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Texas disburses $295,660 in disaster grants

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (10/6/08)--The Texas Credit Union Foundation (TCUF) continues to receive grant applications from credit union employees who experienced personal losses as a result of Hurricane Ike's destruction, according to the Texas Credit Union League.

As of late Thursday, TCUF has distributed 613 grants, totaling $295,660. To fulfill these grant requests in a timely manner, the foundation urged the continued support and efforts of the credit union community (LoneStar Leaguer Oct. 3).

"We are very grateful for the level of support from our credit union family, not for us, but for the hundreds who have experienced such devastation and upheaval in their lives. We want to remind all of our generous contributors that 100% of the donations go directly to the credit union employees who need help with the disaster recovery," said Jill Pharr, TCUF executive director.

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Pledges are updated daily, with the actual dollars received into TCUF's Disaster Fund standing at $343,793.06, which now includes those contributions made through the National Credit Union Foundation's (NCUF) CUAid.

In the three weeks since Hurricane Ike made landfall, the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) has received a total of $124,230 in donations through online donations), wire transfers, and checks, according to Steve Bosack, NCUF deputy director. NCUF has wired a total of $113,985 to TCUF to provide emergency grants to Texas credit union employees. Donors have designated the remaining $10,245 to Louisiana credit union employees who are facing needs ranging from "serious" to "critical," he added.

Some credit unions are still suffering from the storm's aftermath, but all have begun recovery repairs, said Phil Tschudy, CUNA Mutual Group media relations manager.

"As expected, we are seeing some new losses, all involving auto, repossessed auto and ATMs. The bottom line is the long route to recovery is well under way," he added. The Texas league rescheduled its 2008 Compliance, Audit and Human Resources Conference for Nov. 2-4 because of Hurricane Ike. The conference will be held in Dallas.

Attendees who already registered will have their commitments honored, though they will have to rebook their rooms with the new hotel. Early bird discounted registration rates will be extended until Nov. 2, the league said.

The league also plans a stuffed animal drive on International Credit Union Day Oct. 16. The toys collected will be given to children affected by the hurricane. The league also plans to work with the Credit Union National Association on an Adopt-a-CU program, in which credit unions are matched with credit unions recovering from the storm.

Dr. Susan Fletcher, a psychologist, will be invited to assist those recovering from the disaster. Fletcher is a former aide to television personality Dr. Phil.

Dick Ensweiler, league president/CEO, also visited a number of credit unions impacted by the disaster (see slideshow), including Firestone Community CU, Bridge City, Texas, and Five Point CU of Nederland, Texas, which operated out of a mobile unit after the storm.

The Texas league crisis-management team will continue meeting each Monday and Thursday through the end of November. About 11,000 households are still without power on Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula, the league said.

Roughly 190 credit unions were affected by the hurricane; 29 are partially operational. CU Resources is working with its alliance partners to review services they can provide to affected credit unions. Critical needs include furnishings and equipment.

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