NuMark Credit Union Serves Communities in Honor of Annual Day of Service

JOLIET, Ill. – NuMark Credit Union (NuMark) employees and family members had a busy day last Monday, October 13^th, as they spread out into the surrounding communities to serve a few local nonprofits as part of their annual CU Kind (CUK) Day celebration!

CUK Day first started as a small project created by Affinity Plus Credit Union in Minnesota in 2018. The idea caught on quickly, and the following year it was adopted by credit unions in Illinois, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, as well as expanded to other credit unions in Minnesota. Just last year in Illinois alone, over 900 volunteers donated more than 5,400 hours of their time volunteering, including NuMark volunteers. For this year’s CUK Day outreach, NuMark staff split into five groups to help expand their reach to more members of the community.

“I love CU Kind Day. Our Credit union mission is “people helping people” and this day gives us a chance to make a difference,” said Michelle Balog, President and CEO of NuMark Credit Union. “Nearly a third of our staff took advantage of one of our four volunteer opportunities.  I’m so proud of their support and willingness to serve people in our communities. This is what the credit union movement is all about.”

Of the 4 groups NuMark had, one set of volunteers donated their time at Feed My Starving Children in Aurora packing a total of 41 boxes of food for children in need, equating to 8,856 meals. Meanwhile another group sorted 175 bags of clothing donations into the proper sizes for the Bridge Teen Center’s thrift store in Tinley Park. Through their partnership with United Way of Will County, another group participated in a Diaper Depot, creating 209 bundles of diapers that were delivered to the Child Care Resource & Referral Center in Joliet for mothers in need. And their final group, in order to also reach the communities out by their western branches, spent the day with St. Patrick’s Parish Community Food Pantry in Amboy cleaning the freezer and fridge and packed 70 bags of food for hungry neighbors in the community. Additionally, NuMark’s CEO spent her day volunteering at the Lurie Children’s Heart & Hands volunteering event packaging craft kits for hospital patients and comfort packages for caregivers.

“Doing good does in fact feel good, especially on CU Kind Day,” said Kelly Zentz, Marketing Manager at NuMark. “At our Feed My Starving Children packing event, we worked hard and came together as a group to pack as many meals as we could knowing that they will help keep kids alive in the world's most urgent and overlooked crises. We could all feel the impact at the end, and it just makes you feel like you are doing something bigger, which is a feeling that is unmatched.”

The credit union movement is rooted in the philosophy of “people helping people,” and puts an emphasis on uplifting and supporting communities in more ways than just financially. That’s why NuMark, along with countless other credit unions, have participated in CUK Day since 2019. Being able to help out members of the communities they serve is something that NuMark employees are passionate about and love doing, and they are always eager to take advantage of new opportunities to help out those in need!

About NuMark Credit Union  

NuMark Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative that has been serving those who live or work in Northeastern Illinois and Northwest Indiana for over 70 years. See NuMark Credit Union for auto loans, mortgages, checking accounts, business services and more. 

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For more information call (815) 729-3211 or visit numarkcu.org.