Dakota CU Foundation Pledges $200K

Dakotas’ CMN Hospitals will each receive a large donation to fund a specific project, including the Micropreemie Care Unit in Fargo and a pediatric exam room in Sioux Falls. 

​The Dakota Credit Union Foundation has announced a $200,000 commitment to three Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals located in North and South Dakota. The announcement was made during the Dakota Credit Union Association’s annual meeting, which was held on May 16, 2024, at Grand Falls Resort & Casino in Larchwood, Iowa. 

L to R back row: Jim Schaefbauer, foundation vice chair, United Savings CU; Hillery Mork, Fargo Sanford Health Foundation; Tyler Gross, foundation treasurer, Sioux Valley Co-op FCU; Dorothy Voorhees, foundation director, Sentinel FCU; Lisa Snedeker, foundation director, Dakotaland FCU; Shannon Webster, foundation director, Town & Country CU; Melissa Gehl, CMN National Strategic Partnerships. Middle row: Ashton Siebrecht, Sioux Falls Sanford Health Foundation; Holly Steier, foundation director, Western Cooperative CU. Front row: April Tompkins, foundation board chair, Explorers CU; Jeff Olson, foundation director, president/CEO Dakota Credit Union Association; Kylee Lemieux, foundation director, North Star Community CU; Bethany Olson, Sioux Falls Sanford Health Foundation.

​The foundation’s board of directors unanimously voted to approve the expenditure, which will be fulfilled in increments over the next several years. North Dakota’s one CMN Hospital, Sanford Children’s located in Fargo, will receive $100,000 to support the new Credit Unions for Kids Micropreemie Unit. This project, which has received additional financial commitments from a majority of North Dakota’s credit unions, is expected to begin construction later this summer.

South Dakota’s two CMN Hospitals, Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls and Monument Health in Rapid City, will each receive $50,000. The Sioux Falls endowment will provide for a pediatric oncology exam room to be named in honor of Charlie Murano, son of Abby Murano and Joel Murano. Abby is a staff member at Dakotaland FCU in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Charlie was cared for at the Sioux Falls hospital last year. Sadly, he lost his battle with cancer, but his memory will live on for years to come. The donation to Monument Health will be earmarked for a specific purpose within their upcoming expansion and remodel project.

“Dakota Credit Union Foundation’s mission is to support financial well-being for all,” says April Tompkins, foundation board chair and CEO of Explorer’s Credit Union (Yankton, SD). “There is no doubt that physical health plays a major role in financial wellness. Credit unions clearly understand the health care debt cycle, and as an industry, we strive to help our members, our employees, and our communities find a path to physical, mental, and financial health. We are extremely excited and proud to make this major commitment to help provide the best care, close to home at our regional CMN Hospitals,” she added.
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“I am so proud of the Dakota Credit Union Foundation’s commitment to the financial health and emotional well-being of our local families and communities,” concluded Jeff Olson, president/CEO of Dakota Credit Union Association. “This gift will have a lasting impact.”
 
About Dakota Credit Union Foundation
The Dakota Credit Foundation is the charitable arm of the Dakota Credit Union Association. The Foundation’s purpose is to build community awareness of credit unions throughout North and South Dakota by supporting financial well-being for all. The Foundation provides assistance for financial education events and financial literacy classroom programs; scholarships for credit union professional development and certification programs and supports local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. For more information visit dakcu.org/foundation.