Ascentra CU Foundation Provides Grant to Purchase New Van for Boys & Girls Club
October 28, 2018
MOLINE, Ill. – The Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley (BGCMV) got everything crossed off their wish list this year thanks to a generous $10,000 grant from the Ascentra Credit Union Foundation which enabled them get a new set of wheels.
Every day, club members are picked up from school then taken to one of four BGCMV clubs. The nonprofit organization serves over 700 youth in four different Quad City locations—two in Davenport, Iowa and two in Moline, Ill.—including the Moline Teen Center.
Previous fundraising efforts allowed the BGCMV to purchase two new vans to replace an aging fleet, but thanks to the Ascentra Credit Union Foundation grant, they were poised to dedicate a new 15-passenger van exclusively for their Moline Teen Center.
“We are thrilled to have a safe vehicle to transport our club members from school to club and throughout the community to experience opportunities they otherwise may not have,” said Jenny Garlach, Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley Executive Director.
With a significant influx in teen memberships over the past two years, it was an easy decision to dedicate the new van to the teen center. According to Garlach, the teen center’s van gets the most miles out of all of the vans due to a lot of their members’ involvement with sports, including transporting them on the weekends. The van also helps with other youth development opportunities such as post high school planning and career exploration through college visits and job shadows, and other hands on experiences like volunteering.
“Thanks to the work the Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley does, many youth in our region have a safe place to go after school to do their homework, learn something new, make a new friend, have a hot meal, and so much more,” said Dale Owen, Ascentra President and CEO. “We are happy to collaborate in this manner to help further the mission and all of the great work the BGCMV does.”
PHOTO: Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley Executive Director Jenny Garlach and members at the BGCMV Moline Teen Center are all smiles in front of their new van along with Ascentra Credit Union President and CEO Dale Owen.
About The Ascentra Credit Union Foundation:
Established in 2013, the Ascentra Credit Union Foundation was created to honor the memory of Ascentra Credit Union President & CEO Paul Lensmeyer and to meet the charitable and educational objectives of the Board of Directors of the credit union. The mission of the Ascentra Credit Union Foundation is to improve the quality of life for the membership of Ascentra Credit Union and further the philanthropic outreach in the communities the credit union serves. The focus of the foundation is on funding work to enhance youth development, expand credit education opportunities, foster community development, support cultural activities, and invest in ways to enhance the financial viability of the underserved. More information can be found at ascentra.org/foundation.
About Ascentra:
Founded in 1950, Ascentra Credit Union, is Iowa's premier credit union with more than $413 million in assets and 10 branches serving the communities of Bettendorf, Clinton, Davenport, LeClaire, Muscatine, Iowa and Moline, Ill. Learn more about Ascentra Credit Union at ascentra.org. Follow Ascentra on Facebook, Twitter @ascentra, Instagram @ascentracu, and YouTube.