FORUM Employees Present Van to Homeless Shelter

Indianapolis, Indiana, January 15, 2010 – FORUM Credit Union employees raised money throughout 2009 by taking part in a variety of activities with the hopes of buying a 15 passenger van for Dayspring Center, an emergency shelter that assists homeless families with children in central Indiana.  In December 2009, FORUM met its goal and presented a $20,000 van to the Dayspring staff and board in conjunction with FORUM’s employee holiday luncheon.  Employees filled the van with pillows, food items, toiletries, and clothing.  Twelve $100 gasoline gift cards were also presented to the shelter – a gift card for each month of 2010.

Jenny Budreau, FORUM’s Chief Administrative Officer and member of the FORUM Spirit Advisory Council, stated “$20,000 was a lofty goal – we were asking a lot from our employees, many of whom have faced personal challenges in the current economic environment.  Through a variety of ‘fun’draising activities, we made our goal.  We had fun while making a difference for Dayspring.”
 
When asked what this van would mean to their organization, Cheryl Herzog, Development Coordinator for Dayspring, said “FORUM’s very generous donation of a newer van will help Dayspring to significantly reduce our maintenance and transportation expenses, as well as increase the numbers served by our programming.”  Herzog also mentioned that the van will be used to provide transportation to formerly homeless children enrolled in Dayspring programming so they may participate in a 9-week summer camp program, Camp Discovery.  “Our limited means of transportation has been our biggest obstacle to increase camp enrollment and enhance programming.  The FORUM van means that geography will no longer hinder camper enrollment and more campers will benefit from weekly educational and recreational field trips,” said Herzog.

In 2008, the FORUM Spirit Advisory Council determined that FORUM would sponsor a single charity each year.  This means that all proceeds from any fundraising event for that year will go to the selected charity.  FORUM employees will vote on the 2010 charity of their choice in January.

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About FORUM Credit Union
FORUM Credit Union, with 12 branch locations and anywhere access via the web, serves over 100,000 members in the central Indiana area. A full suite of financial services are offered, including home mortgages, auto loans, free checking, rewards checking, business checking, health savings accounts, investment planning, and insurance products. For more information about FORUM Credit Union please visit:  www.forumcu.com.

About Dayspring Center
Dayspring Center, located in Indianapolis, provides emergency shelter, clothing, and three nourishing meals-a-day for homeless families with children in central Indiana. Families turn to Dayspring as a last resort; some to escape domestic abuse, others have experienced financial collapse, medical problems, or other crises that caused them to lose their home.  For more information about Dayspring please visit: dayspringindy.org.

FORUM Media Contact
Jacki Teachnor
FORUM Credit Union
317.558.6269
jackit@forumcu.com

Dayspring Center Media Contact
Cheryl Herzog
Dayspring Center
317.635.6780 x211
Cheryl@dayspringindy.org