WOCCU Donates Accountant's Salary to Louisiana Credit Union League

Madison, WI – The devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the aftermath have deeply affected each of us. In recognition of the quiet and unpublicized dedicated work that staff of the Louisiana Credit Union League (LCUL) have implemented to overcome this crisis, World Council of Credit Unions, Inc. (WOCCU) has offered to fund the salary of an LCUL accountant through the end of this year.

"We hope that with this individual's full engagement, LCUL will be better able to pursue the larger task of restoring the League and assisting Louisiana credit unions to get back to fully serving their members," noted Pete Crear, chief executive officer, WOCCU. He continued, "As cooperators we want to do as much as we can to help with recovery of the credit unions in the affected area. We believe that a strong League is paramount to the recovery of the Movement, and a strong League begins with a dedicated and competent staff."

"The compassion of organizations like WOCCU is what makes the credit union movement what it is today," says Anne Cochran, LCUL president and CEO. "We are extremely grateful for this assistance and each day we find new opportunities to utilize the credit union movement's generosity."

LCUL, a long term WOCCU supporter, has been instrumental in several initiatives, including WOCCU's Strathmore program and African Technical Congresses. Numerous staff members and volunteers have generously donated time and funds to the international credit union system over the years.

"In this small way we hope to repay their contributions and their faith in the Movement," said Crear.

WOCCU has also donated $5,000 to each of the leagues in the affected areas: Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The organization further matched staff donations made to those organizations as well as to the American Red Cross hurricane relief efforts, for a total additional donation of $2,600.

El Consejo Mundial de Cooperativas de Ahorro y Crédito es la asociación gremial y agencia de desarrollo para el sistema internacional de cooperativas de ahorro y crédito. El Consejo Mundial promueve el crecimiento sustentable de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito y otras cooperativas financieras en todo el mundo a fin de facultar a las personas para que mejoren su calidad de vida a través del acceso a servicios financieros asequibles y de alta calidad. El Consejo Mundial realiza esfuerzos de defensa activa en representación del sistema global de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito ante organizaciones internacionales y trabaja con gobiernos nacionales para mejorar la legislación y la regulación. Sus programas de asistencia técnica introducen nuevas herramientas y tecnologías para fortalecer el desempeño financiero de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito y profundizar su alcance comunitario.

El Consejo Mundial ha implementado 290 programas de asistencia técnica en 71 países. A nivel mundial, 51,000 cooperativas de ahorro y crédito en 100 países atienden a 196 millones de personas. Obtenga más información sobre el impacto global del Consejo Mundial en www.woccu.org.