American Eagle Financial Credit Union Caps Off Month-long Salute to Veterans with Donations to Five Organizations
EAST HARTFORD, CONN. – December 7, 2020 – Capping off its month-long salute to veterans and their families, American Eagle Financial Credit Union (AEFCU), Connecticut’s largest community-focused credit union, announces five $1,000 donations to organizations that support veterans.
The AEFCU donations, given from its Donor Advised Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, were selected by a group of AEFCU employees and given on five consecutive Mondays in November.
“This year we wanted to honor our veterans throughout November and in a way that would acknowledge and support as many of them as possible beyond Veterans Day observances,” said Dean Marchessault, president and chief executive officer of American Eagle Financial Credit Union. “The program was led by AEFCU employees, who were only too enthusiastic to celebrate those who served.”
In addition to the five $1,000 donations given on the five Mondays in November, AEFCU created the American Eagle Honor Roll of Veterans on its website as a thank you to those who retired from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines or Navy. The pubic was invited to submit names of themselves, former family members of friends. More than 160 names were collected for the American Eagle Honor Role of Veterans.
The five veterans-related organization that each received $1,000 AEFCU donations were:
· House of Heroes Connecticut. House of Heroes is a non-profit organization that coordinates repairs and improvements on the homes of military veterans facing physical or financial limitations. All repairs and improvements are done at no cost to the veteran and are completed by volunteers and skilled tradespeople who volunteer their time.
· Middlesex Community College Foundation. The foundation sustains educational opportunities for Middlesex students who are military veterans. In addition, the foundation engages veterans through a support and lounge center, a veteran’s club, career development, as well as access to many local and national resources, counseling, and assistance.
· Dog Star Rescue’s Dogs for Veterans program matches qualified veteran service men and women with deserving abandoned dogs, and provides each with a rewarding life experience. Dogs for Veterans focuses on matching rescue dogs to be companions and emotional support dogs, and to help heal the emotional wounds of military veterans.
· University of Connecticut Foundation – UConn Veterans Affairs and Military Program, whose mission is to support, advocate for, provide resources for, and advise over 800 military affiliated students to ensure they maximize the benefits they have earned and use them in the manner that best enables them to accomplish their educational goals.
· The Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Massachusetts, Inc. They are “veterans helping veterans” with a mission to serve veterans seeking assistance for service to our country. This includes disability claims, basic human needs, healthcare, employment, housing, substance abuse, and more.
“House of Heroes Connecticut is thrilled that American Eagle Financial Credit Union is supporting our work with this generous grant,” said House of Heroes Executive Director Dennis Buden. “We look forward to using these vital funds to provide home repairs for a New Haven County veteran in need in the near future.”
“We operate a 20-bed apartment building for needy veterans and a Homeless Veteran Transitional Home for individuals overcoming the challenges of drug and alcohol addiction,” said Gumersindo Gomez, Executive Director, Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Massachusetts, Inc. “This generous donation from American Eagle will help purchase food, winter clothing, and other necessities for our shelter residents this holiday season.”
Established in 1935, American Eagle Financial Credit Union (AEFCU) is a full-service credit union offering checking and savings accounts, credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, business accounts and more. American Eagle offers banking online, through its mobile app, or at one of its 15 branches located in Connecticut. AEFCU has more than 160,000 members, over $2.1 billion in assets, and offers banking services to anyone who lives, works, attends school, or worships in Hartford, Middlesex, Tolland, and New Haven County in Connecticut, and Hampden County in Massachusetts. For more information about American Eagle Financial Credit Union, visit www.americaneagle.org.