Zeal Credit Union delivers hundreds of new school supplies to two local schools

Livonia, MI – What makes a good day even better? Zeal Credit Union and two Detroit area schools confirm that it’s seeing the faces of children who received new backpacks and school supplies—collected during the credit union’s annual drive in July and August.

During this year’s drive, Zeal Credit Union collected 98 new backpacks, 11 backpacks fully packed with supplies, and 1600 additional packs of supplies such as calculators, scissors, crayons, notebooks, pens, pencils, markers, glue and other items essential for students in the classroom.

Credit union members and others in the community donated supplies at collection boxes in each of Zeal’s 12 branch offices. According to Tiffany Sweet, youth and community development coordinator for Zeal, staff also played a large role in making donations through prize winning activities.

In early September, Zeal team members delivered the supplies to Alcott Elementary in Pontiac and Mason Academy in Detroit. Both schools are participants in Pathways to Potential, a program of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) which helps remove barriers to success for students and families. For more information about Pathways to Potential, go to www.michigan.gov/pathwaystopotential.

“We are so grateful. So many of our students cannot afford to purchase backpacks and supplies,” said Vanessa Carter, principal of Alcott Elementary, who shared that the supplies will be distributed to parents and students during the school’s September Open House. “Zeal Credit Union has helped forward our mission of educating the whole child and providing educational support for students. We cannot thank them enough.”

“For us, it was heartwarming to see the faces of children who received these donations. It solidifies our mission and why we are dedicated to serving our members and community with character, empathy and passion,” said Sweet. “We appreciate everyone who participated and helped deserving youth have a better day and school year.”

Zeal Credit Union is a full-service, non-profit financial institution with more than 61,000 members, assets exceeding $555 million and 12 full-service branch offices in metro Detroit. Members also have access to more than 5,000 shared branches and nearly 30,000 ATMs nationwide. Member deposits are insured to $250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), a U.S. government agency. For more information about Zeal Credit Union, visit the credit union website www.ZealCreditUnion.org or call 800-321-8570.