A DESIRE TO INSPIRE
WFCU outlines programs
If the sky looks like its falling next Easter weekend in LaSalle, no worries — it will just be 25,000 eggs being dropped from a helicopter as part of the Windsor Family Credit Union’s first Easter Egg Drop at the Vollmer Complex.
The egg drop was just one of the signature events that are part of the WFCU’s Inspire, Building Better Communities program unveiled Wednesday by WFCU president and CEO Eddie Francis. “These initiatives will take a different form, a different scope, but all share the common aim of giving back to our community,” Francis said. “It’s about building upon the successful record the WFCU Credit Union has in terms of giving back.
“This is about adding a significant amount of programs that touch upon every demographic possible to help build a better community.”
The multi-faceted program will see the resurrection of the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee at the St. Clair College Centre for the Arts. The regional winner will qualify for the finals in Washington, D.C. WFCU is also pledging to bring in a well-known personality in entertainment, sports or politics each year for the Speaker’s Series. “We’re in the process of finalizing the contract of the speaker,” said Francis, who said WFCU was originally trying to land Michelle Obama as the first speaker before Olympia Entertainment scooped up the former First Lady for Detroit’s Little Caesar’s Arena. “It’ll be a well-known (American) personality that people, I would say, watch every night,” Francis said. “The speakers will be of a calibre that otherwise would not make it here.” Personalities like Michelle Obama command speaker’s fees of about $200,000 US.
The WFCU movie night is aimed at families and will be held outdoors in parks and towns around the area.
“We’re talking about everything,” Francis said when asked if he was looking at downtown street closures for a film night.
“It would be cool if we could use the Windsor Star billboard.” Fresh off cementing a partnership with the Detroit Lions recently, Francis fleshed out what that relationship means by announcing the creation of the Detroit Lions’ Financial Literacy Program aimed at area students.
In addition to financial literacy, the program will also touch on reading, anti-bullying and promoting self-esteem. The Lions will supply players and team personnel to address students at their schools.
Francis said details of how to access the program and the other ones announced Wednesday would be released in the near future. The regional spelling bee will be held in February and is open to Windsor, Essex and Kent County residents.
The egg drop is scheduled for Saturday, April 20, while the WFCU Movie Nights will be held during the summer in parks, downtowns and outside the city of Windsor. The Inspire program has been months in the making as the credit union solicited ideas how to say thanks to a community that has helped it grow exponentially over the past decade.
“We’ve invested $10 million in the community over the last 15 years,” said Marty Gillis, chair of the WFCU’s board of directors. “We wanted to do more.” Francis added there are plans to expand the Inspire program by adding events locally and to introduce them to the new markets as the credit union grows its presence in Ontario.
Though he declined to specify the numbers, Francis said the WFCU is investing a significant amount of dollars in its Inspire program. “There’s plenty of room to expand,” Francis said. “The important thing was to create the Inspire brand and share that with the community and give them a sense of the elements we’re looking at.”