On May 15, members of Heritage Family Credit Union (HFCU) gathered at Roots the Restaurant in Rutland, VT for the 69th annual membership meeting, where leadership marked the occasion by celebrating recent accomplishments while also pointing to a promising future.
“If the start to 2025 is any indication, exciting things are on the horizon for Heritage Family Credit Union,” said HFCU Board Chair Gwen Flewelling during her remarks at the annual meeting. “And none of it would be possible without the staff, volunteers, and members who continue to believe in the people helping people service philosophy that defines who we are as a credit union and your financial cooperative.”
To help make the evening even more memorable, the Heritage Family Cares 4 You Foundation awarded five local organizations each a $5,000 donation to continue their impactful work in the communities the Credit Union serves. They are The Collaborative in Londonderry, VT; The Hoosick Area Food Closet in Hoosick Falls, NY; the Homeless Prevention Center in Rutland, VT; Slate Valley Cares in Fair Haven, VT; and The Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, VT.
“It was such a joy to be back together for our first in-person meeting since the pandemic so that we could all feel the same tangible excitement in the room surrounding such significant milestones as our merger with Tri State Area Federal Credit Union and the launch of the Roofs Over Rutland housing initiative – both of which happened within the last year,” said HFCU President and CEO Chris Gomez. “While our annual meeting always has a certain amount of formality associated with it, we also want it to be a fun and festive reminder of all that is special and meaningful about being a member-owned cooperative.”
Part of the formal proceedings of the annual meeting is the election of directors and officers to serve on the HFCU Board, which is comprised entirely of volunteer members representing different aspects of the Credit Union’s service region. With three seats up for election, Josh Chilson, Nicole Kesselring, and Kevin Loso were each re-elected to serve three-year terms. In addition, the following members of the Board of Directors were elected to serve as officers for the coming year: Paul Carroccio, Chair; Nicole Kesselring, First Vice Chair; Josh Chilson, Second Vice Chair; Rodney Ward, Secretary; and Gwen Flewelling, Treasurer.