Bismarck, ND - Last week, the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas (CUAD) held their annual New Ideas Conference. While there, attendees participated in a group “Give Back” activity where they assembled cuddly stuffed animals for the non-profit group Neighbor’s Network.

100 stuffed animals, including Koala Bears, Puppies, Bunnies and Panda Bears were purchased with funding provided by the Credit Union Foundation of the Dakotas specifically for this project. Attendees were more than happy to give the cuddly critters life by filling them with stuffing and sealing them up for the kids! Some of the animals turned out big and fluffy, and some turned out soft and squishy, but all were made with giving hearts.

Neighbor’s Network is an organization that supports families in crisis. CUAD learned of the organization and their needs through the Bismarck/Mandan United Way and selected them for the give-back portion of the conference.

The goal of Neighbor's Network is to enhance the learning of school children by helping their families. Using a hands-on approach, staff work closely with each individual family to address issues related to parenting, organizational skills, relationships, independent living, and meeting basic needs. The Neighbor's Network Board of Directors and volunteers raise money through membership drives, fundraising activities, and grants. Ninety-nine percent of funds raised go directly to family services.

Many of the families and children that need help may be homeless, food deprived, or in a violent situation. Neighbor’s Network is entirely run by a group of volunteer school counselors, according to Chris Hall, a school counselor from Bismarck Public Schools who spoke on behalf of the organization.

The Credit Union Foundation of the Dakotas (CUFD) is the charitable arm of the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas. Its purpose is to build community awareness of Dakota credit unions through the support of children’s charities, community and social impact organizations or projects, financial education and financial literacy programs through the credit union chapter system, and to provide higher education scholarships throughout our service region in the Dakotas.