January 14, 2010

Canadian credit unions have been reacting with horror and sadness to the news of devastation in Haiti.  According to reports, reverberations from the earthquake's epicenter, located 10 miles south of Port-au-Prince, have all but leveled Haiti's capital city. Hospitals have crumbled, as have the presidential palace and the United Nations peacekeepers' headquarters. The death toll continues to rise and survivors are still being dug from the rubble. 

Life in Haiti was already difficult and this disaster is a catastrophe that Canadians cannot begin to imagine.

Canadian credit unions are actively responding to the urgent need for financial assistance.   

The credit union difference is defined by our belief in the co-operative principle of "people helping people" and our actions reflect this belief.  Credit unions across the country are directly providing support to The Canadian Red Cross and other relief organizations.  Many are also reaching out to their members and their communities to facilitate the collection of donations through credit union branches, to help the people of Haiti survive this crisis.

In addition, credit unions are responding to today's announcement from the Co-operative Development Foundation (CDF), the national charity for Canadian credit unions and co-operatives, that it is working in partnership with the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) and is now accepting donations to provide assistance to Haiti's 175 credit unions and the nearly half-million members that they serve.   

For more information contact:

Veronica Feldcamp

Director, Trade Association Services

(416) 232-3417

feldcampv@cucentral.com