FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY - (April 7, 2014) - The National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions (Federation) is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2014 Annie Vamper Helping Hands Award, the highest honor given by the Federation to community development credit union staff and volunteers. This year's recipient of the Helping Hands Award is Rita L. Haynes, CEO Emeritus of Faith Community United Credit Union in Cleveland, OH.
Cathie Mahon, Federation President/CEO, congratulates Ms. Haynes, "The Annie Vamper Helping Hands Award recognizes Rita's tireless work over the past fifty years to promote financial inclusion. Her example of how community development credit unions provide safe and affordable financial services to Americans of modest means is an example to all of us. We honor Rita's many achievements and her lifelong commitment to credit unions and the communities they serve."
Ms. Haynes will receive her award at a special ceremony on Friday, May 16, during the Federation's 2014 Annual Conference in Detroit, Michigan.
For more information about the Annie Vamper Award visit the Federation's website at www.inclusiv.org.
About Rita L. Haynes
For 50 years Rita L. Haynes has served Faith Community United Credit Union in Cleveland, OH as its director, manager, treasurer and CEO. Miss Haynes was recruited as Secretary to the Board of Directors of the credit union in 1958. The credit union was facing tough times with the Division of Regulations; Ms. Haynes recruited her husband and friends and together they turned the credit union around. Under Ms. Haynes' leadership the credit union moved to its current location and grew to over $2,000,000 in assets with the help of Working for Empowerment Through Community Organizing (WECO). Key Bank, formerly Society National Bank, donated the building and a joint grant from Eli Lilly Foundation provided compensation for staff. Ms. Haynes led Faith Community United to become an SBA approved business lender and a partner with Fannie Mae and HUD.
Active in the Cleveland credit union community, Ms. Haynes served as Chairman of Inner City Association of Minority Credit Unions from 1982-1992. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Cleveland Chapter of Credit Unions of the Ohio Credit Union League for fifteen years and named Volunteer of the Year in 1995. She is also a founding member of the Ohio Credit Union Foundation in Columbus, OH. Ms. Haynes received the Tom Joyner "Hardest Working Women Award" in 2007.
Ms. Haynes was elected to the Board of the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions in 1992, serving as its Faith-Based Credit Union Committee Chairperson until 2001 when she was elected Chairperson of the Board of Directors. She served in this capacity until 2006 and remained on the Board until 2008 when term limits were implemented.
Ms. Haynes was instrumental in helping establish the Americorp VISTA program at Faith Community United in 1992, a federal service program aimed at alleviating poverty and strengthening low-income communities, as well as the IDA (Individual Development Account) program focusing on financial education and saving.
Faith Community United was awarded a $350,000 CDFI equity grant to build capacity in the first round of CDFI funding in 1996. The Federation, with Ms. Haynes as Board Chair, led in the effort to create the CDFI Fund, which was established under President Bill Clinton in 1994.
M. Haynes' dedication and involvement in the credit union movement includes speaking in Washington, DC at the Black Caucus Forum, at the invitation of the late US Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She also testified in 2007 before the US House Domestic Policy Subcommittee-Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Foreclosure, Predatory Mortgage and Payday Lending in American Cities. Chairman Representative Dennis J. Kucinich invited Ms. Haynes to share how Faith's Grace Loan Program could be an alternative to Payday Lenders.
Ms. Haynes' many accolades include the 2005 Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award of the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) in Nassau, Bahamas. Ms. Haynes was also honored by CUNA Foundation with the Herb Wegner Lifetime Achievement Award in Washington, DC in 2008. Ms. Haynes was appointed to serve on the Credit Union Council for the State of Ohio by Governor Ted Strickland from 2008 until 2010. Rita retired as CEO of Faith Community United Credit Union in 2011. Since then, Ms. Haynes has been inducted into the Bill Herring Group, a foundation to support credit union education and expansion. The small credit union program of the Ohio Credit Union League was designated "The Haynes Circle" recently in recognition of her work with and for small credit unions.