Mazuma Credit Union’s 2022 Give Back Exceeds $440,000 to Benefit Kansas Citians
Mazuma Credit Union’s commitment to Making Kansas City a Better Place to Live, Work, and Bank is its guiding star, even more so as it celebrates its 75th Anniversary this year. The organization strives to give back to the community it serves in a variety of ways, including through time, space, and financial assets. Through Mazuma’s 40 Hours for Good program, Mazuma gives Team Members 40 hours of paid volunteer time annually to support Kansas City nonprofit organizations focused on the arts, financial education, or community development, with almost 5,000 hours of volunteer time given in 2022. Mazuma offers the community spaces at its headquarters and branch locations free of charge for any organization looking for space to meet and discuss social or economic initiatives that make Kansas City a better place for all who live here. The Mazuma Foundation, created in 2015 as part of the Credit Union’s focus on giving financial assets to the community it serves, recently announced its 2022 grant recipients. These 16 local nonprofit organizations have been awarded a combined total of over $75,000 in grants to fund a wide range of community-focused initiatives that promote accessibility, opportunity, and quality of life across the Kansas City metropolitan area. With these funds, the Foundation has now surpassed $500,000 in grants given since its founding. In addition to the Foundation Grants, Mazuma’s Corporate Social Responsibility program was able to support several community partners including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Reconciliation Services, the Victory Project, and the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program, bringing the organization’s total monetary give back of time, space, and financial assets in 2022 to over $440,000. “Giving back to our community is not only at the forefront of our purpose, it exemplifies the People Helping People philosophy that our Credit Union movement is built upon,” says Deonne Christensen, President and CEO of Mazuma. “Our 40 Hours for Good program and Mazuma Foundation Grants give us the opportunity to share our time and assets to lift up the passionate, committed organizations that are providing important services to our fellow Kansas Citians. Our city is home to so many communityminded people and organizations, and we feel honored to give back to our Members and our community by supporting the incredible work that they do.” By highlighting local organizations working in the arts, financial education, and community investment, the Mazuma Foundation continues to prioritize community social and economic development in alignment with the credit union’s values and purpose. The selected organizations are representative of the wide breadth and staunch dedication of Kansas City’s non-profit community.
2022’s 16 grant recipients include:
• ArtsKC – Regional Arts Council
• Center for the Developmentally Disabled
• Community LINC • EarlystART
• Hillcrest Transitional Housing
• Hope House
• HopeKids
• Kansas City Community Gardens
• Literacy KC
• Newhouse KC
• POAC Succeed
• Prosperity Center for Financial Opportunity
• reStart Inc
• Rose Brooks Center
• Summit Art
• YMCA of Greater Kansas City
“The North Kansas City YMCA is committed to anti-hunger initiatives in our community,” says Tami Carolan, Executive Director. “This Mazuma Foundation Grant will allow us to increase our impact by providing the capacity to purchase high nutrition foods and safely store them for distribution through our food pantry, which is open to the community regardless of membership.” Arnetta Marshall, Employment Advocate at the Rose Brooks Center, reports that "Funds from Mazuma allow us to support survivors in overcoming the barriers they face to obtain employment and ultimately to lead lives free from violence. They are truly life-changing." As the Credit Union celebrates its 75th Anniversary year, Mazuma is drawing inspiration from its legacy as a local force for good, Christensen notes. “Our Members, Team Members, and community are the driving force behind our 75 years of growth and positive impact, and we remain dedicated to giving back to the Members and the Community that Mazuma was created to serve.”