Champions First Credit Union Wins First-Place National Award from CUNA

Credit Union National Association (CUNA) named Champions First Credit Union the first-place winner of the national 2021 Louise Herring Award for Philosophy in Action. Champions First Credit Union was previously recognized with the First Place 2021 Louise Herring Award for Philosophy in Action at the regional level by the League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates (LSCU), who submitted the Champions First Credit Union nomination to compete at the national level. Champions First Credit Union won first place in the $250 million to $1 billion in assets category. Second and third place awards in this category were won by credit unions in Indiana and Illinois, respectively.

The Louise Herring Award for Philosophy in Action recognizes and honors credit unions that demonstrate, in an extraordinary way, the practical application of credit union philosophy for internal programs and services. Champions First Credit Union’s entry illustrated its “People Helping People” philosophy by detailing the success of its Financial Fitness Campaign, which launched in February of 2020 to assist current and prospective members in lowering their monthly bills and saving money through refinancing options, balance transfers, and new loans. During the three-month campaign, Champions First Credit Union saved its members more than $400,000 with an average per-member savings of $2,123.

During the 2020 Financial Fitness Campaign Champions First Credit Union members could track their favorite Financial Fitness Trainers (branch supervisors who competed in a friendly competition to see who could save members the most) through an interactive website. Champions First Credit Union encouraged people to call, email, or visit a Financial Fitness Trainer to “Get Fit in 2020” and see how much they could save through the program. After the pandemic began impacting communities in March of 2020, Champions First Credit Union shifted the focus of our campaign to assist members affected by COVID-19 and suffering financial hardships.

The Louise Herring Award for Philosophy in Action is named after Louise Herring, dubbed the “Mother of Credit Unions” by the Ohio General Assembly for her help in chartering nearly 500 credit unions.