Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – A number of area non-profit organizations will be able to “Count on The County” thanks to an initiative announced last Thursday at the County Federal Credit Union’s [CFCU] Presque Isle branch.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell JohnsonKen Hensler, president and chief executive officer of the County Federal Credit Union [CFCU], recently announced a new initiative called “Count on The County.” CFCU will award $1,000 each month for the next 12 months to a non-profit organization in Aroostook County. Community members are invited to nominate a non-profit organization of their choice by submitting their nomination on the CFCU’s Web site at countyfcu.org or in person. Each month, the “Count on The County” selection committee will choose a non-profit from the list of submissions to receive the financial award.
President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Hensler said CFCU will award $1,000 each month for the next 12 months to a non-profit organization in Aroostook County.
“Most of us who work here are involved with other organizations,” said Hensler. “On a monthly basis, we tally up the volunteer hours that our management and staff contribute to their communities … whether it be at church, food pantries, etc.
“I saw so many hundreds of hours each month that my employees give back and I thought, ‘My gosh, we represent so many organizations,’” he said. “At the same time, we’re now starting to see the results of the big economic crisis that we saw nationwide a while back. People are starting to see they have high energy bills, unemployment has increased a bit, and the government has cut back on its grant programs and its funding sources for all these non-profits. We said, ‘Maybe we can do something – not on a huge scale like giving $50,000 to one organization – but maybe level that out over a period of time.’ That’s how this whole thing evolved.”
Community members are invited to nominate a non-profit organization of their choice by submitting their nomination on the CFCU’s Web site or in person. Each month, the “Count on The County” selection committee will choose a non-profit from the list of submissions to receive the financial award.
“We want to do our part to support Aroostook County,” said Ellen Bemis, chair of the CFCU board of directors. “We encourage participation and we hope people will take part in this wonderful initiative to support our region during these difficult times.”
Hensler said the selection committee, which presently consists of three board and five staff members, has already selected a non-profit for October that will be announced next month.
“I hope that we are overwhelmed [with nominations], but that has a double-edged sword. If you’re overwhelmed, that means there’s a need greater than what we imaged,” said Hensler, “but we hope people will step forward and recognize that this is a large commitment.
“Our credit union isn’t a national association that has billions of dollars in resources,” he said. “The money that we will be using to fund this are monies that we generate through the activities here at the credit union … basically our net income for the year is where this money will come from. It will be a budgeted item for us.”
Rep. Patricia Sutherland (D-Chapman) was on hand for the announcement.
“I was really excited when Ken [Hensler] told me about this program and invited me to come,” said Sutherland. “It’s great to see a local business respond to the needs of our region in such a positive way. We pride ourselves in Aroostook County on being friends and helping one another, and this initiative is a tremendous example of what community businesses can do to help others in the region.
“The direct engagement of the community gives many of us who don’t have the means to make a financial difference in the work of our favorite non-profit the opportunity to do so,” she said.
Hensler reminds residents that they don’t have to be a member of the credit union to nominate a charitable organization.
“Anyone can offer a suggestion,” he said, “and you don’t have to nominate solely online. People can come in and tell us. We’re going to have a sheet in the lobby and people can write down their suggestion. There are a lot of worthy organizations out there, and we don’t want to miss any of them. By having people nominate a non-profit, they’ll be able to tell us whose out there and what their needs are. The community has to tell us that.”
Eligible submissions must be a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization in good standing. For more information or to submit a nomination, log onto countyfcu.org or visit one of the branch offices in Presque Isle, Caribou or Fort Fairfield.
