Genisys CU Recognized for Social Responsibility Efforts

Auburn Hills, MI. - Jan. 25, 2023 - The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Awards Committee has announced Genisys Credit Union as the national-level, first place winner of the 2022 Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award. The award recognizes credit unions nationwide for outstanding social responsibility projects in their communities.

They received the accolade in light of their efforts with Pontiac-based non-profit, Lighthouse. Lighthouse has a mission to build equitable communities that alleviate poverty. In 2021, the two organizations furthered their partnership with a comprehensive campaign called “One Kitchen, Unlimited Reach: Eliminating Homelessness with Genisys Credit Union & Lighthouse.”

With this campaign, the credit union team donated $60,000 to renovate the commercial kitchen at Lighthouse, which hasn’t been used in over 10 years; volunteered over 140 hours to transition a building on their campus into a family emergency shelter; and hosted a company-wide employee campaign to stock the kitchen raising over $8,000.

“Our goals for this project were rooted in advancing the mission of Lighthouse. Throughout the campaign, the credit union team came together to do good, in big ways. I want to thank each team member who made this campaign possible and successful,” said Jackie Buchanan, President and CEO of Genisys Credit Union. “Receiving recognition as a nationwide leader in corporate social responsibility within the credit union movement is an awe-inspiring nod that we are honored to have received.”

They followed up the campaign with an Open House & Fundraiser in October. Held at the Lighthouse headquarters, the Open House aimed to raise awareness and additional funds around the commercial kitchen renovation.

"We at Lighthouse are truly grateful for our multifaceted partnership with our friends at Genisys Credit Union. In addition to their very generous contribution to our kitchen project, Genisys staff have volunteered countless hours with our organization in a wide variety of areas. Genisys's support of our mission to build equitable communities that alleviate poverty, in addition to the direct impact of their own work, is a testament to their team's strong commitment to social responsibility," said Ryan Hertz, President and CEO of Lighthouse.

The Dora Maxwell Award was created in honor of Dora Maxwell who was a community activist that committed her life to credit union development, to her community, and to serving the underserved.

“Genisys demonstrated how they live our ‘people helping people’ motto in new and exciting ways I hope inspires everyone in our movement,” said CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle. “They truly live the credit union difference every day to benefit their members and advance the communities they serve.”

Genisys Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned financial institution that has been committed to helping its members financially since 1936. Based out of Auburn Hills, MI, the credit union is the fourth largest in Michigan with over 260,000 members and 33 branch locations. With a highly competitive suite of products such as High Yield Genius Checking and Youth Savings Account as well as loans for small to mid-sized businesses, Genisys specializes in providing consumer and business financial solutions through its branches, a multi-channel contact center, and a variety of mobile and online banking services. Genisys has consistently received the highest 5-star Bauer Financial Rating for safety and soundness and has been the proud recipient of the Crystal Performance Award by Raddon, a Fiserv Company. Raddon evaluates credit unions based on performance metrics across service, member relationships, sales, and other areas. They are also proud to be committed to their communities by annually volunteering over 4,000 hours and partnering on over 1,000 community events. Connect with Genisys on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok by following @genisyscu. For more information visit www.genisyscu.org