MSU Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) employees have spent the week of Nov. 9-15, 2025, spreading kindness throughout the communities they serve as part of the Credit Union’s annual Pay It Forward initiative. Held each November and rooted in MSUFCU’s long-standing core value of giving back to the community, the week of service coincides with the Credit Union’s 88th anniversary.
What began during MSUFCU’s 75th anniversary milestone has grown into a multi-day celebration of generosity across all MSUFCU market areas. This year, employees contributed $8,800 in surprise-and-delight activities across Greater Lansing, Southeast Michigan, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Traverse City, as well as Chicago and Northern Illinois.
“Community impact is at the heart of everything we do at MSUFCU, and Pay It Forward is a reminder of how kindness can ripple across our communities in meaningful ways,” said Arianna Ridderbusch, MSUFCU Vice President of Community Impact. “Each year, our employees embrace this tradition, creating unexpected moments of connection, uplifting neighbors through simple acts of generosity, and celebrating the spirit of giving that defines who we are. From Traverse City to Detroit, Algonquin to Chicago, small kindnesses truly add up to something extraordinary.”
Throughout Pay It Forward Week, MSUFCU employees brightened community spaces and supported residents through dozens of small but impactful gestures. Among the many activities included:
- Making hundreds of encouragement cards for hospital patients across Michigan and Illinois.
- Providing laundry supplies at Skylar Laundromat in Auburn Hills and making floral arrangements and playing games with senior residents at Willowbrook Hills.
- Surprising moviegoers at South Lansing’s Celebration Cinema with free concessions and paying customer coffee orders at Roasting Plant Coffee in Detroit.
- Serving meals at Grand Rapids’ AYA Youth Collective and free tickets at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
- Distributing foam helmets and hand warmers at Spartan Stadium and $5 off appetizers at Hopsmith in Chicago during the MSU vs. Penn State football game.
Community members interested in making a random act of kindness are still able to participate in the Giving Tree through Friday, Nov. 21, by visiting any full-service branch and selecting a gift tag, shopping via Amazon wish lists, or making a monetary donation in a branch. In addition, all monetary donations made toward MSUFCU’s Giving Tree program during Pay It Forward Week are matched by the Credit Union.