Donor Spotlight Community America Credit Union
As a Corporate Charitable Partner, CommunityAmerica Credit Union, generously supports Starlight’s Blue Star Awards program, as well as other charitable and community development investments across the Kansas City area. This year, CommunityAmerica is also the presenting sponsor of the 2024 Starlight Gala. The event will be co-chaired by Whitney Bartelli, Chief Marketing Officer and Anita Newton, Chief Innovation Officer, along with their spouses Andrew Bogucki and Dean Newton. We recently spoke with Whitney about CommunityAmerica’s drive to create positive change in the communities they serve.
Q: Why is philanthropy a priority for CommunityAmerica Credit Union?
A: At our core, we embrace the credit union value of people helping people. Serving our members is at the heart of everything we do at CommunityAmerica. This includes supporting the people, events, and organizations that share our values and mean the most to our members. We invest in partnerships that help make our community a better place for all.
Q: By sponsoring Starlight’s Blue Star Awards program, CommunityAmerica is supporting 5,000 area students who contribute to their high schools’ musical theatre productions. How do you hope your sponsorship can affect the lives of these students beyond their high school careers?
A: The Blue Star Awards program enables us to support a treasure of Kansas City arts and culture landscape, while also making a positive impact on thousands of students and families in the community. Through this program, we build awareness of the many free resources and services CommunityAmerica offers to help young adults get on a path to thrive and achieve financial peace of mind. One example is our college planning program that helps students navigate their post high school education affordably. We want to empower young adults with the knowledge and resources to improve their financial well-being now and in the future. What better way to help strengthen our community, than to invest in the future of our youth?
Q: In addition to the financial support, many CommunityAmerica employees also engaged with the Blue Star Awards program this year by volunteering their time to help deliver nominations to area high schools. How has this involvement impacted your organization?
A: Our employees love delivering nominations to the area high schools. It’s such a popular volunteer opportunity that this year we were able to share the news with more than 50% of the nominated schools. It’s especially meaningful when teams from our branches get to deliver nominations to the high schools in the neighborhoods they directly serve. The excitement and appreciation of the students is contagious!
Q: Why should other businesses support nonprofits in their community?
A: We know that when we do right by people, they do right by us. Kansas City is full of great businesses and organizations who strive to find ways to give back in meaningful ways, and we are so proud to be part of that. When our business community works together with a common goal for the common good, we can make a lasting and positive impact on the lives of those who need it most.