WATERLOO, Iowa (Dec. 4, 2019): Veridian Credit Union awarded $34,000 to 12 nonprofit organizations across Iowa and eastern Nebraska to conclude its Spark the Spirit giving campaign on Giving Tuesday, December 3. Veridian employees nominated their favorite local nonprofit organizations to be eligible for the donations, and public voting from November 21 to December 1 determined which organizations received funding. Organizations with the highest vote totals in each of four geographic regions received $5,000. The second- and third-highest received $2,500 and $1,000 respectively.

“The holidays can be a time of increased need in our communities,” said Monte Berg, Veridian’s president and CEO. “Spark the Spirit is a giving campaign to help us all recognize that need, encourage each other to give and celebrate some of the organizations who are meeting underserved needs in our communities year-round.”

Spark the Spirit donation recipients in each region include:

• Waterloo/Cedar Falls:

  • NAMI Black Hawk County - $5,000

  • Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity - $2,500

  • Wildthunder Wildlife & Animal Rehabilitation & Sanctuary - $1,000

• Cedar Rapids/Iowa City:

  • Central Furniture Rescue - $5,000

  • Ronald McDonald House Charities - $2,500

  • Families Helping Families - $1,000

• Des Moines metro:

  • Help-a-Heart - $5,000

  • Furry Friends Refuge - $2,500

  • Children’s Cancer Connection - $1,000

• Omaha/Council Bluffs:

  • Nebraska Humane Society - $5,000

  • MICAH House - $2,500

  • Nebraska Children’s Home Society - $1,000

Details on donation recipients, vote totals and more are available at veridiancu.org/sparkthespirit.

Veridian Credit Union, founded in 1934 in Waterloo, Iowa, is a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members. The credit union offers a full range of business and consumer financial services and employs 900 people throughout 31 branches in Iowa and eastern Nebraska. For more information, visit veridiancu.org or call (800) 235-3228.