our members and also provide financial education to kids and young adults in our membership and in and around our communities.
Social responsibility
One of our promises to our members is to be an active partner in the many organizations of the community. Arsenal CU does just that and has been recognized with 12 Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Awards from the Missouri Credit Union Association.
We strongly support Children's Miracle Network (CMN) and the Credit Unions for Kids Program. Arsenal also recognizes need in the communities we serve and aims to help local nonprofit organizations whenever possible. Below is a list of what we and our employees have done recently.
- Participated in an annual bowl-a-thon fundraiser organized by Enterprise Car Sales to benefit Children's Miracle Network
- Collected gifts for Toys for Tots to be distributed to needy children in our community for Christmas
- Teamed up with the Kurt Warner First Things First Foundation to collect coats for several Warner's Warm-up coat drives
- Gave to the Arnold Police Department for equipment and training
- Donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation
- Dressed down to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure
- Sponsored the Fox C-6 Educational Foundation walk-a-thon
- Contributed to the Veterans’ Administration (VA) walkathon
- Donated to the Fisher House at the Jefferson Barracks Campus of the St. Louis VA Medical Center; the Fisher House program allows military families to stay together during veterans’ extended medical treatment
- Raised almost $500 for the "Dr. Doolittle Fund" by participating in the Humane Society of Missouri's "Bark in the Park" event at Forest Park in St. Louis on May 16, 2009. The fund helps finance routine veterinary medical care for homeless pets so they can be placed for adoption.
- Donated to Homes for Our Troops (both nationally and locally) in 2008
- Participated in a raffle for a Ford Edge crossover vehicle with ten other credit unions to raise money for CMN
- Sold paper baseballs to raise money for CMN
- Dressed down in jeans for CMN
- Answered phones during the Children's Miracle Network's "River of Miracles Radiothon"
- Sold paper hearts over Valentine's Day for CMN
- Held a bake sale to support the Humane Society of Missouri
- Participated in a raffle for a Ford Mustang convertible with five other credit unions to raise money for CMN
- Sold Six Flags tickets and season passes to help raise money for CMN
- Donated to the Arnold History Mural Project to be displayed at the Arnold branch of the Jefferson County Library
- Contributed door prizes to not-for-profit groups for events, including the St. Joseph Athletic Association's Third Annual Golf Tournament and Schiller Turners' 100th anniversary celebration
- Sold baked goods to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina; donations were given to the American Red Cross
- Donated canned goods to local food pantries
- Visited patients at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital and handed out gifts with Tracker, our kids club mascot
- Collected new and used luggage for Luggage of Love, an event sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter of Credit Unions to benefit St. Vincent Home for Children and six other local shelters
- Purchased lunches prepared by employees to raise additional funds for Lee National Denim Day 2005
- Held two bake sales and formed a team of walkers and runners in spirit for the 2004 Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure®
- Supported the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, Gateway to Victory, by displaying wells to collect money and forms to buy a brick in the Path of Honor
- Sponsored a blood drive at American Red Cross
- Collected toys, toiletries, and other gifts for Our Little Haven children's shelter
- Auctioned two footballs autographed by Terry Bradshaw to benefit Children's Miracle Network
- Donated professional women's clothing to "Dress for Success"
- Collected items and prepared care packages for troops overseas
- Donated to the Salvation Army Disaster Relief fund
- Purchased Christmas presents for Jefferson County Foster Parents Association, benefiting eight local children
- Donated food items to a Thanksgiving food drive held by Seckman High School's Marketing Department
- Bailed out an employee who was "Captured for Kids" to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- Sold Entertainment Books for Children's Miracle Network
- Recycled used inkjet cartridges to benefit Special Olympics
Philosophy in action
Arsenal Credit Union puts the people-helping-people philosophy into all aspects of our daily business. We make an extra commitment to offer programs, products and services that address our members' needs. For putting this philosophy in action, we've received eight Louise Herring Awards for Philosophy in Action over the years from the Missouri Credit Union Association, and in 2005 received an honorable mention in the national competition for our Tracker Kids Club. Below is a list of what we do to meet and surpass our members' expectations.
- Updated our kids club program with a new mascot (Tracker) and new prizes to encourage members age 12 and under to save money
- Held a four-month-long petition drive to show Congress that our members support their credit union and its not-for-profit, tax-exempt status
- Overhauled our Web site, giving it a more contemporary look and more resources for our members
- Established Member Education Centers at our Jefferson County, Mid County, and NGA branches to give members access to unbiased information on a variety of financial topics
- Held a free fraud-prevention seminar in cooperation with the Missouri Attorney General's Office
- Awarded college scholarships to graduating high school seniors in our membership; as of spring 2007, we've awarded a total of $27,250
- Ensure quality member service using a Secret Shopper program and e-mail surveys
- Provide Consumer Debt Counseling educational materials and refer members with impaired credit to a credit counselor
- Organize several events for our Prime Advantage (50+) Club members
- Include a variety of educational articles in our quarterly member newsletter and on our Web site
- Offer a good grades incentive to kids club members with two or more "A's" on their year-end report card
- Provide links to Anytime Adviser, a 24-hour online coach for new and used car buying, home buying, checking accounts, credit management, ID theft prevention, budgeting for couples
Youth financial education
Arsenal Credit Union is committed to educating youth on financial topics such as saving, managing a checking account, and maintaining good credit. The Missouri Credit Union Association has presented us with three first-place Desjardins Youth Financial Education awards. Here are some of the achievements on which our award are based.
- Gave 100 financial education presentations to 2,245 students
- Taught the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE®) High School Financial Planning Program at Webster Groves High School
- Wrote a series of financial education articles for Fox Forward, Fox High School’s monthly student newspaper, and also for Seckman High School
- Celebrated National Credit Union Youth Week with educational newsletters, gifts, contests, drawings, and a free pizza party with a financial video and presentation
- Implemented a birthday card program for our kids club members to encourage them to save their birthday money in their Arsenal account; an enclosed coupon enabled recipients to double the number of stamps they receive (redeemable for prizes) for making such a deposit
- Through a special mailing, encouraged teen club members to save their money in a CD, build smart credit with a VISA credit card and manage their money with a checking account
- Sponsored The Little People’s Guide to the Big World, an informative book that covers a variety of life issues; it is given to graduates of area pre-schools
- Made a donation to help underwrite Biz Kid$, a new Public Broadcasting System (PBS) show being produced by the Emmy Award-winning creators of the PBS/Disney series, Bill Nye the Science Guy
- Mailed the 24-page Federal Trade Commission brochure ID Theft: What It's All About to 1,724 members ages 18-24; this age group has the highest risk of stolen identity
- Celebrated National Credit Union Youth Week with daily drawings for $50 savings bonds, a coloring contest for kids, an essay contest for teens, and an ice cream social
- Participated in the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Youth Savings Challenge to encourage members to save and get a chance to win a $100 prize
- Provide free educational materials in all branches, including What Experts Say About Allowances For Children, Teach Children About Money, The Credit Card Push On Campus and Your College Savings Answers
- Offer kids club and teen club accounts to allow youth to take advantage of several products and services that would otherwise be unattainable due to requirements such as age or a minimum balance
- Distribute Guide to Money: Getting a Good Start, a booklet explaining saving, checking accounts, loans, insurance and investments, to every new teen club member
- Offer a Young Investors CD with a lower minimum balance requirement to encourage teens to save money
- Encourage kids to save with a $10 monthly drawing for depositing any amount into their savings account
- Provide prizes for kids club members for reaching savings goals
- Supplied a Bayless High School consumer math teacher with materials for her class from the NEFE® High School Financial Planning Program
- Made several independent presentations at Beaumont High School on financial products and services and the importance of building good credit
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