Livonia, MI (February 4, 2019) – It’s a small world. Just ask Nadine Jones, founder of Love a Michigan Vet Project which assists local veterans in need.
Jones, who works as a flight attendant when not taking graduate classes at University of Michigan-Dearborn, is no stranger to travel. While attending a conference in Washington, D.C., she shared a room with two other Michiganders, both of whom work for Zeal Credit Union.
“I was impressed when they told me how engaged their credit union is with non-profits in the Detroit area,” said Jones. “So I decided to visit their headquarters in Livonia and let them know about the work we’re doing with veterans. They were very receptive.”
Jones founded Love a Michigan Vet Project three years ago after spending two years with Michigan AmeriCorps helping service veterans.
In addition to holding special events throughout the year to help area veterans, Love a Michigan Vet provides a hot meal every month for homeless veterans at one of four area shelters in the Detroit area. This requires finding sponsors and volunteers to cover the costs and serve the meals.
“After meeting Nadine in 2017, we hosted our first meal with Love A Michigan Vet Project because we felt strongly about the work she and her organization were doing,” said Marketing Manager Bryan Feldpausch.
Zeal’s marketing department recently stepped up again to help as part of the credit union’s #ZealTheLove initiative which encourages employees to work together to support the charities they feel most passionate about.
The marketing team was so inspired by the first dinner, that they decided to host a second meal. They worked together to raise more than $700 by hosting a hot dog BBQ lunch for employees and a Krispy Kreme doughnut sale. It was enough to feed more than 85 homeless veterans a hot, hearty meal during a recent monthly dinner at Emmanuel House in Detroit.
“I appreciate everything they did. It’s nice to see local businesses truly get involved,” said Jones. “Not only did Zeal provide everything we requested, they helped serve, talk with veterans and gave them fun items including Zeal t-shirts which they loved.”
Jones shared that Zeal also participated in the project’s female Veterans Standown event at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where more than 250 female veterans received assistance.
“Nadine reflects our credit union’s core values of character, empathy, and passion. Seeing the difference she makes for homeless veterans in our community is the reason why Zeal Credit Union continues to support her initiatives,” said Feldpausch.
What began as a chance meeting between three Michiganders in Washington, D.C., resulted in an opportunity for area veterans to become recipients of #ZealTheLove.
To learn about #ZealTheLove, visit ZealTheLove.com for additional stories and community partnerships.
Zeal Credit Union is a full-service, non-profit financial institution with more than 61,000 members, assets exceeding $570 million and 13 full-service branch offices in metro Detroit. Members also have access to more than 5,000 shared branches and nearly 30,000 ATMs nationwide. Member deposits are insured to $250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), a U.S. government agency. For more information about Zeal Credit Union, visit the credit union website www.ZealCreditUnion.org or call 800-321-8570.