TopLine Federal Credit Union Wins Member Service Award for Giving Back to Community

MAPLE GROVE, MINN. — SEPTEMBER 12, 2018—TopLine Federal Credit Union, a Twin Citiesbased member-owned financial services cooperative, has been honored with a 2018 Louise Herring Philosophy-in-Action Member Service Award. The award, sponsored by the Minnesota Credit Union Network (MnCUN) and the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), recognizes credit unions that demonstrate the credit union philosophy, and who create services that benefit their members and community. TopLine’s statewide award achievement was for the credit union’s development of an internal knitting and crochet club in October 2017 as a way to bring employees together that share a common interest, to continue to develop relationships across the organization and to support our local communities.

The knitting and crochet club was formed based on an employee “We Hear You” submission, TopLine’s internal forum for employees to share their ideas and suggestions to improve the employee and member experience. The club was officially named “Knitting at Noon” and interested employees meet every Wednesday over lunch to work on projects, share new ideas and teach beginners how to knit or crochet. This talented group of employees soon decided they wanted to knit for a purpose, with the desire to give back to our local communities. Through social media posts and newsletter articles, members also got involved by donating yarn or hand-made scarves. The club was tickled when tapped to do an interview with Fox 9 News that aired last November. To-date the Knitting Club has donated over 200 scarfs to local foster youth through the Red Scarf Project, benefiting Avenues for Homeless Youth, Connections to Independence, Family Alternatives and over 70 hats to the American Heart Association’s Little Hats, Big Hearts Program to support American Heart Month.

And this is just the beginning, they are now working on knitting purple hats to donate in November and December to Click for Babies to raise awareness and support for babies with purple crying and shaken baby syndrome. “Our “We Hear You” forum has provided many exceptional employee driven ideas to make our credit union a better place to work and bank,” says Tom Smith, TopLine President and CEO. “And we are thrilled the “Knitting at Noon” club has been so successful in strengthening our cooperative spirit of “people helping people” by connecting, caring and contributing to support local causerelated efforts.”

TopLine’s winning entry now heads to the national competition, where it will compete with statewide award recipients across the country. Entries that place in the national competition will be displayed during the 2019 Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C.

The award is named in honor of Louise Herring, an active supporter, organizer and champion of credit unions. She was the Ohio delegate to the 1934 national credit union conference in Estes Park, Colorado, where she signed the original constitution for a national credit union association. Herring believed that credit unions should work in a practical manner to better people’s lives. She saw the credit union as more than just a financial institution. In her own words, “The purpose of the credit union is to reform the financial system, so that everyone can have his place in the sun.”

TopLine Federal Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based credit union, is Minnesota’s 13th largest, with assets of more than $450 million. Established in 1935, the not-for-profit cooperative offers a complete line of financial services, as well as auto and home insurance, from its five branch locations — in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Plymouth and in St. Paul’s Como Park — as well as by phone, mobile app and online at www.TopLinecu.com. Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or volunteers in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington Counties and their immediate family members. Visit us on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TopLineFederalCreditUnion.