During its inaugural “Giving Tuesday” luncheon, the PACU Foundation gifted a total of $18,000 to six charities to increase their capacity to help North Carolina residents in times of financial hardship.
Held nationally on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, “Giving Tuesday” is a global movement started in 2012 to encourage people to do good. “As such, we felt that starting an annual tradition of hosting a ‘Giving Tuesday’ luncheon to celebrate our supported charities would be a fitting tribute to the spirit of giving back,” said PACU Foundation President Jean Golden-Rumer.
The PACU Foundation’s ability to contribute these funds is due to the generosity and volunteer efforts of employees and members of Piedmont Advantage Credit Union. “In 2022, more than 70 percent of the credit union’s employees donated to the Foundation,” Golden-Rumer added.
The following charities were celebrated on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29, and presented each with $3,000:
Adding to the spirit of giving back, lunch was provided by Delicious, a nonprofit Winston-Salem caterer, who employs refugee women from Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Sudan and other countries in the Middle East and Africa, to use their cooking talents to introduce to the area homecooked, professionally-prepared meals from their native lands. Lunch was a big hit among attendees.
Since forming in 2020, the PACU Foundation has gifted $45,000 to area charities.
See photos below.
Pictured L to R are Mooresville Branch Manager Brian Ferraro; PACU Foundation Board Chairman Steve Gilliland and President Jean Golden-Rumer; and with Bright Blessings, Lake Norman Program Coordinator, Dr. Linda Morris, Lake Norman volunteer grant writer Pam Schneider, and Lake Norman steering committee member Julie Higgie.
Pictured L to R are Boyer Street in Charlottesville Branch Manager Mary Vitale; PACU Foundation Board Chairman Steve Gilliland and President Jean Golden-Rumer; and with Community Link, Director of Asset Building Dempsey Miller; and Roving Assistant Branch Manager Carrieanne Holt.
Pictured L to R are Advantage Way and University Branch Managers in Winston-Salem Maleia Brown and April Young; PACU Foundation Board Chairman Steve Gilliland and President Jean Golden-Rumer; and with Financial Pathways, Financial Management and Education Director Shareka Williams and Chief Development Officer Pam Anglin.
Pictured L to R are CFO Peter Minford; Assistant VP of Branch Services Debi Conway; PACU Foundation Board Chairman Steve Gilliland and President Jean Golden-Rumer; and with Gold Shield of North Carolina, Executive Director Whitson Frye and Board Members Burke Earley and Lieutenant Dwayne Little.
Pictured L to R are Assistant VP of Branch Services Debi Conway; PACU Foundation Board Chairman Steve Gilliland and President Jean Golden-Rumer; and with Help, Inc., Director of Operations/Family Justice Center Chrissy Griffin, Director of Crisis Services Jannette Graham and Director of Kaleidoscope Children's Advocacy Center Melissa McClary.
Pictured L to R are Advantage Way, Greensboro and University Branch Managers Maleia Brown, Misty Golding and April Young respectively; PACU Foundation Board Chairman Steve Gilliland and President Jean Golden-Rumer; and with Winston-Salem Rescue Mission, Executive Director Lou Carrico and Director of Development Brian Weer.
Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and founded in 1949 within the aviation industry, Piedmont Advantage Credit Union (PACU) serves member-owners, who reside, work, worship, attend school or operate a business in one of the six counties it serves in North Carolina or who are employed by one of its many employer companies. These six counties are Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg and Rockingham.
