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Chairman Johnson Confers President’s Volunteer Service Award

April 24, 2008, Alexandria, Va –  In recognition of the upcoming National Volunteer Week (April 27 - May 3, 2008), National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Chairman JoAnn Johnson, presented Gordon A. Simmons, President/CEO of Service Credit Union in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with the President’s Volunteer Service Award.  Chairman Johnson conferred the honor on Simmons during her remarks to the 36th Annual Defense Credit Union Council’s (DCUC) Overseas Subcouncil Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland.

In presenting the Award, Chairman Johnson took the opportunity to give special recognition to the importance of volunteer financial literacy efforts.  “I am pleased to recognize the volunteer efforts of Gordon Simmons, particularly those targeted at improving financial literacy among military personnel and students.  Whether it's by  development and leadership of the “CU Reality Fair” through his service as Chairman of the Board of America’s Credit Union Museum, which provides young consumers with financial education tools and resources to make better choices for the rest of their lives, to his tireless devotion to national financial education initiatives that foster better decisions on the part of military service members, Gordon sets a daily example for credit union leaders across the country,” said Chairman Johnson.  Service Credit Union has more than 108,000 members and serves the residents of New Hampshire and Massachusetts as well as U.S. military personnel and their families around the world. 

“Further, I commend credit unions for their dedicated service to our nation’s military personnel and their families.  Credit unions play a crucial role in promoting the financial literacy of service members and their families, helping prevent predatory lending and performing other important functions for our men and women in uniform,” noted Johnson. 

In his 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush issued a challenge to all Americans to help their neighbors, communities, and Nation through volunteer service. In 2003, he created the President's Volunteer Service Award Program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.

The National Credit Union Administration charters and supervises federal credit unions. NCUA, with the backing of the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, operates and manages the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, insuring the accounts of nearly 87 million account holders in all federal credit unions and the majority of state-chartered credit unions. NCUA is funded by credit unions, not federal tax dollars.