3 minutes
CUES members and Directors Conference attendees give generously to support Maui wildfire relief.
It isn’t every day that I cry at work. But it does happen. I used to try to hide it. But now, instead of feeling shame, I embrace my tears as part of who I am.
“Why are you crying today, Theresa?” you might be asking. I’m glad you asked. Today I am thankful to be part of the credit union movement.
In times of crisis, the credit union world always amazes with how it comes together to help, support and comfort those in need. I am in awe of the good this community does every day, and more so during tough times. Being part of such an amazing group fills me up and brings out the tears.
Your actions today have reinforced, again, just how special this movement is.
In August, when the wildfires burned on Maui, CUES was devastated. We have a very special connection to this beautiful island and its gracious inhabitants, having hosted 10 events there since 2000.
I was privileged to visit Maui with CUES back in 2006. I brought my then-fiancé with me. It was his first trip to Hawaii. We drove all over the island, enjoyed the amazing food at Mama’s Fish House and saw so many whales! The highlight was a drive we took to Lahaina for dinner. On the way, we stopped at a roadside stand selling freshly squeezed guava juice. To this day that beverage is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. Then, we ate at a rooftop restaurant. My husband still has a photo of us from that night on his desk. It broke my heart to know that wonderful place and its amazing people were hurting.
As CUES prepared to return to the Hyatt Regency Maui last month for Directors Conference, we knew you, our members, would want to help. Wow, did you ever come through! Collectively you donated more than $13,000, enough to give a gift card to each Hyatt Regency employee who lost their home. You donated another $14,000 to the Maui Food Bank, enough to provide more than 56,000 meals.
In the press release issued by CUES, we quote Luke Yurek, Hyatt Regency Maui director of rooms: “I’ve been with this company for 12 years and I’ve never seen anything like this. The real beauty of this island is in its culture and its people; we now consider you and everyone in this room to be ohana—part of our family. Thank you so much. This is unbelievable, and we’ll never forget it.”
In addition, CUES committed to invest $15,000 in the relief and recovery efforts of the credit unions and people of Maui. Our CEO, Heather McKissick, I-CUDE, said it best: “The humanity and kindness the CUES Directors Conference attendees have shown warms my heart, knowing the cooperative spirit of credit unions is strong, and the credo ‘people helping people’ is alive and well. It was our goal to leave behind more than we came with, and we hope we have done just that.”
I couldn’t be prouder to be part of this amazing credit union family. You can continue to donate on our page until this Friday, Dec. 22.
