Indiana CU sends RV to Mississippi CU staffer's family

INDIANAPOLIS (1/17/06)--Despite the best efforts of credit unions and relief organizations, the lives of many victims of last summer's Gulf Coast hurricanes still are not back to normal. Thanks to an unexpected repossession of a recreational vehicle (RV), one Indiana credit union provided help to a credit union family still without a proper home.

Professional FCU, a $245.2 million asset credit union in Fort Wayne, Ind., provided the 34-foot RV and drove it to Moss Point, Miss., on Jan. 6 so a credit union employee there and her family could live more comfortably.

Their home was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The mold in the house had triggered bouts of pneumonia in the family, which includes the employee, her teenage daughter and her 74-year-old mother who is recovering from heart surgery.

The RV will be available to them for a year.

"It seemed like fate," said Professional FCU President/CEO Barb Berghoff. "It is so rare to repossess an RV, and this one came back the day before we got the e-mail from the league explaining that housing for credit union employees and officials impacted by the hurricane was a priority."

Preparing the RV for the trip felt "just like adopting a family, and it was nice to know exactly who was benefiting from our efforts," Berghoff said.

The staff of Professional FCU, Fort Wayne, Ind., filled a Winnebago RV with supplies for a credit union staffer in Mississippi and her family, who will live in the RV. (Photo provided by the Indiana Credit Union League)
Credit union staff filled the RV with donated food, dishes, silverware, water and cleaning supplies. They added gift certificates to Wal-Mart for other necessities.

Executive Vice President Greg Troutner and Vice President of Marketing Bob Satterthwaite drove the 13 1/2-hour trip to Mississippi, beginning at 4 a.m. from Fort Wayne.

The effort was coordinated by the credit union, the Indiana Credit Union League and the Mississippi Credit Union Association. CUNA Mutual Group underwrote the insurance for the RV. Berghoff is vice chairman of the Indiana Credit Union Foundation and is close to the details about the needs of credit unions in the Gulf Region. She is also chair of Mid-States Corporate FCU, a major contributor to the foundation and donor to other disaster relief efforts.

The salty air along the Gulf Coast corrodes nails that hold housing frames together, adding to the rebuilding problems of the region, said the Indiana league. Housing is still a major issue for many credit union staff and their families.

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