2019 Volunteer Organization of the Year: Land of Lincoln Credit Union
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
-Marin Luther King, Jr.
Volunteer Organization of the Year
The Good Samaritan Inn has named Land of Lincoln Credit Union as recipients of 2019 Volunteer Organization of the Year.
“LLCU has adopted us the past two years in a row. They have spent many hours hosting fundraisers to support us financially along with a constant team of volunteers working on our serving line. Their financial advisors spend time counseling with our training program students and investing in their lives. LLCU has been an outstanding community partner to the Inn.” -Reverend Stacey Brohard
Cooking Up A Helping Hand
In 2009 LLCU employees came together to take another approach on fundraising. “We all come together around food” states co-chair of LLCU Charity Committee, Bethanie Hogan. Employees from all branches in LLCU sent in their favorite recipes for a cookbook to sell as a fundraiser in support of The Good Samaritan Inn. Employees came together to format these cookbooks and add their own special touches such as baking tips and tricks. The final cookbook contained about 100 recipes.
With the help of Dyngraphics, LLCU was able to sell 200 cookbooks at no cost to them. The profit from the sale of these cookbooks went entirely to support The Good Samaritan Inn.
LLCU also comes together with a Chili lunch in support of The Inn. Time and time again LLCU employees come together with food to help an organization that comes together to provide hot meals in our community.
lead by example
Community involvement is something that is at the core of LLCU. The organization promotes community service by giving employees the opportunity to earn 14 hours of paid time for volunteering. The organization as a whole has a goal of 1200 hours a year. In most years, the organization has come together to exceed this goal.
These employees recognize the need in their community and address that need. The goal of their organization is to leave an impact on the community. They are all very proud of where they live and what they do in our community. This is why it is not uncommon for the organization to recognize individuals who go above and beyond and strive to volunteer more of their time than what is expected.
making a difference, together
The first time co-chair of Charity Committee, Bethanie Hogan, worked at The Good Samaritan Inn she recognized the need that Decatur had. One large take away from her experience was thankfulness that there is someplace in Decatur that people can come and get their hot meal. The people that fall onto these hard times may be closer than you think, it may be a neighbor, a family member, or a customer. She believes that we are very lucky to live in a community that supports people that need it.
Bethanie believes that it is extremely important to leave a legacy for what you want to be known for. It is a valuable experience to give back to something bigger than yourself. “There are so many ways to volunteer in the community and feel good about. It is going and seeing the need and helping. At LLCU we are able to do that.”
LLCU is able to help largescale within the community by doing successful fundraisers for The Good Samaritan Inn. They make an impact every day by helping their members establish better financial standing. They want to make sure that the Decatur area is a place that continues to grow for people that need it. Helping is apart of their everyday life at LLCU.
LLCU is waiting for the next opportunity to help. When approached with the question the response is: Of course, we are going to volunteer, what are we going to do next.