SAULT STE. MARIE — A local credit union is giving back to the community with a day of volunteering across the Eastern Upper Peninsula.
This Juneteenth, the Soo Co-op Credit Union is holding the second annual downtown clean-up volunteer day.
What began as a volunteer program for credit union employees has grown and expanded into a company-wide day of helping.
“We basically revamped that and kind of recommitted to making a bigger impact in our community,” said Soo Co-op Credit Union Development Manager Samantha Brown. “So we’ve committed to at least one full staff volunteer day per year.”
Last year, more than 80 credit union employees from every branch and local volunteers helped with more than a dozen projects.
“It was a really great experience for team building, and definitely was an uplifting experience for us to get to take the day off work and go help out in our community,” said Brown.
The group will be partnering with local organizations, including the city, for this year’s projects, including cleaning up local parks, assisting with city maintenance projects and more.
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The day will also include garbage clean-up in whatever areas the city needs, including along sidewalks and streets.
“We’re definitely tackling a larger range of projects this year,” said Brown. “We’re all volunteering for three hours that day, that’s a big community impact in one day.”
With this program, the credit union hopes to eventually expand and create more volunteer opportunities for employees and community members throughout the U.P.
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
