STATE'S CREDIT UNIONS RAISE $85,000 FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS RHODE ISLAND

PROVIDENCE, RI (07/30/2015)(readMedia)-- Special Olympics Rhode Island recently received an $85,000 contribution from the Credit Unions of Rhode Island, an amount that exceeds the 2015 fundraising goal by $15,000.

The check, presented at the conclusion of the Credit Unions of Rhode Island Charity Golf Tournament on July 20, represents the total amount raised in 2015 by the state's credit unions, their members and sponsors. This latest contribution brings the total amount the credit unions have raised for Special Olympics Rhode Island to more than $800,000 over 18 years.

"It is an honor to partner with the Credit Unions of Rhode Island in support of the athletes of Special Olympics Rhode Island," says Dennis DeJesus, executive director of Special Olympics Rhode Island. "They continue to raise the bar in generating revenue to support year-round training and athletic competition for the athletes. Thank you, Credit Unions of Rhode Island, for your unwavering commitment and support."

"The passion and dedication of the credit unions, their employees and vendors demonstrate that they realize the importance of Special Olympics Rhode Island and shows how much they care about the athletes and families within their local communities," says Paul Gentile, president and CEO of the Credit Unions of Rhode Island. "The credit unions demonstrate daily what it means to be a cooperative, and the magnitude of their support is a perfect example."

"If it wasn't for our faithful contributors within the Rhode Island credit union movement, our support for Special Olympics Rhode Island wouldn't exist," says David P. Dupere, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Wave Federal Credit Union and chairman of the Credit Unions of Rhode Island's Social Responsibility Committee. "A special, heartfelt thanks to our credit unions, volunteers and vendors for your generosity in contributing the funds that we need to help make a greater difference in the lives of all the athletes with Special Olympics Rhode Island. We are so proud to be part of such a generous credit union community."

Special Olympics Rhode Island provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for more than 2,800 children and adults with intellectual disabilities throughout the Ocean State. It has been the primary philanthropic endeavor of the Credit Unions of Rhode Island since 1998.

Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives that offer a wide variety of consumer financial services to their members. Rhode Island currently has 21 consumer-owned credit unions with total assets of $5.2 billion. They employ a total of 946 full-time workers and 97 part-timers and have almost 350,000 members, representing about one-third of the state's population.