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Toy Drive Brings Joy to Many this Holiday Season1/11/2023

KCCU Staff with Angel Tree Gifts
_{Photo caption: Kellogg Community Credit Union team members display a few of the many generous toy drive donations made this holiday season}

KCCU Host Holiday Toy Drive

January 6, 2023

KCCU partnered with three local organizations to help provide toys for children and teens in need this holiday season. KCCU set a goal to collect 500 toys, games, and gift cards to help support the efforts of the Salvation Army, There’s Enough, and the St Joseph County United Way. With generous donations from KCCU members, employees, and board of directors we exceeded our goal by collecting over 630 gifts!

For the nineteenth consecutive year, KCCU was host to the Salvation Army Angel Tree toy drive, utilizing eight ofour branch locations throughout Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids, as drop off locations for toy donations. In addition, KCCU’s Three Rivers branch collected toys for the St Joseph County United Way, and Marshall’s branch supported the toy drive for There’s Enough. KCCU’s annual toy drive is a favorite event for employees and members, it is heartwarming to know that by donating a toy, game, or gift card you directly affect a child in West Michigan by bringing them the magic and joy of the holidays.

“I am so proud of our members, team, and board of directors. Exceeding our goal by over 130 gifts is truly amazing and we could not have done this without their generosity,” states Tracy Miller, KCCU’s CEO. “The holidays can be hard and especially stressful for those who are in need. We are so grateful for our community partners and that KCCU was able to bring joy to children who otherwise might not have received a gift this holiday season.”

KCCU Coat Drive has Local Impact11/3/2022

KCCU Hosts Successful Coat Drive

November 3, 2022

KCCU held our annual coat drive throughout the month of October. The goal behind the coat drive is to help the members of the communities in which they serve stay warm during the upcoming colder months. With the current economy the way it is, KCCU knows that every coat, hat, and mitten that they collect will be put to good use in our community.

KCCU is proud of their team and members who truly live out the credit union philosophy of people helping people, donating over 291 new and gently used coats and cold weather items this year. A variety of sizes were donated, ranging from infants to adult. KCCU partnered with these local charities and nonprofits to make sure the items donated get to those in need: Charitable Union (Battle Creek); There’s Enough (Marshall); St. Joseph County United Way (Three Rivers); Salvation Army (Kalamazoo County); and Bethany Christian Services (Grand Rapids).

“With winter just around the corner, we are so grateful to everyone who participated in our coat drive this year” stated Tracy Miller, KCCU’s CEO. “We are honored to be able to collect and provide these essential winter items for local charitable organizations to distribute. We know how important it is to provide support to members in the communities we serve, and we are committed to do so. This would not be possible without the KCCU team, KCCU members, and our community. I want to thank everyone who donated for your generous support this year. We couldn’t have done it without you!”

KCCU’s vision statement includes “providing opportunity and lifelong value to our members and our community.” KCCU takes this statement seriously and has demonstrated their commitment by hosting a Coat Drive for the past 21 years as they know there is always a great need for the items collected.

KCCU Receives Best Workplace Award10/14/2022

_{Photo caption: Pictured from L-R: SWMI First Chamber Director, Clarence Lloyd; KCCU CEO, Tracy Miller; KCCU CCO, Amber Mallernee; KCCU VP of HR, Jessica Bissenden; SWMI First Chamber Membership & Events Coordinator, Kevin Crittenden; Chamber Ambassador, Rex Simpson, Owner of Hobby-Sports}

KCCU receives Best Workplace award

October 14, 2022

Kellogg Community Credit Union is thrilled and honored to announce that we have received the Best Workplace award for 2022 by the Southwest Michigan First Chamber!

The 2022 Chamber’s Choice awards exist to partner with our community to recognize and celebrate the businesses and leaders that are making a huge impact in Kalamazoo County. There are currently (8) Chamber’s Choice awards and (10) Best of Kalamazoo County awards. One of the Best of Kalamazoo County award categories is Best Workplace which recognizes an organization that is a leader in workplace employee happiness, engagement, culture, retention, and attraction. Based on this description and after the votes were tabulated, Kellogg Community Credit Union received the highest total number of votes in this category!

“The Southwest Michigan First Chamber is honored to celebrate the team at Kellogg Community Credit Union as the winner for the Best of Kalamazoo County – Best Workplace award for 2022,” stated Clarence Lloyd, Director, Southwest Michigan First Chamber. “There has never been a more critical time for companies to focus on building world-class employee culture and serving their business mission by first serving their teams. Congratulations to the team at KCCU for being awarded this community recognition.”

“We feel truly honored to receive Southwest Michigan First’s 2022 Best of Kalamazoo County Award for Best Workplace!” said Amber Mallernee, KCCU’s CCO. “KCCU was nominated and selected by public vote, based on our workplace culture and engagement. We are incredibly grateful for our team, our members, and the community!”

KCCU Announces Teacher Grant Recipients9/1/2022

Teacher Grant Recipients Group 2

KCCU Supports Local Teacher with Grants

September 9, 2022

KCCU is thrilled to announce that for the second year in a row, we awarded teachers throughout West Michigan with grants for their classrooms. We understand that great educators are always seeking innovative ways to enhance their instruction and engage their students. With small classroom budgets, teachers often use their own funds to purchase supplies to provide the best educational experience for their students, and KCCU wanted to offer support to these deserving teachers.

The KCCU Teacher Grant Program was launched in 2021 and returned this year to provide classroom funds to local educators. Fifteen (15) teachers were selected to each receive $400 to purchase classroom supplies, totaling $6,000 going back to the classrooms in the communities they serve!

“At KCCU, we are committed to helping teachers who are educating our students and future leaders,” said Tracy Miller, KCCU’s CEO. “We know that teachers work hard and put in a lot of time, and often their own money, to provide the best possible learning experience for their students. Our hope is with these grants, educators can get the tools and resources needed for their students to succeed in the classroom.”

“My students are multilingual learners who come to school with a wide variety of needs,” said Casey Quick, English teacher at Parkview Elementary and recipient of a KCCU Teacher Grant. “I need a wide variety of resources in my classroom to help students achieve growth in their English language proficiency. This award will help me purchase classroom materials, books, and teaching resources that could help me address a great number of student needs. Learning a new language is incredibly difficult,” adds Ms. Quick, “but when I see students read and write new words, grow in their understanding of how English works, and speak more often in class, I am filled with joy. It really is special to be a part of a student's journey in learning a language.”

The KCCU Teacher Grant Program is open to all educators, Pre-K through grade 12, who teach in the 15 counties that KCCU serves. Visit www.kelloggccu.org for more information and to see the recent winners.

KCCU to Open Convenient New Branch in Downtown Marshall3/4/2022

February 23, 2022

We are excited to announce that our Marshall branch will move to a new location in 2022! KCCU recently purchased the historic building located at 107 N. Park Avenue – across the street from the Brooks Memorial fountain and just down the road from their current branch.

The new branch location will allow KCCU to offer members more convenient ways to do their banking with access to drive-up banking and a 24-hour ATM. We will continue to offer a full array of financial services for a one stop shop experience, including: assistance with daily transactions; savings and high dividend checking accounts; auto and other loans; mortgages; investment services; commercial accounts including lending - all with the world-class and local service KCCU members deserve.

“We have been a part of the Marshall community for 13 years, and during that time, we have enjoyed establishing relationships with the people and local businesses in the community,” stated Tracy Miller, KCCU’s CEO. “The new location will allow us to enhance the member experience by having the convenience of doing banking through a drive-up or by coming in the branch. We look forward to serving our existing members as well as new members and businesses, in our new larger building. We encourage the community to stop in and see us when we open, we look forward to meeting you!”

Over the next several months KCCU will be working to renovate the space of their new permanent home by the fountain in Marshall. KCCU will continue to serve members at their existing location at 15877 W. Michigan Ave. next to Family Fare, until their new branch is open. Watch for updates over the next few months on KCCU’s social media pages.

KCCU Featured in CreditUnions.com Article3/1/2022

Kellogg Community Credit Union was featured in a recent creditunions.com article. The article showcases KCCU's balance between loan growth and member impact, and how KCCU strives to provide greater value in the products and services offered to members. Want to learn more? Read the article here.