Redwood Credit Unions Earl Chavez Honored with Volunteer of the Year Award

Santa Rosa, CA – Earl Chavez, assistant branch manager at the Ukiah branch of Redwood Credit Union (RCU), was recently honored with a Volunteer of the Year Award by the Ukiah Chamber of Commerce. Presented to businesses and leaders making a difference in the community, “Celebration of Commerce” awards also went to LACO Associates for Business of the Year, Wicked Slush for New Business of the Year, Mike Mayfield for Business Person of the Year, Mendocino County Youth Project for Nonprofit of the Year, Charley Myers for Lifetime Achievement, Mendocino Book Company for Community Involved, Dharma Realm Buddhist University for Beautification, and Pamela’s Products for Visionary Leader.

Photo: Megan Barber Allende, CEO of the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, Julia Siderakis, Ukiah Chamber of Commerce Board Chair, and Earl Chavez, Assistant Branch Manager, RCU Ukiah branch.

“It’s an honor to receive this award,” said Chavez. “I’m thankful to be able to go out into the community and help where needed and to have an employer like Redwood Credit Union that supports those efforts.” Chavez, who joined Redwood Credit Union in 2014, is a longtime Ukiah resident who attended Ukiah High School and Mendocino College. He supports many community activities and volunteers his time as president of the Redwood Empire Lions Club. He also serves as president of the board of directors for the Ford Street Project, which offers emergency shelters, a community food bank, substance abuse treatment, and housing assistance for low-income and homeless families.

“We’re so fortunate to have Earl in our community,” said Megan Barber Allende, CEO of the Community Foundation of Mendocino County. “He recognizes the necessity of service in our rural community and inspires his colleagues, peers, and even the next generation to follow his lead by acknowledging the contributions of others and modeling the way with wonderful enthusiasm and humility.“

Founded in 1950, Redwood Credit Union is a full-service financial institution providing personal and business banking to consumers and businesses in the North Bay and San Francisco. RCU offers complete financial services including checking and savings accounts, auto and home loans, credit cards, online and mobile banking, business services, commercial and SBA lending, wealth management and investment services, and more. The credit union also offers insurance and discount auto sales through its wholly owned subsidiary. RCU has over $4.5 billion in assets and serves more than 335,000 members with full-service branches from San Francisco to Ukiah, more than 30,000 fee-free network ATMs nationwide and convenient, free online and mobile banking. For more information, call 1 (800) 479-7928, visit www.redwoodcu.org, or follow RCU on Facebook at facebook.com/redwoodcu and Twitter at @Redwoodcu for news and updates.