InTouch Credit Union 40th Anniversary Celebration To End With A $4,000 Donation

PLANO, Texas - June 17, 2014 - PRLog -- InTouch Credit Union (ITCU) is excited to announce a check presentation to be held for Cell Phones For Soldiers® (CPFS) Thursday, June 26 at 10 a.m. at ITCU Headquarters at 5640 Democracy Drive in Plano, Texas. Diane Gerstner, Executive Vice President of InTouch will present the check to Robbie Bergquist, co-founder of Cell Phones For Soldiers.

ITCU began their CPFS donation drive in April 2014 in honor of its 40^th anniversary and in the spirit of the credit union way of being, “not for profit, not for charity, but for service.” InTouch Credit Union was founded by the employees of Electronic Data Systems in 1974; the then named EDS Credit Union has grown immensely in the 40 years since then, now one of the largest credit unions in the country by asset size.

Cell Phones For Soldiers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, collects donated cell phones, which they then refurbish or recycle in order to purchase prepaid international calling cards for troops overseas to connect with their loved ones at home. On average, the funds earned through these phone donations generate 30 minutes of talk time per dollar.

Robbie Bergquist founded CPFS with his sister, Brittany Bergquist, when he was just 12 years old. Over the past decade, they have provided more than 204 million minutes of free talk time for U.S. servicemen and women stationed overseas. Robbie, now 22, recently graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

For their donation drive, ITCU offered a matching donation to CPFS of $1 per cell phone received, as well as a dollar for dollar match of any monetary donations received from the public, up to a total of $40,000. During the drive, credit union branches collected hundreds of cell phones plus many phone accessories, cords and even an iPod.

The check, to be presented on Thursday, June 26, will include all monetary donations from ITCU members, matching funds from the Credit Union as well as an additional donation made by ITCU, beyond its matching promise, totaling to $4,000, a fitting number as ITCU celebrates its .40^th Anniversary.

“At InTouch, we strive to be of service to both our members and our community. We truly believe in the idea of ‘people helping people.’ That is why we have been so excited to celebrate our anniversary in this unique way, encouraging the involvement of our membership. Much like the success of our Credit Union, we couldn’t have achieved success with this donation drive without the participation of our members,” said Diane Gerstner, Executive Vice President of InTouch Credit Union.

“Cell Phones For Soldiers truly is a lifeline,” said Robbie Bergquist. “To withstand time being apart and the pressure of serving our country, maintaining the family connection is critical. We appreciate being able to provide those precious phone conversations thanks to the incredible support of InTouch Credit Union and its members.”

InTouch Credit Union will present a check for $4,000 to Cell Phones For Soldiers Thursday, June 26 at 10 a.m. at InTouch Credit Union’s corporate headquarters located at 5640 Democracy Drive Plano, Texas  75024.

About InTouch Credit Union

InTouch Credit Union (ITCU) is a financial cooperative that has been proudly serving its members since 1974. ITCU is committed to creating member value by placing the financial needs and delivery of exceptional service to the membership ahead of profit while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Featuring branches in four states with additional access to a nationwide network of 5,000 plus CU Service Centers, InTouch CU currently boasts assets of $800 million and serves more than 75,000 members across all 50 states as well as more than 20 countries around the world. Membership eligibility rules are available on ITCU.org for potential members to review. InTouch Credit Union can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and LinkedIn.

About Cell Phones For Soldiers, Inc.

Cell Phones For Soldiers Inc. is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing cost-free communication services to active-duty military members and veterans. Founded in 2004 by Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, then 12 and 13 years old, Cell Phones For Soldiers has provided more than 204 million “Minutes That Matter” to deployed troops. Since 2012, “Helping Heroes Home” has provided emergency funds for more than 400 returning veterans to alleviate communication challenges as well as physical, emotional and assimilation hardships. For more information, visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest pages.