Tower Federal Credit Union just wrapped up voting for its “$250,000 for a Brighter America” initiative, and the results are in.
The campaign ties into America’s 250th birthday celebration (yes, that’s coming up), and puts real money behind causes supporting military families, veterans, and kids who need a hand up. But here’s the cool part—Tower didn’t just write checks and call it a day. They handed $50,000 worth of decision-making power directly to their members.
How the Voting Actually Worked
Tower picked five local charities from their TowerCares Foundation partners and asked members to vote for their favorite. Each organization was guaranteed at least $5,000, but the real prize was the extra $25,000 pot that got divvied up based on vote percentages.
Think of it like a charitable version of ranked choice voting, except everyone wins something.
And the Winners Are…
After voting closed on June 30, 2026, here’s how the community decided to allocate the funds:
- Fisher House Foundation — 27.4% of votes, taking home $11,850 total
- Travis Manion Foundation — 25.9% of votes, earning $11,475
- Junior Achievement of Central Maryland — 23.1% of votes, receiving $10,775
- Blue Star Families — 18.0% of votes, getting $9,500
- Leveling the Playing Field — 5.6% of votes, collecting $6,400
Notice that even the organization with the fewest votes still walked away with more than their guaranteed minimum. That’s the beauty of this setup—nobody loses.
More Than Just a Check-Writing Exercise
According to Tower’s President and CEO Rick Stafford, this campaign reflects the credit union’s seven-decade tradition of actually showing up for its community (not just talking about it in press releases).
“As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, we’re proud to invest in local organizations that strengthen our neighborhoods and communities through the $250,000 for a Brighter America campaign,” Stafford explained. “We are especially grateful to our members, employees, and those in the community who took the time to vote and help direct a portion of these funds. Their participation demonstrates the power of coming together to support causes that matter.”
The remaining $200,000 from the campaign will go directly to charities supporting military heroes, veterans, and children in need through Tower and the TowerCares Foundation’s ongoing partnerships.
In a world where “community investment” often feels like corporate speak for “we sponsored a 5K once,” it’s refreshing to see an organization put a quarter-million dollars where its mission statement is—and let the community help steer the ship.
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