All In CU awards grants to two local non-profit groups

Published 9:15 am Monday, December 5, 2022

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

All In Credit Union is giving local charities a reason to be thankful this holiday season by awarding $225,633.00 to 16 charitable organizations as part of its annual holiday tradition.

All in Credit Union presents a grant to Bethesda House. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

This is the fifth consecutive year that All In has donated more than $100,000 in grants to organizations and this year the Credit Union made a commitment to double the donations to organizations that make a positive impact in their communities.

Four of the 16 charities selected to receive All In grant funds are located in All In Credit Union’s Region 4 service area.  Those organizations are:

  • A Bed 4 Me to provide beds for kids in need.
  • Andalusia Community Christmas to provide toys and clothes for kids.
  • Bethesda House to provide medical, dental and legal assistance.
  • Dinner at Dad’s Compassionate Ministries to fund their food pantry.

“When we made the decision to create a grant program, one of our objectives was to provide funds for organizations whose dreams exceeded their existing capital. Through a rigorous application and interview process, the 16 organizations who were selected displayed a compelling case to be chosen as one of our grant recipients,” All In Credit Union President/CEO Bobby Michael said.

All In Board Chairman, Charlie Mingus, explained, “Five years ago, our Board of Directors made a commitment to donate $100,000 from our Helping Hands Foundation to enhance the lives of others in a way that exemplifies the credit union philosophy of ‘People Helping People.’ Because we see the positive results our contributions have made, we made the decision to double our giving to $200,000 in 2022 and look forward to seeing how these grants make a difference in our communities.”

Along with the $200,000 allocated by All In Credit Union’s Board of Directors, the Helping Hands Foundation will be providing $25,633 in additional funds to be given. Many of these funds are available through fees collected as a result of the Credit Union’s annual Skip-A-Payment loan program.

“There is a culture of giving that permeates our organization. Whether lending support for local events through volunteering or ensuring that children and local nursing home residents receive requested items on their Christmas wish list, you’ll find our employees giving back to the community in ways both large and small,” said All In Senior Vice President of Member Experience Lisa Hales.

One of the unique aspects of the grant process is for the current year’s Executive Leadership Training Class to review all the applications and make recommendations to the Foundation Board of Directors who make the final selections.

“Each year, we select a group of employees to complete our Executive Leadership Training Class. Part of their development is to learn more about our communities and the good things that are part of all the communities we serve. Reviewing applications and managing the grant selection process provides these employees with valuable training that prepares them for leadership in the future,” Hales added.

In 2018, All In Credit Union began the process of giving annual grants when it gave $100,000 to The Ark Dothan to build transitional housing. That partnership between The Ark and All In Credit Union has continued since that initial donation with volunteer activities completed by All In employees on a frequent basis. In the last five years, All In Credit Union has awarded grants to 43 organizations across our footprint donating nearly $800,000.

Application requests for the 2023 All In Credit Union grants will be announced in July as part of the Credit Union’s continued commitment to give back to the community through its Helping Hands Foundation which was established in 2016.