CoVantage Cares Foundation provides over $435,700 to local non-profit organizations

For eight years, the CoVantage Cares Foundation and CoVantage Credit Union have partnered to hold a two-week fundraising campaign, kicking off every year on Giving Tuesday. This year’s donations pushed the campaign’s eight-year total to $2.7 million in support for 90 local organizations.

CoVantage Cares Foundation has announced that this year checks totaling $435,783 were presented to local non-profit groups that serve communities where CoVantage Credit Union has branches. The funds were made possible thanks to generous donations by CoVantage Credit Union members, staff, and community members who supported the Foundation’s 2023 Giving Tuesday campaign from Nov. 28 to Dec. 12.  

This year, branch staff throughout CoVantage Credit Union’s locations were asked to select a non-profit group in their community to be the recipient of funds raised, with the understanding that contributions generated during the two-week fundraising campaign would be matched up to $175,000 by the CoVantage Cares Foundation. Thanks to the matching funds, along with the generosity of many, donations totaling $435,783 were gifted locally. Crandon Area Rescue Squad is using donated funds to upgrade equipment on their ambulance to improve emergency response care while serving several municipalities in Forest County. 

The Rhinelander Area Food Pantry will use the donation to support their mission of providing nutritious foods to their neighbors. The nonprofit received $20,825.48.

Charlie Zanayed, CoVantage CEO and CoVantage Cares Foundation board president, shared the following regarding this year’s campaign, “CoVantage Credit Union has a history of supporting local non-profit organizations and living our mission of welcoming all, providing outstanding value and exceptional service, working with members experiencing financial challenge, and remaining financially strong. Thanks to the generosity of our members, employees, and community members we have been able to make an incredible impact with this campaign. We are humbled by the amazing level of support for each of these well deserving non-profit organizations.” 

Charities selected to receive funding from the eighth annual Giving Tuesday initiative and their sponsoring CoVantage branches include: Crandon Area Rescue Squad (Crandon, Wis.); Rhinelander Area Food Pantry (Rhinelander, Wis.); Antigo Community Food Pantry (Antigo, Wis); Elcho Area Community Food Pantry (Elcho, Wis.); Hmong American Center (Wausau, Rib Mountain, Weston, Rothschild, Wis.); Community Benefit Tree (Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, Wis.); Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin (Shawano, Wis.); Evergreen Community Initiatives (Stevens Point & Plover, Wis.); Encompass Early Education & Care (Suamico & De Pere, Wis.); Abundant Life Mission (Menominee, Mich.); Friends of the Crystal Falls District Community Library (Crystal Falls, Mich.); Iron County Little League (Iron River, Mich.); and Lincoln-Way High School Foundation (New Lenox & Mokena, Ill.).

For more information about CoVantage Cares Foundation, or to obtain the grant application needed to request a donation, visit www.covantagecu.org/cares.