St. Louis credit unions embrace the holiday spirit

Published 1.5.22

Credit unions certainly leaned into the jolly this holiday season. Arsenal Credit Union and its employees paid it forward by donating to area causes and organizations; and Together Credit Union participated in the Pages for Holidays, a literacy initiative designed to introduce young readers to St. Louis authors and foster the love of reading.

Arsenal Credit Union celebrates the holidays with random acts of kindness

This holiday season, employees at Arsenal Credit Union paid it forward to the communities that they serve. Employees were given a $50 gift card to donate to a person, charity or other organization in need.

Individual employees were able to choose their own donation recipient or pool together as a department to make a larger donation. In total, the credit union made $3,400 in donations during the campaign. Organizations that employees donated included Belleville Area Humane Society, Maxine's Daycare Center, Mary's House of Hope, SSM Health St. Clare Hospital, Santa's Helper's, Inc., Extra-Life Charity, Second Chance Ranch, Homeless Youth Initiative, Advocates 4 Animals Pet Pantry and Rescue, American Cancer Society, Windsor Elementary, IFCLA - St. Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America, and a donation to the fire station in New Melle for tornado victims. 

View the websites and social media accounts for these organizations on Arsenal Credit Union's blog.

Community organizations band together to support Pages for the Holidays

Together Credit Union partnered with five St. Louis organizations to support Pages for the Holidays, a literacy initiative designed to introduce young readers to St. Louis authors and foster the love of reading through holiday-themed events and activities this holiday season. This initiative is led by Holidays in St. Louis Foundation and achieved in partnership with St. Louis Public Library, Turn the Page STL, St. Louis Black Authors of Children’s Literature, NinePBS, and Ameren Missouri.

“Reading inspires dreams, and we are proud to empower youth with resources to nurture their literacy skills,” said Bob McKay, president & CEO of Together Credit Union. “There is no greater holiday magic than the power of these dreams for the youth in our community.” 

Pages for the Holidays supports children’s literacy throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan Area through reading programs and book drives, and focuses on creating opportunities for children who would otherwise not have access to books. 

Activities included a Winter Reading Challenge hosted by the St. Louis Public Library, a Virtual Book Drive through Eye See Me Book Store, and a Coloring & Essay Contest based upon “Changing Seasons”, a children’s story written by local author, Mon Trice. Grand prize winners* of the Coloring & Essay Contest were announced during the Ameren Missouri Festival of Lights and named Junior Grand Marshals of the 2021 Ameren St. Louis Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

Literacy tents were also available during the 37th Annual Ameren Missouri Festival of Lights, held at Kiener Plaza, with resources and prizes. NinePBS, whose mission is to provide innovative means to support public education, aided Pages for the Holidays by promoting the initiative in the local market and donating 40 PBS Kids Playtime Learning Pads as prizes and giveaways for participants.