by Cindy Sutherland, Heritage Credit Union

Heritage Credit Union has been volunteering at Sherman Middle School for the past three years. We have employees who go to Sherman twice a week and help out in homework club or activity club.

If someone at Heritage has a special skill — like Les, The Karate Man who teaches the girls club about self-defense mechanisms — we will volunteer that way too.

What started out as volunteering in the Sherman after school program has turned into so much more. We attend their annual Strut Your Stuff night, participate in their 8th grade mock interviews, and have even held car washes at our branch as a fund-raiser for the kids.

Our partnership extends into the community with an annual school supply drive and toy drive during the holidays. The response by our membership and the community has been overwhelming!

Heritage Credit Union employees volunteer during normal work hours. Most of the time the volunteering is for a 45 minute time period, but the impact on both the students and the Heritage employees extends much beyond.

You probably will never know the impact you may have on a student, but it is clear what volunteering gives back to the volunteer. You step out of the office for less than an hour and come back with a new outlook.

The kids that stay after school and participate in these activities need help; they crave attention and are looking for role models.

Volunteer. Help them academically. Listen to them. Be a positive role model. You will get back more than you give.

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by Ann Yehle, Sherman MS Principal

Sherman Middle School students and staff have received great benefit from their 3-year partnership with Heritage Credit Union.

Through this partnership our 8th grade students have been exposed to career exploration activities that align to the state standards in the area of careers.

With the support of Heritage, students have learned about economics and finance which are part of the 7th grade curriculum at Sherman.

Students from multiple grade levels have benefited from the service learning opportunities Heritage has supported.

Sherman students comment that their work with Heritage helps keep learning "real", meaning day-to-day learning in the classroom is enhanced by activities and experiences Heritage has helped provide.

Finally, Heritage has provided Sherman students and staff with school supplies and gently-used furniture. These donations afford Sherman staff the ability to target more funds toward curriculum and professional development.

Thank you, Heritage Credit Union!