It’s Been One Year Since NuvisionCares Began, and We’re Reaching More People Than Ever

When you’re struggling, knowing somebody cares can make a huge difference in your ability to push through the difficulties. That’s exactly why we launched NuvisionCares around this time last year. During the height of the COVID-19 crisis, we saw people from many walks of life dealing with changing routines, new ways of life, and financial stress. We wanted to create an outreach program that would support different groups in our community in their times of need and honor them for their hard work.

Initially, we focused on those most obviously affected: frontline healthcare workers, small business owners, and first responders. But beyond these groups, countless others have been working their hardest to ensure things keep running smoothly for the rest of us. As we celebrate the one-year mark of this program, we’ve spent this month reaching some of these other groups in the communities we serve.

Helping Hardworking Hospitality Workers in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Over the past year, restaurant teams have faced uncertainty and risk, yet they’ve continued to serve and adapt to keep guests happy and safe. For Cheyenne residents, local restaurants are the lifeblood of the community. We wanted to show our gratitude for hospitality workers’ tireless work by acknowledging them in a special way.

We did this in April by distributing 125 free family meals to outstanding workers facing hardship in the restaurant industry. After a long day preparing food at work, settling in for a family meal without having to do any cooking is something every restaurant worker appreciates. Each meal package we gave away was valued at $50.00 and could feed a family of four.

Individuals who received meals were nominated by management at their restaurants. Those who were chosen had struggled and persevered through difficulties associated with COVID. Some dealt with reductions in hours or pay, while others faced financial struggles coming from illness. But across the board, they all continued their work and were always a source of support for the business.

Nominees came from 15 restaurants across Cheyenne. Each one of them was given a hand-delivered gift by Cheyenne team members, including a treat from a local bakery, a handwritten thank-you note, and a voucher to redeem their meal from Wyoming’s Rib & Chop House.

We couldn’t have done this outreach without incredible community partners, like Wyoming’s Rib and Chop House. The community in Cheyenne has been so supportive in all of our outreach events, so we would like to extend a big “thank you” to them all.

Honoring Essential Employees at Abbot’s Grocery in Alaska

On April 6^th, we recognized the workers at the CARRS Abbott store by delivering care packages to over 150 CARRS employees at the location, which included a $50 VISA gift card, cookies, candy, and handwritten thank you note.

“We thought it is time to recognize grocery store workers for their efforts to keep us supplied with essential products and services during the pandemic,” said Roger Ballard, Nuvision Credit Union CEO. “Their work has been, at times, overlooked, but certainly it’s appreciated by Nuvision and the residents of the communities they serve.”

Employees were thrilled and surprised to receive gifts from Nuvision. Even though they work hard every day, it’s rare for them to be recognized. It can be easy for them to forget just how appreciated they are.

Reino Bellio, District Manager of all Safeway stores in Alaska, was especially appreciative, “I want to thank them for their kindness and recognition of our employees. Their team has been working hand-in-hand with us throughout the pandemic.”

“We have enjoyed our partnership with Denali/Nuvision for the past 18 years since they first opened a branch in our Abbott Carrs store,” Reino continued. “This recognition is greatly appreciated; our employees have consistently dedicated themselves to provide for the needs of residents in all of the communities we serve.”

Building Financial Futures in Southern California

Students are our community’s next first responders, service members, medical professionals, journalists, managers, engineers, and teachers. At Nuvision, we believe that our mission to build lives in the community means we have an obligation to also help those who are the future of our community.

One of the areas students most frequently struggle with is financial literacy. To combat this, we offered a Money Management Master Class to local students, a series of three financial webinars aimed at teaching successful money management skills. Held throughout April, these webinars covered topics like saving and budgeting, debt and loans, and credit cards.

The webinars will not be the end of our efforts. Now that the training is over, we’re offering attendees a chance to put their knowledge into practice to potentially earn a $5,000 scholarship. Any California high school senior or college student who attended the webinars or watches them on demand, writes a two-page essay on what they learned, and applies before May 21^st, 2021 has a chance to win. We’ll award two $5000 scholarships and ten $100 runner-up prizes. If you know or are a student interested in the scholarship, visit the Essay Challenge website to register and find more information.  

Through this year and every year, we’re here for you.

Our NuvisionCares program has grown beyond what we could have expected when it launched last spring. Since then, we’ve helped 14 small businesses stay open, fed over 4,000 meals to healthcare workers, donated 3,300 pounds of food to the Children’s Lunchbox summer meal kit program, recognized hundreds of essential workers, supported students trying to launch their careers and lives, and so much more.

This is who we are--a credit union that cares for you and the life you build. We’ll continue to help the people who need it in our community, while also recognizing the hard workers who keep us going every day.