American Eagle Financial Credit Union Supports Victims and Families of Violence; Employees Pledge Donations to Support Diversity, Equality & Inclusion
American Eagle Financial Credit Union (AEFCU), Connecticut’s largest community-focused credit union, announced two corporate and employee-driven donations addressing critical societal needs in greater Hartford and New Haven.
“Our donations address the spectrum of serious needs in our communities, from the immediate issues affecting those hurt by violence to the long-term solutions necessary to address health, education, and economic development,” said Dean Marchessault, President and Chief Executive Officer of AEFCU. “I want to thank both the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and our American Eagle Financial Credit Union employees for understanding the important issues we face today and providing the counsel and leadership that allowed us to make these meaningful contributions.”
Hartford Communities That Care (HCTC) received a $5,000 grant from the American Eagle Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. HCTC is a Hartford-based nonprofit organization committed to creating and supporting non-violent and drug-free communities in which youth and families can thrive.
The grant from American Eagle will directly support the Hartford Care Response Team in partnership with Trinity-Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center to address the mental health and medical needs of victims and their families affected by gunshot, knife wound, or blunt trauma.
The programs connect Violence Intervention Specialists with victims at a moment of significant crisis, offering trauma-informed, culturally responsive immediate and post-crisis interventions, including connections to in-home and outpatient follow-up care; individual and family therapy; connections with community- and faith-based organizations; gang mediation; conflict resolution; substance abuse services; and guidance in connection with access to personal injury and survivor benefits compensation.
“Since 2004, Hartford Communities That Care have trained and deployed Community Intervention Specialist to augment public health and public safety efforts in the City of Hartford. Thanks to American Eagle Financial Credit Union, these funds will be used to support the training and supervision of these newly hired area residents,” said Andrew Woods, executive director of Hartford Communities That Care, Inc.
For more information about Hartford Communities That Care, visit www.hartfordctc.org.
In addition, the employees of AEFCU have pledged their third quarter donations from their Jeans Friday program to The Prosperity Foundation (TPF). The funding comes from employees who contribute money to wear jeans at work on Fridays from July 1 through September 30, 2020.
TPF is a community foundation designed to strengthen Connecticut’s Black communities in critical areas in health, education and economic development.
TPF is an outgrowth of the Urban Prosperity Fund, which was created in New Haven in 2010 in order to promote philanthropy, prosperity and self-empowerment in the Black community. TPF is a permanent and endowed vehicle addressing the Black community’s needs and bringing the community together around common interests. TPF has the features of a community foundation, including donor-advised finds, educational events, giving circles and other forms of philanthropy.
Through TPF, philanthropy is a path to grant-making for organizations serving the community and a portal through which Connecticut’s Black community and other interested parties can connect and collectively contribute to improving conditions and opportunities for the community.
For more information about The Prosperity Foundation, visit www.tpfct.org.
American Eagle employees donated a total of $11,489 during the second quarter. Jeans Fridays donations totaled $6,280 and was split evenly with $3,140 to the West Hartford Food Pantry and Cornerstone Foundation Food Cupboard in Vernon. In addition, The United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut received $2,645 and the American Eagle Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving received $2,273 from weekly employee payroll donations.
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 150,000 members, over $2 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.