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Community Spark Award 2020 Finalist: Western Vista Credit Union

By September 10, 20202 min read

Western Vista supports a multitude of non-profits in its community, including the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Foundation, Rotary, Kiwanis, Laramie County Library Foundation, Old West Museum, Cheyenne Animal Shelter, Air Force Association, Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, Casper Chamber of Commerce and more.

Most recently, five members of its team attended a virtual conference hosted by its online banking provider. There was a contest during the conference for attendance, engagement and social media presence. The team at Western Vista Credit Union rallied and was selected as one of the top three participants. For its efforts, WVCU received $5,000 for the charity of its choice. WVCU selected Habitat for Humanity of Laramie County. Earlier this year, it signed on as a gold sponsor. The additional funds allowed it to elevate our sponsorship to a platinum level, in line with larger credit unions. 

The Western Vista team believes that there is more to supporting a community than just writing a check. Members of its team are actively engaged with dozens of organizations in the community. Once the building project for Habitat for Humanity begins, the credit union gives every employee a half-day of paid time to participate.

For the past couple of years, WVCU has been recording its employees’ community service hours. In 2019, its team of fewer than 50 people logged 3,780 community service hours. Five members of our staff had more than 300 hours! This resulted in WVCU receiving the Cheyenne Chamber’s Community Service Award.

In 2020, one of its most notable spark-creating activity is a program called “Signs for Seniors.” In Cheyenne, it partnered with its local utility, the school district, the city and the Downtown Development Authority to hang light pole banners honoring every graduating senior in the city. The effort was coordinated and paid for by Western Vista. This project took place over the course of about six weeks — from idea spark to full implementation. It is nearly impossible to put into words the effort that went into making it a success.

We would encourage you to visit https://www.facebook.com/SignsForSeniorsCheyenne to see how much people enjoyed this project. Here you will see photos of seniors posing with their signs. 

Western Vista Credit Union received emails and in-person comments from members and non-members alike indicating how much this project meant to the graduates and their families. What was intended to be a one-time project is now likely to be an annual initiative.