The Chapter is once again offering scholarships to Southwest CUNA Management School for employees of member and affiliated credit unions. Beginning this year, we are honoring one of the best people we’ve ever known by renaming our scholarship as the Raymond Shands Memorial Scholarship. Raymond was a SWCMS alum, graduating in 1974.

The application and instructions can be downloaded here:

• Scholarship Application

For more information, conact: Nancy Croix-Stroud, President of First Class American CU and Chair of our scholarship committee.

Its the time of year where we start planning to host our annual holiday party at Sam Rosen Elementary in Fort Worth and Webb Elementary in Arlington.

Year after year our Volunteers have a great time sharing the spirit of the season with two great groups of kids.

Here’s the schedule:

Dec 8 (morning) Party Prep at Sam Rosen

Dec 9 (all day) Party at Sam Rosen

Dec 15 (morning) Party Prep at Webb

Dec 16 (all day) Party at Webb

Natalie Parish is the volunteer coordinator for Sam Rosen

Vince Heimann is organizing workers for Webb.

Even though the parties last all day, you are welcome to work only part of the day if that is what you can do. In addition to volunteers, we collect donations to support the cost of the party.

All volunteers must be approved in advance by the district. Click here for a copy of the Arlington ISD volunteer form Please fill out the form, attach a copy of your ID and forward it to Vince, his fax number is 817-273-5913.

The Fort Worth ISD volunteer form is one page, be sure to copy your I.D. on to the form and fax to Raymond at 817-882-0136.

If you were a volunteer at Webb last year, we ARE able to use last year’s background form provided your name has not changed and your I.D. is still valid.

The deadline to submit the background form is November 20th. If you are recruiting volunteers from your credit union, you may also want to plan in advance for substitute volunteers by having them fill out the form as well.

If you need directions to the schools, click on their names above.

Friday the 13th could be your lucky day. Attend the Brett Christensen lending training sponsored by your TCUL Lending Council and you may just find out how be a better lender. Here’s the details…

This session will cover specific mistakes that credit unions make in the management of the lending operation, the loan interview and the underwriting of loans that lead to low loan-to-share rations or higher than average loan losses.

Topics to be discussed include:

• Management’s misguided attempt to hire and train Superman and Superwoman.
• Why you need a good cop/bad cop sales model.
• Policies written for examiners, not members.
• A good loan interview is more than filling in blanks of a loan origination software package.
• Twenty underwriting mistakes you must avoid.

This timely training session is essential for your credit union’s lending success in this difficult economic climate.

When:

Friday, November 13, 2009 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Where:

Fort Worth Botanic Gardens

3220 Botanic Garden Blvd

Fort Worth, TX 76107-3496

(817) 871-7686

How Much:

TCUL Lending Council Members, $50.00

Non-TCUL Lending Council Members, $75.00 (non-member registration includes a 2009 TCUL Lending Council membership) Space is limited. Seating will be allocated to the first 45 registrations

Lunch will be provided

Register:

Registration is via internet only from the “Council Roundtable” section of the TCUL Lending Council home page

Questions: Contact Mike Delker VP, Credit Union Relations

CONGRATULATIONS!

The Fort Worth Chapter has once again earned the designation of TCUL Chapter of the Year for 2008! The designation of Chapter of the Year provides more than just bragging rights… it is an honor that points to the great work you have done for credit unions and your community, year-in and year-out.

Please accept my congratulations along with those from everyone at TCUL. Thank you, and keep up the great work!

Mike Delker Vice President TCUL Credit Union Relations

Our annual golf tournament to benefit TCULPAC is Wednesday, August 12th at Fossil Creek Golf Club.

The early bird deadline for registration is August 6th. More information and a copy of the registration is available here.

First off, congratulations are in order for our own Pamelas Stephens, President of Security One Federal Credit Union who has just been named “Alumni of the Year” by the Southwest CUNA Management School Alumni Association.

Second (but no less important), a big “Thank You!” to everyone who contributed items or shipping money for the USA Home Team and the 10th Combat Support Hospital, Baghdad. This was our third year of conducting a drive and again we topped the previous year’s donations. I just got the following message from Colleen Canion our contact:

“Please give my sincere thanks again to all the members of the Ft. Worth Chapter of Credit Unions for their donations to the 10th Combat Support Hospitals in Baghdad and Tallil. I have copied our current Points of Contact in Iraq so they will know of your generous gifts of cash for postage and “Wish List” items which are or will be on the way soon to their hospitals.

God Bless Americans wherever they are serving our country!”

DFW Airport Administration, the DFW USO and North Texas Commission will celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the U.S. Military arrivals and departures through DFW Airport on Tuesday, June 16, 2009.

In support of the of the celebration, the Fort Worth Chapter of Credit Unions will take part in a Greet the Troops visit at DFW Airport, Terminal D, Gate 22 on the Arrival Level, Tuesday, June 16, 2009. We welcome volunteers to meet and greet the troops. The flight is scheduled to arrive at 9:30 a.m. We encourage you to be in the terminal by 9:00 a.m. To check the approximate arrival time, you are encouraged to call the Hotline number at 972-574-0392 around 7:00 am on the morning of the flight.

Our vendor exposition will be at Will Rogers Center on June 23rd.

Preferred Partners and other vendors interested in taking part should contact Natalie Parish. You can get a copy of the registration form here.

As we have for the last two years, we will be using the expo to gather donations for the USA Home Team and the 10th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. In each of the last two years, your generous donations have been overwhelming and are the two largest donations USA Home Team have received. We welcome cash donations to support shipping expenses as well as whatever you can donate from their wish list.

We have a sales training session scheduled for the morning of May 20th at EECU. $25 includes breakfast and a great educational session. For more information or to RSVP, contact Raymond Shands.

The Texas Credit Union Foundation made the following post to their Facebook page today:

Monday April 6, 2009 – (Dallas, TX) – In recognition of their commitment to improving financial literacy in their community, the Texas Credit Union Foundation (Foundation) has for the fourth consecutive year awarded the Fort Worth Chapter of Credit Unions with its prestigious FOCUS Award. Created three years ago, the FOCUS Award is the Foundation’s way of saying “job well done” to those credit unions and credit union leaders who are championing the cause to make a difference in the financial lives of Texas families.

“It’s a sad reality…millions of Americans have found themselves overwhelmed by personal debt because they didn’t know any better,” observed Courtney Nickles, interim executive director of the Foundation. “Money management isn’t something you are born with, it must be taught.”

Thankfully, there are organizations like the Fort Worth Chapter of Credit Unions willing to do just that. Comprised of about 33 credit unions, the Fort Worth Chapter continues to strengthen its commitment to financial education through its co-sponsorship of the “Newspapers in Education Program,” a program offered through the Fort Worth Star Telegram that enables them to reach teachers and students in participating area school districts.

Each year, volunteers from credit unions within the Fort Worth Chapter teach financial literacy classes at area schools utilizing the National Endowment for Financial Education’s High School Financial Planning Program. The NEFE curriculum is Texas Education Agency-approved, and meets all Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) requirements for course instruction in personal finance.

The chapter has also collaborated with Junior Achievement of Chisholm Trail, Inc., supporting the program with a $7,500 donation, which the Foundation matched. Junior Achievement is dedicated to helping prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it. Utilizing the Junior Achievement’s curriculum, volunteers from the chapter taught financial education classes for grades kindergarten to six in the Sam Rosen Elementary School in Fort Worth and Webb Elementary School in Arlington. Thanks to the chapter’s involvement, some 1,200 students were exposed to this curriculum.

“Credit unions understand that being a financial service provider is more than just offering checking, savings and loans. It means taking the time to ensure members understand how to utilize these products and others responsibly,” adds Nickles. “Our FOCUS Award winners and every credit union across the country leading the charge to wipe out financial illiteracy are to be commended!”

The Fort Worth Chapter of Credit Unions will be recognized in front of their peers at the Texas Credit Union League’s Annual Meeting & Expo in Austin next week.