IC’s Great Holiday
GiveBack
We’re celebrating the season of giving in a big way
Winter holidays are when our community comes together and celebrates the commitment we have to each other. For the second year in a row, we’ve let you – members and IC team members – choose which charities most deserve our help. We’ve raffled off the chance to nominate your favorite non-profits to receive more than $26,000 in donations from IC. To see who our winners nominated and why, check out the interviews attached to each charity logo below.
Which charities did our 10 winning members select?
Nowhere is the ethic of community solidarity clearer than in the charities selected by our members this year. Every single organization that received $1,000 donations is a true local organization, no massive corporate organizations among them. Animal shelters, after-school organizations, children and family services, and cancer research and support programs are among the groups nominated by both members and team members. Each winning non-profit nominated by our members addresses multiple needs in their respective communities and illustrates the importance of taking care of each other at the most fundamental level.
To learn more about these organizations and why they were chosen, hover over the tiles below for interviews with the members who nominated them.
Deborrah Normandin
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
I’m nominating the Alzheimer’s Association. As a daughter of a mom who had this horrible disease and as an LPN I am acutely aware of the amount of care someone with dementia requires. Alzheimer’s Assoc is making grounds in determining causes and searching for treatments. The upcoming senior population is expected to be very large. Hoping a treatment/ vaccine is developed.
Are there specific projects or campaigns of theirs that you feel especially passionate about supporting?
They are working on a project to decrease the amount of plaque in the brain.
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Amy Sullivan & Susan Downey
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
Susan: They provide so much support and a safe place for pre-teens and teens in Lunenburg. The kids have so much fun, too Their after-school programs and summer camps are phenomenal.
Amy: My kids both became members of the Boys and Girls club in 6th grade. My daughter joined and less than year in the Pandemic started. Through all this period the club figured out ways to still be a part of their lives. They kept them connected to their classmates in fun ways. It was another outlet for the kids to feel safe. Both kids have loved the summer camp. The team at the boys and girls club made summer fun and kept them busy. All of this time the biggest relief for me and many parents has been that the club is affordable when so many other options are not. Specifically finding a summer camp can be a huge financial burden on families. This town would not be the same without the Boys and Girls Club of Lunenburg and the staff that runs it.
Are there specific projects or campaigns of theirs that you feel especially passionate about supporting?
Susan: They have a dedicated staff who give so much extra.
Amy: Summer Camp for sure but they can use the funds to keep supporting all the kids that come through the door during the school year.
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Kevin St. Jean
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
Cameron’s Crusaders’ mission is to support families in the New England region who are struggling with a child with injuries or other illnesses, so they don’t also need to struggle financially.
Are there specific projects or campaigns of theirs that you feel especially passionate about supporting?
Families have always been faced with medical expenses for their children. Whether it be a long-term illness or an accident has happened. Payment for medication, procedures, and necessary equipment is not always 100% covered by insurance companies. As families try to cope with short-term or even years of out-of-pocket medical expenses and everyday living costs, they often reach critical breaking points. Not only do they risk losing their homes, stability, and hope, but also their ability to ensure their loved ones receive the vital care they need to survive. Cameron’s Crusaders are here to help children and their families during difficult times by providing funds and or assistance to help with their needs that are not covered by insurance and would otherwise be a burden for the families.
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Samantha Irwin
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
I am nominating CRJ because mission their mission is so important to our community. The mission is to change lives and strengthen communities by advancing policy and delivering individualized services that promote safety, justice, and inclusion. They empower individuals to overcome social, legal, and policy barriers that limit their opportunities to thrive. Working as the director for Shared Living, and being with the company for 11 years, I see first-hand the lives of individuals with disabilities that are impacted for the better each day.
Are there specific projects or campaigns of theirs that you feel especially passionate about supporting?
There are many to choose from such as supporting the use of new and upcoming assistive technology to enable our population to be as independent as possible, to renovations within the home to accommodate physical limitations.
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Eddy Troxler
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
They organize trash cleanups, mowing, raking leaves, etc. where needed.
Are there specific projects or campaigns of theirs that you feel especially passionate about supporting?
Spring cleanups.
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Mary Ann Moisan
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
Local help for the whole family. Homeless help. Clothing help.
Are there specific projects or campaigns of theirs that you feel especially passionate about supporting?
Finding shelter for the homeless residents of Fitchburg.
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Which charities did our 10 winning IC team members nominate?
Much like the groups chosen by our members, the winning IC team members focused their nominations on local, even neighborhood-level charities. These included after-school programs, animal rescue organizations, fertility support groups, and many others that dedicate themselves to strengthening the communities in which we work and live.
To learn more about these organizations and why they were chosen, hover over the tiles below for interviews with the team members who nominated them.
Shawn Woods
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
They are a no-kill shelter specializing in the re-homing of cats. I adopted my current cat from them. They are a small mostly volunteer organization that could really use the funds.
Are there specific projects or campaigns of theirs that you feel especially passionate about supporting?
I like any organization that supports the needs of animals. They are a dedicated group that really cares for the cats.
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Dwana Mercier
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
They are a great organization that assists with after-school care for youth but also provides many other services for them such as wellness/life skills, Arts, Education & Career development, Sports/Fitness, and Character/leadership skills. I’m passionate about this organization because they provided services to my family when my daughter was young, giving her some of the necessary tools to become the successful adult she has now become.
Are there specific projects or campaigns of theirs that you feel especially passionate about supporting?
No. I would be happy to support any of their projects or campaigns.
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Brian Cormier
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
They provide the acquisition and stewardship of open space in the communities we serve.
Are there specific projects or campaigns of theirs that you feel especially passionate about supporting?
The work they do maintaining hiking trails in Gardner, Ashburnham, Templeton, and Fitchburg to name a few make our communities a better place to live. They also have educational programs such as owl scat analysis with local schools and wheelchair accessible trails in some of their properties.
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Brittany VanVleck
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
This is a no-kill shelter in Lunenburg. They care for animals while they search for new homes. I have volunteered at the shelter on and off over the last 15 years, and everyone there really cares about the animals.
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CarrieAnne Cormier
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
Resolve New England is a local organization that provides support and resources to those that are navigating fertility and family-building challenges. They were an important resource in my life when I was struggling with recurrent pregnancy loss and infertility. We were finally able to build our family through 6+ rounds of IVF, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the Resolve support groups and friendships I made along the way.
Are there specific projects or campaigns of theirs that you feel especially passionate about supporting?
Nothing specific – everything they do brings tremendous value to all those involved.
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Heather DiBartolomeo & Dale Ludwick
Tell us about the organization you’re nominating. What do they do? Why are you passionate about them?
Heather: I absolutely love dogs/pets and very passionate about taking good care of them because no animal deserves to live in a shelter without a home or be left on the street. Pets are apart of our family and we need to take care of them as family.
Dale: LOVE THE WAY THEY CARE FOR ANIMALS AND A NO KILL SHELTER.
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$6,300 donated to charities chosen by other IC team members
Remaining IC team members who didn’t win were awarded $100 each to donate to charities of their choosing. Here are a few of the organizations that received their support.
Our commitment
We at IC Credit Union strongly believe that a credit union – or any business for that matter – is only as strong as the communities it serves. Since our inception in 1928 as a member-owned non-profit institution, we’ve focused on offering services that provide a positive impact to both our members and their neighborhoods. And throughout the year we’re deeply involved with a wide array of charitable organizations and nonprofits throughout Massachusetts, whether through outreach, volunteering, or corporate giving.
This year’s Great Holiday GiveBack is an opportunity for us to shine the spotlight on a number of these organizations that are close to our members’ and employees’ hearts, and share with you the reasons why.
Click below to learn more about IC’s charitable and corporate giving programs, aimed at making a positive difference in our Massachusetts communities.
