Community Impact People helping people is one of the guiding principles of the credit union philosophy, which is why giving back to the communities we serve is so important to our culture at Suncoast. As the pandemic continued, our devotion to giving back to our communities grew ever stronger. In 2021, we provided grants, scholarships, event support, and even celebrated our 75th branch with $75,000 of donations in 75 days! And since Suncoast donates two cents to the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation every time a member uses their credit or debit cards, we donated $3.6 million dollars to our local communities in 2021. Since the inception of this program in 1990, we’ve donated more than $36.5 million to help children in our communities.
Giving Back Through the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation The Suncoast Credit Union Foundation helps children in our community in so many powerful ways. Every dollar we donate is truly a life changed. And none of it would be possible without our members. For example, a grant from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation to the Charlotte County Education Foundation was able to provide students with access to over 6,000 enhanced digital books through the MyOn reading program. This student-focused literacy program dynamically matches books to students by their interests, grade and reading level. We are proud to support such an innovative way to engage young readers! Funding from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation also helped improve the lives of Pasco County students in 2021 with an exciting, hands-on project that students loved. This STEM-related donation helped fund the Pasco Environmental Adventure Camp. This program let students perform an excavation to identify fossils in dig pits, dissect a dinosaur model and learn how to explore and preserve Florida’s unique natural resources.
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And that wasn’t our only STEM-related donation in 2021. We also provided funding so students in Sarasota could investigate a meteor. At Wilkinson Elementary, students investigated a meteor that had “fallen” to earth outside their school, creating a crater. All week, students gained hands-on experience in earth space science and geology. This was the first such immersive educational adventure at Wilkinson since the pandemic began, and students relished this applied learning opportunity. We understand that students need to be provided with the tools they need to succeed both in and out of the classroom. That’s why we also provided a grant to Lighthouse of Pinellas for their Early Invention Children’s Program. This funding helped 50 visually impaired children get specialized care and training, both in the classroom and in their homes. These are only a few of the many examples of how the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation changed young lives in 2021. Our donations spanned our entire footprint, all aiding in the education, health and emotional well-being of children in our communities.
