A Recap on CUaware’s Ronald McDonald Volunteer Event 
By Laura Greene, Membership Development Officer for LGFCU & CUaware Volunteer Coordinator 
  
CUaware’s charity event on September 25, 2013 at the Ronald McDonald House of Durham was a huge success! In total, 16 volunteers from five different credit unions plus the NC Credit Union League were there to cook, clean, decorate and entertain. With the generosity of a $500 donation from the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation and smaller contributions from credit union employees, the CUaware volunteers were able to make “Fiesta Night” memorable!   
  
CUaware also coordinated the collection of Wish List items that were needed at the Durham Ronald McDonald House. The response from credit unions was overwhelming and  an estimated $2,500 in Wish List items were delivered. Thank you to the League and credit unions who donated their time as well as Wish List items - Coastal, LGFCU, Duke, RTP and ElecTel Cooperative. Also a huge thank you to the Carolina’s Credit Union Foundation for their $500 donation! Without you, none of this would have been possible!

When it came time to start cooking, everyone jumped in and got the job done! The families inside the house had the option of tacos, taco salad, cheese quesadillas, nachos with all the toppings, and freshly baked cookies for dessert! Since we had such wonderful help in our group we were also able to decorate the dining area for the families. When everyone came in to eat, they were not only excited for taco night, they were also happy to see some balloons for a change! Before dinner was served, we had some extra time so the group was offered a tour of the house! It is such a heart touching experience and we recommend that you go take one for yourself! 
  
After eating, the children had the coloring station and the cookie decorating station to keep them busy! Even some of the parents jumped in and decorated their own cookies! The kids looked so happy with some of the biggest smiles I have seen in a while! For those of you that couldn’t make it, we encourage you to take a look at the pictures from this wonderful event. At the end of the night when we were cleaning up, the Ronald McDonald House staff was still in the process of putting up the Wish List items that we donated as a group! By this time it was around 7:30, when we started there at 3!! When the night was over, I think everyone left with a smile on their face! It was truly a great night! 
  
Stay on the lookout for the next Triangle Volunteer event!

Check out the Flickr here!

CUaware Triad held a fundraising event called CUdowntown, an 80s
themed tour of local restaurants and bars in downtown Winston-Salem. One hundred percent of the proceeds from this event benefited the iCan House, a non-profit organization in Winston-Salem, NC that provides educational resources and social interaction opportunities to those who live with social challenges. 25 people signed up for the event, dressed in 80s fashion and raised a total of $450.

“I’m happy to see how CUaware has brought local credit unions together to make us all aware of the credit union industry’s value, connect the vast credit union employee network in Winston-Salem, and support the community where we work and live,” said Jessica Dillon, Chair of CUaware’s Triad Chapter and
Quality/Compliance Supervisor for Piedmont Advantage CU.

The tour began at 5 PM with free food, games and 80s trivia at
Foothills Brewery on Fourth Street in Winston-Salem. At seven o’clock it moved to Bulls Tavern, four doors down from Foothills, where contestants we quizzed during a 80s trivia contest. Dirk Spainhour of Summit CU won the trivia contest and received a $50 gift card to amazon.com.  

“It really was fun to take a step back and try to remember things from the 80s,” remarked Spainhour. “This proved that all my TV watching really paid off!”

In addition to participating in an 80s trivia contest, everyone who registered and attended received a CUaware wristband, a Summit CU can huggie, and a ticket to enter a raffle for Foothills Beer School Tickets. An 80s costume contest took place at The District Rooftop Bar and Grill, the third destination of the tour. The winner was Catherine Jones who called her look, “Fluffy Cyndi Lauper.” Her prize was a $50 iTunes gift card. The second place prize for both trivia and the costume contest was a $25 VISA gift card and the third place was a CUaware T-shirt.


Prizes for the event were donated by CRI Solutions, Ensemble, Foothills Brewing, Members CU, and Summit CU. Bulls Tavern donated 10% of their proceeds between 7PM and 9 PM to the iCan House. CUaware plans to make the CUdowntown tour an annual charity event in both the Triad and Triangle regions.