Media Resources: Press Release

SACRAMENTO, CA – MAY 6, 2010 –

Bay Federal Credit Union has received the 2010 Governor and First Lady's Medals for Service award in recognition for their outstanding community support efforts. Carrie Birkhofer, Bay Federal’s President and CEO, accepted the award for California’s Small Business Volunteer Program of the Year, one of the seven prestigious awards honoring the state’s top service and volunteering leaders. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, First Lady Maria Shriver, and Volunteering Secretary Karen Baker presented the awards.

Bay Federal Credit Union representatives (from left) Angelica Reyes, Tonée Picard, President and CEO Carrie Birkhofer, and Laura Owen, after accepting the California’s Small Business Volunteer Program of the Year award

Bay Federal Credit Union was nominated for California’s Small Business Volunteer Program of the Year by the Volunteer Centers of Santa Cruz County. “We work with a lot of local businesses and 100 percent employee participation is just amazing,” said Karen Delaney, Executive Director of the Volunteer Centers. “In this economy, it’s important that businesses choose to keep community activities as part of what they’re doing. We are grateful to Bay Federal and all the businesses that do so much for our community.”

Bay Federal Credit Union was presented with the Governor and First Lady’s Medals of Service Award for their outstanding volunteer service

For 7 consecutive years, 100 percent of all Bay Federal Credit Union employees have volunteered their own time and donated their own money to over 49 different local nonprofits. Bay Federal employees have served in a wide range of volunteer roles to support people, schools, and organizations; everything from providing pro bono assistance with marketing, education and outreach, orchestrating fundraisers, collecting necessities and supplies, and working at community events. Some of their more notable accomplishments include:

• Hosting Italian-style pasta lunches in the employee break room to raise money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
• Helping to design and launch the “Give A Little, Feed A Lot” campaign for the Second Harvest Food Bank.
• Holding an employee head shaving extravaganza to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.
• Coordinating the collection of coats for kids, cell phones for soldiers, and supplies for schools.
  

“I am extremely proud and honored to work with the employees of Bay Federal Credit Union,” said Birkhofer. “I hope that news of what we are doing inspires others to make a difference in their own neighborhoods and cities.”

A sea of Bay Federal community support team t-shirts is a regular sight at many non-profit fundraising events throughout the year.

In its second year, the Governor and First Lady’s Medals for Service, the cornerstone of California Volunteers’ recognition program, distinguish individual volunteers, business volunteer programs, nonprofits and organizations whose innovations in the field of volunteerism have a tangible impact on their community, region and the state of California. Shining a spotlight on the state’s commitment to service, the awards demonstrate how simple acts can make big changes in communities.

“The Medals for Service ceremony is a fantastic opportunity to recognize volunteers and organizations that support service,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “Government alone cannot tackle all of the challenges facing our communities, and every Californian has an important role in making our state stronger. Today, we are paying tribute to some true California heroes, seven honorees that are pioneers in service, who have demonstrated a commitment to expanding service in their own unique way and in giving something back.”

Bay Federal employees pose with garbage collected at the Credit Union’s semi-annual beach clean-up event

Winners of the 2010 Medals for Service Awards:

California’s Volunteer of the Year: Kathryn Vaughn

Kathryn Vaughn put her successful law practice on hold to become the volunteer president and executive director of Just in Time for Foster Youth. She transformed the small group of volunteers working together to provide basic necessities and home furnishings to transitioning foster youth in San Diego into a successful nonprofit helping more than 1,200 San Diego foster youth each year. Under her leadership, Just in Time forged critical partnerships in the community, developed new programs to connect youth with vocational and educational tools and resources and began receiving numerous grants and donations.

California’s AmeriCorps Member of the Year: Megan Mastache

Megan Mastache works tirelessly to give a voice to countless individuals who often are voiceless. She worked to combat homelessness and sexual assault in San Luis Obispo and has participated in the Food Share program for the past five years, connecting restaurants and their extra food with the local homeless shelters. She also served with the Developing Through Art program, bringing art into overflow shelters and giving homeless children an opportunity to express themselves through creativity.

California’s Business Volunteer Program of the Year: Cisco

Since 2009, Cisco employees in California have provided pro bono technical support, coupled with more than $2.2 million in IT product grants, to nonprofits and charities throughout the state. Cisco volunteers review organizations’ IT infrastructures, design technology systems and lead their implementation. California employees with experience in non-technical areas such as marketing or finance also give their time and expertise as volunteers and board members. Additionally, Cisco has provided $3.5 million in matching gifts for employee donations of $2.7 million.

California’s Small Business Volunteer Program of the Year: Bay Federal Credit Union

California’s Small Business Volunteer Program of the Year proves that just because you are a small business doesn’t mean you can’t have a big impact: 100 percent of Bay Federal Credit Union employees have volunteered for 49 different nonprofits for seven consecutive years. Credit Union employees have provided pro bono assistance with marketing, education and outreach, held an employee head shaving extravaganza to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network, orchestrated winter coats for kids drives and conducted a cell phones for soldiers drive.

California’s Service Group of the Year: Rocklin Volunteers in Police Service

More than 100 of the Rocklin Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) have donated more than 55,000 volunteer hours over the last five years, providing an estimated $1.2 million of service in the city. Volunteers perform more than 50 critical roles, including child safety presentations and creating child ID kits that allow the police department to dedicate sworn personnel to the most critical public safety functions. Recently, a young Rocklin boy knew just what to do when a suspicious vehicle began to follow him. When a responding police officer asked, he told the officer he learned what to do from a Rocklin VIPS safety presentation at his school. 

California’s Nonprofit of the Year: WriteGirl

California’s Nonprofit of the Year has helped more than 3,600 teen girls find their inner voice through writing. WriteGirl pairs at-risk teen girls in Los Angeles with professional women writers from organizations, such as the Los Angeles Times, Disney and the Writers Guild of America, for one-on-one mentoring, creative writing workshops and public readings. Adding in leadership development, college preparation and job skill development, WriteGirl enables thousands of young girls to become published authors, critical thinkers, effective communicators and community leaders.

Spotlight Award: Taproot Foundation

A unique organization that works to strengthen nonprofits by engaging business professionals in pro bono volunteer service, Taproot created a model and framework to help businesses apply their professional acumen in service to their communities. In less than a decade, they have supported 1,300 projects, valued at more than $60 million, to an estimated 1,000 nonprofits across the nation and delivered 750,000 hours of pro bono service.

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