92% of Vizo Financial Staff Participate in Charitable Activities

Greensboro, N.C. (January 28, 2020) – Being involved and making a difference in the community…this was the mission of Vizo Financial in 2019. The corporate credit union had a goal to bring awareness to the “people helping people” philosophy and make it reality in the communities surrounding their Columbia, S.C., Greensboro, N.C., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Middletown, Pa., locations and beyond.

Oldies but Goodies: Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals & Victory Junction

Vizo Financial has been a long-time supporter of both Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals and Victory Junction. As such, 2019 was no exception. The Corporate showed our support for the organizations by participating in the following events:

• Vizo Financial’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest

• Run to Victory

• CMN Telethon

• Walk for Children’s 5K for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pa.

• Radiothons for Penn State Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pa.; Duke Children’s Hospital in Durham, N.C. and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pa.

“Both CMN Hospitals and Victory Junction are cornerstones in our communities, which is why they are and always will be close to our hearts,” said Jay Murray, CEO of Vizo Financial. “They, too, have missions and a passion to help people who are in need – in this case, children who are sick or suffer from injuries and/or disabilities.”

“These organizations line up completely with our philosophy,” said David Brehmer, president of Vizo Financial. “The very essence of ‘people helping people’ is exemplified in CMN Hospitals and Victory Junction, and we will continue to support them as much as we can.”

Supporting New Organizations

In addition to CMN Hospitals and Victory Junction, Vizo Financial also wanted to branch out and support a number of other organizations in 2019. Staff were encouraged to submit their ideas for organizations in the local communities and vote for the ones they felt most drawn to. From this exercise, the following organizations were chosen:

• American Cancer Society

• BackPack Beginnings

• CMN Hospitals – Penn State Children’s Hospital

• Cure Sanfilippo Foundation

• Harvest Hope Food Bank

• Hospice of Central Pennsylvania

• Pet Match Rescue PA

• ROAR Outdoors

Over the course of the year, staff led a variety of fundraisers to gather donations and much-needed items, including: food drives; collections for school supplies, clothing and comfort items; food, homemade cookie and candy sales; family night fundraiser at Friendly’s; paint nights; recyclables collection; and more.

Day of Service

Support of all these organizations culminated in Vizo Financial’s Day of Service on October 14, 2019. The day was spent at each of the Corporate’s chosen charities (as well as Milagro House and Prisma Health Children’s Hospital), providing hands-on assistance with projects such as mailings, landscaping, event setup, wreath making, inventory organization, building, painting, etc.

“The Day of Service was an outstanding accomplishment for us as an organization and a testament to the dedication of our staff,” said Brehmer. “We had incredible participation – 129 employees and family members – and it was truly something to behold to see everyone come together to help better the lives of the people who benefit from these organizations. And it’s probably safe to say that the positive impact worked both ways – we got a great response from staff following the Day of Service.”

Additional Community Initiatives

The opportunities for giving back didn’t stop there, though. In addition to the volunteer and donation efforts for CMN Hospitals, Victory Junction and the Corporate’s chosen charities for the year, staff also participated in other community initiatives. These included various financial reality fairs at local high schools and institutions, a food drive for local food banks and pantries, meal preparation at Ronald McDonald House and donations/sponsorships of several credit union league and foundation charity events. In all, Vizo Financial employees raised a collective $3,000 for various organizations and had 92 percent staff participation in volunteer activities.

“Going into the year, we knew we wanted to really extend our reach into our communities, and we were humbled by the support of our employees,” said Murray. “They embraced the idea whole-heartedly and it showed through everything we achieved this past year. We’re proud to be part of this movement and want to keep doing our best to show that credit unions put people first, always.”

About Vizo Financial Corporate Credit Union

Vizo Financial Corporate Credit Union’s goal is to drive credit union success through proven EXCELLENCE, unmatched EXPERTISE and engaged PARTNERSHIPS. It is a state-chartered corporate credit union that serves CUSOs, leagues, chapters and more than 1,200 credit unions in the U.S. and Canada. Vizo Financial provides money management, payments, technology, risk management and people development solutions. For more information, please visit www.vfccu.org.