Scott Credit Union Supports Local Fisher House

Edwardsville, Illinois – Scott Credit Union recently donated $250 to help military families staying at the Fisher House in St. Louis in honor of the credit union’s Board Member Carolyn Choate who retired recently from the volunteer board.

Scott Credit Union President & CEO Frank Padak presented a check to Fisher House Manager Vanniecia Brown on behalf of Carolyn Choate.

“We appreciate Carolyn’s years of service to the credit union as a volunteer Board Member. It truly takes dedication and a commitment to be a credit union Board Member,” Padak said. “Carolyn was always engaged and committed to making SCU the best it could be for its members.”

The Fisher House, which is at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, is available to families of patients who are wounded or ill and are undergoing extensive medical treatment at the VA Medical Center. It provides warm, caring, comfortable, and convenient lodging for family members at no charge. This allows each family constant access to their loved one to help in the healing process, according to Brown.

“We have heard stories of family members who stay at the Fisher House and need money for their everyday needs. Sometimes it is because their stay at the house becomes extended while their family member is being treated at the hospital,” Padak noted. “We are always happy to help the Fisher House in any way we can. It is our thank you to the families for their loved one’s service to our country.”

Scott Credit Union has supported the local Fisher House with several fund-raising efforts.

“When they were raising money to build the Fisher House here, we were excited about the opportunity to help with the effort to provide housing for injured military members’ families during their time of need,” Padak said. “Now, we are happy to play a small part in helping them offer support to the families who are staying at the house.”

The St. Louis VA Medical Center has been designated as a “Polytrauma Center” for treating veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Center provides treatment for veterans suffering from single or multiple traumas and specialized care for traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, advanced prosthetics, and mental health.

Family members want to stay with their loved ones during treatment, but few can afford extended stays in commercial lodgings, according to Brown. That’s when Fisher House provides free housing for the family members.

Founded by New York City real estate developer Zachary Fisher, Fisher House is a nationwide private-public program that makes homes available to military families. The 16,000-square-foot St. Louis Fisher House was constructed on the Jefferson Barracks VA Medical Center campus in south St. Louis. The house features 20-bedroom suites and accommodates 42 guests at a time.

Once it was constructed, the Fisher House Foundation donated the building to the VA. From that point forward, the VA has staffed and maintained the Fisher House for patients’ families.

For more information about Fisher House in St. Louis, or to donate, visit www.fisherhouseinstl.org.

Scott Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative that is member owned. The credit union recently gave over $500,000 back to members through a bonus dividend and loan interest rebate. Scott Credit Union has given over $10 million back to its members in the past 10 years.

Scott Credit Union is open to anyone who lives or works in a 17 county area, including Madison, St. Clair, Monroe, Randolph, Perry, Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Clinton, Marion, Bond, Macoupin, Montgomery, Fayette, Effingham, Williamson, and Jackson counties. Anyone who lives or works in St. Louis County, Missouri also can open accounts at SCU. Additionally, anyone active or retired military also can have accounts with Scott Credit Union.

Scott Credit Union currently has 15 area locations: Scott Air Force Base, East Belleville, Fairview Heights, Collinsville, O’Fallon, Edwardsville, Waterloo, Highland, Caseyville, West Belleville, Millstadt, Mascoutah, Troy, Wood River and its Home Office in Edwardsville.

For details on opening accounts at Scott Credit Union, visit www.scu.org, call 1-800-888-4728, or stop by any of the credit union’s branches.

PHOTO CAPTION: SCU DONATES– Scott Credit Union recently donated $250 to help military families staying at the Fisher House in St. Louis. Pictured are SCU President & CEO Frank Padak and Fisher House Manager Vanniecia Brown.