3Rivers Gives Back: A Review of our Community Efforts in 2023
We’re grateful to be able to reflect on another fantastic and incredibly eventful year of community giving.
3Rivers takes pride in actively engaging with the communities we serve. Despite the challenges posed by current economic conditions, we are grateful for the numerous opportunities to remain involved. As a cooperative, we relish being present among the people and in the communities that define our service areas. Our commitment goes beyond financial support, extending to volunteerism, education, in-kind contributions, and various other forms of assistance
Here’s a look at how we gave back in 2023.
Supporting Local Events
Last year, we sponsored and participated in dozens of local community events, including festivals, arts performances, local sporting events, charity walks, parades, educational seminars, and more.
Across northeast Indiana, we supported hyper-local and regional organizations dedicated to improving the community. Events hosted by Habitat for Humanity, Amani Family Services, and Le Tour de Fort allowed our team members to participate in events for great causes. We sponsored fundraisers supporting the AppleTree Center, Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Indiana (DSANI), LC Nature Park, and many others! We’re big fans of local sports, and were proud to continue our partnerships with the Komets and TinCaps.
One of our favorite weekends in East Central Indiana was spent tasting delicious local cuisine during the Wayne County Chamber Flavor of Wayne County. In the fall, we were grateful for the opportunity to walk to raise awareness and funds for the American Society for Suicide Prevention. We also supported multiple events through the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, Town of Fortville, Girls Inc., Reid Health Foundation, Live in Liberty Concert Series, and the Hagerstown Little League.
Additionally, we were involved in supporting many arts organizations in our communities, including Fort Wayne Artist’s Guild, Fort Wayne Youtheatre, North Adams Arts Council, and Richmond Civic Theatre. Through our partnership with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, we spent some beautiful summer nights supporting their Sunset Series. For the third year, 3Rivers was the proud title sponsor of the Taste of the Arts Festival in downtown Fort Wayne. Organized by Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, this yearly celebration highlights the vibrant diversity of arts and cultural offerings across Northeast Indiana.
We also completed our expansion into Central Indiana in 2023, and continued putting down roots in Fortville, Pendleton, and Muncie. We’re excited to be branching out into these communities and taking part in many local events! We’ve enjoyed getting to know and support the Anderson Museum of Art and the Fortville Parks Department, and had a wonderful time taking part in Fortville’s annual Winterfest.
While supporting community events is a key part of our commitment to giving back, providing our communities with resources and education to better their personal and financial wellness is just as important to us. We partnered with BBB Serving Northern Indiana to host two free community shred days, the Red Cross to host a blood drive, and spent time in local schools and with local businesses to provide free financial education on a variety of topics.
Volunteering Our Time
In addition to financial support, our nearly 500 team members committed to volunteering their time and talent to a variety of causes, non-profit boards, and charitable events in 2023. Annually, we organize a company-wide Give Back Day and provide our staff with two paid volunteer days. Our team surpassed expectations by dedicating countless hours to volunteer work beyond these paid opportunities, actively contributing to various non-profits and causes they are passionate about. We take immense pride in their commitment!
Beyond Give Back Day, many team members extend their paid volunteer time and personal efforts, forging enduring commitments to various causes. Some are deeply involved, serving on Boards or teaching regular Junior Achievement classes. Others consistently participate in events like United Way's Day of Caring, local parades, including the Kendallville Lantern Parade, Bluffton Street Fair, Hagerstown’s Jubilee Days, and St. Mary’s Summerfest.
Clearly, our team is enthusiastic about active participation, and we are steadfast in our commitment to fostering increased community engagement among our team members. In 2023, we completed the second year of our Community LEADERS program. The program instills in team members the perspective and role of community trustees. We take a proactive approach to train participants, ensuring they become highly skilled community board and committee members. Several graduates have already joined a variety of non-profit Boards, including Community in Schools, Junior Achievement, Kiwanis Club, and more!
Donating Our Dollars
We had a successful funding cycle in 2023 for our 3Rivers Credit Union Foundation, which focuses on supporting three key initiatives: financial wellness, education, and health and wellness. Since its inception in 2015, we’ve invested over $1.5M to over 100 non-profits in the communities we serve. In 2023 alone, we awarded $232,500 in grants to programs addressing a variety of needs in our community. It’s an honor to support organizations like Lexi’s Voice, Every Child Can Read, Out of a Jam, and Communities in Schools of Wayne County just to name a few! We love learning about the countless non-profits that work tirelessly to improve the lives of people in our communities every day.
Our fourth quarter funding cycle coincided with Giving Tuesday, and we were able to grant over $84,000 to 28 local non-profit organizations on this day, with team members dropping by the organizations to surprise them with the news!
Additionally, we continued our ongoing corporate partnerships with The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, Boys and Girls Clubs of Wayne County and of Fort Wayne, Richmond Art Museum, Cinema Center and many others.
We’ve shared how generous our team members are with their time, but they’re equally giving in terms of donating, too! This year, for our Annual United Way Campaign, over 250 of our employees pledged more than $100,000 through contributions and matches. On top of that, 3Rivers donated an additional $3,500 to many regional United Way in our multiple-county service area.
To end the year, we encouraged our team members to find their own ways to give back, in the ways they felt had the most impact. We had groups come together to gather food for local pantries, buy coats for children in need, sponsor underprivileged families to provide gifts for the holidays, and more. You can read more about this initiative, featured in Business People magazine.
As we look back at 2023, we celebrate all those who work hard to make a difference in our communities. Every year, our inspiration grows as we witness non-profit organizations, community leaders, partners, and our team members dedicating their time, talents, and resources to significant causes. We are immensely grateful to embody the credit union philosophy of "people helping people" and anticipate making an even greater impact in 2024!