National Credit Union Foundation and Inclusiv Partner to Provide Disaster Relief Assistance to Cooperativas from Puerto Rico Impacted by Hurricane Fiona
September 26, 2022
National Credit Union Foundation and Inclusiv Partner to Provide Disaster Relief Assistance to Cooperativas from Puerto Rico Impacted by Hurricane Fiona
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York, NY (September 26, 2022) – Inclusiv is proud to partner with the National Credit Union Foundation (“The Foundation”) to distribute the Foundation’s generous commitment of up to $250,000 in CUAid relief funds that will support Puerto-Rico based credit union employees and volunteers affected by Hurricane Fiona.After Hurricane Fiona made landfall, Inclusiv responded quickly and in partnership with a coalition of local partners that includes the Asociación de Ejecutivos de Cooperativas de Puerto Rico (ASEC), The Liga de Cooperativas de Puerto Rico (LIGA), and the Public Corporation for the Supervision and Insurance of Cooperatives (COSSEC). This coalition worked together to survey local credit unions and assess the damage despite difficult conditions and intermittent communications. The information raised was indispensable to adequately estimate the support needed and work with The Foundation to address the needs on the ground.
The Foundation will provide the grant funds to Inclusiv, which will distribute individual donations to the people affected by the hurricane. The two organizations previously collaborated to coordinate CUAid disaster relief in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017.
CUAid is a disaster relief fund, administered by the Foundation, that supports credit union employees and volunteers in the event of a natural disaster. “CUAid is the living embodiment of our people helping people philosophy,” said André Parraway, the Foundation’s chief financial and operations officer. “When disaster strikes, the credit union movement responds.”
The Inclusiv/Network team has worked tirelessly since Hurricane Fiona hit to understand the extent of the damage and develop a holistic picture of the need in Puerto Rico. Inclusiv has already identified 100 credit union employees and volunteers on the island whose homes, vehicles and personal property have been damaged, in some cases, irreparably. In addition, several cooperativas (financial cooperatives) have reported substantial damage resulting from flooding and one structure has been completely destroyed.
“The CUAid grant will help the people and the cooperativas they work for get back up and running so that they can effectively serve as financial first responders to support the rest of the island through what will be a long, challenging recovery,” said Pablo DeFilippi, executive vice president of Inclusiv/Network.
Both individuals and organizations may donate to CUAid, and we encourage credit unions to donate. The restricted nature of the fund ensures that every penny donated goes directly to supporting credit unions, their staff and volunteers recover from catastrophic events. For those interested in supporting these immediate efforts, please contact Pablo DeFilippi as Inclusiv will be managing funds disbursement with partners on the ground.
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National Credit Union Foundation/CUAid: Sam Plester Marketing and Communications Director (414) 439-9783 splester@ncuf.coop Inclusiv/Network: Pablo DeFilippi Executive Vice President pablo@inclusiv.org