Successful businesses all over the state have the resources, reach, and responsibility to make a major positive impact in their communities and customers. DFCU takes that responsibility very seriously each year and 2022 was no exception. It’s what we do together that matters.
With a focus on financial literacy, education and health and human services, DFCU Financial gave support to projects all over the state.
School Involvement:
Detroit Public Schools Education Foundation:
This summer, a team of Youth Energy Squad (YES) students recognized that awareness and education were the most important factors in helping their communities take action against climate change. The self-named Climate Action Warriors partnered with the City of Detroit’s Green Task Force and local consultants to present the most important information about climate change to a group of more than 75 teachers and community educators as an example of how they could address climate change through their curriculum, even in a remote environment. DFCU Financial is proud to sponsor programs like this through Detroit Public Schools Foundation's EcoWorks program.
Birmingham Education Foundation:
1. Birmingham Therapy Dog pilot
DFCU is proud to sponsor the pilot therapy dog program through its support of the Birmingham Education Foundation. Pack of Dogs has been useful around the state to help allay the fears and anxieties of students — not just in Oxford district, but several other schools, including Birmingham, are piloting this special program.
2. DFCU and the Birmingham Education Foundation want to make these first days memorable and are sponsoring Kindergarten packets for Birmingham five and six year olds starting school this fall. All students who register will receive a special sign for their lawn and fun swag.
3. DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) is an association of marketing students that encourages the development of business and leadership skills through academic conferences and competitions. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. Birmingham Assistant Manager Bobbie Watson recently functioned as a judge at the DECA District Conference.
Lansing Educational Advancement Foundation:
DFCU Financial supports Career & Technical Education (CTE) opportunities for school districts around the state, including the Lansing School District on behalf of Lansing Pathways and the Educational Advancement Foundation.
The district’s CTE programs provide 11th and 12th grade students with the academic and technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners. New this year is the Skilled Trades in Construction, a one-year exploratory program in the building trades areas of: carpentry, electrical, flooring, heavy equipment, insulation, and iron work
Novi Educational Foundation:
DFCU Sponsored The "Authentic Voices" program which brought non-white community members and authors to share their stories, experiences, and perspectives with these middle school students.
Speakers included:
• Jakiyah Bradley - Novi graduate; student body president over NYU's 55,000 students; food insecurity activist
• Brandy Colbert - YA author of several award-winning books like The Voting Booth, The Only Black Girls in Town, and many others
• Supriya Kelkar - YA author of several award-winning books like The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh, Bindu's Bindis, American as Paneer Pie, and several others; Bonus: Lives in neighboring Northville
• Jack Cheng - YA author of See You in the Cosmos, an award-winning book; born in Shanghai but moved to Detroit when he was 5 years old
The NEF Environmental Literacy Grant, made possible in part by DFCU Financial, has helped almost 150 students do hands-on environmental science experiments in the Village Oaks Elementary Community! Students have learned about topics like dissolved nitrates, dissolved oxygen and clean drinking water as they have experimented on our local water supplies.
Taylor Education Foundation:
CB's Cafe (formerly The Chopping Block) is a student-run restaurant of the Taylor School District. Students learn customer service skills, money handling, basic cooking, and baking skills as well as everything it takes to work in the hospitality industry. To help fine tune those skills, the Taylor Educational Excellence Foundation utilizes the restaurant for special events and fundraisers. DFCU is proud to sponsor this and the Taylor Robotics program.
Children’s Literacy Network (Ypsilanti, Jackson and Ann Arbor):
DFCU sponsors this organization that designs and implements literacy-based programs to provide equitable opportunities for children to develop a love of reading and books. We are a volunteer-based nonprofit agency in Washtenaw County dedicated to closing the book and reading achievement gap to keep low-income students from falling further behind. CLN accomplishes this mission through innovative programming at the early childhood and school-age levels.
1. Children's Literacy Flip Night-PR
In a partnership with the Junior League of Ann Arbor, FLIP events are curriculum-based fun nights that take place at local elementary schools and Head Start preschools where students and parents move through stations and work together on fun literacy-based activities. DFCU Financial shares tips, games and prizes supporting financial literacy. Volunteers were excited to participate at two schools this year and discuss Spend, Save and Share
2. Book Pals
BookPALS is built on the well-known concept of “pen pals” and targets reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. The overarching goals are to increase children’s reading and language skills and motivation to read while building bridges between students who come from very different socioeconomic communities. Second and third graders from under-resource schools participate, along with peers from different communities.
Walled Lake Foundation for Educational Excellence:
DFCU contributed to the total of 44 grants equaling $19,735 were awarded to Walled Lake schools on behalf of the Education Foundation. Grant awards included providing funds for all 12 elementary schools' media centers to purchase graphic novels and eBook collections and for classrooms at nearly every elementary to receive funds to update and replenish classroom literacy libraries.
Other Education Foundations received funding including Dearborn, Grand Rapids, Garden City, Clinton Township
Ongoing in schools in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Dearborn, Detroit, Livonia
Banzai Interactive Financial Literacy Courses
Provided to four high schools and one middle school. Course teaches skills like budgeting, saving, understand debt, using internet safely, and more with experience-based online games. Virtual badges keep students motivated as they master diverse financial topics.
Bite of Reality:
Provided Bite of Reality instruction and app experience to junior and seniors. Students are assigned a career, credit card debt and student loan debt and must makes monthly purchases from nine lifestyle stations.
Community Involvement:
Gleaners Community Food Bank
Volunteers packed meals for those with food insecurities throughout Wayne County.
Invention Convention at the Henry Ford/Greenfield Village
Volunteers participated as judges for the statewide Invention Convention which brought together young, aspiring entrepreneurs.
Operations Good Cheer and Toys for Tots
Over the last two years, DFCU adopted volunteers over 60 children from around the state and provided their entire holiday wish list.