“Today is one of my most favorite days of the year,” Carla Altepeter said Tuesday as she drove a white van east on I-90 toward Coeur d’Alene. “We’re going to five non-profit organizations that are doing tremendous work in our area and giving them money.”
Altepeter, CEO of Numerica Credit Union, and three of her staffers were on their way to surprise the selected organizations with $5,000 checks.
CEO on the Road started three years ago as a way to give back to the community, explained Communications Manager Kelli Hawkins.
The money comes from the credit union’s Skip-A-Payment program, which allows members to skip a loan payment with a small fee.
First on the list this year was The Children’s Village in Coeur d’Alene, which provides services for homeless children and strives to keep siblings together. The organization offers shelter and residential foster care, and has a crisis nursery for at risk infants and toddlers.
Altepeter walked up the office walkway, with an eager Numerica crew in tow manning a video camera and iPhones, ready to capture the moment.
She explained CEO On The Road and handed a check The Children’s Village Executive Director Julie Lockhart.
Between tears, Lockhart explained that her organization had to turn 26 children away in 2013 because of a lack of funding.
“This is a huge blessing,” she said. “This is going to go a long way in serving more kids.”
She laughed. “You get to do this all day? I can see why this is your favorite day of the year.”
Back in the van, on the way to the next non-profit, Altepeter explained that Numerica picks organizations that have smaller budgets and depend on donations.
“As we saw with Children’s Village, they’re very appreciative, $5,000 goes a long way. It’s a big percentage of their budget,” she said, adding that Numerica gives 4 percent of its net income back to the community each year.
The next stop was Hearth Homes, which provides transitional housing for homeless women with children.
Altepeter and her team caught Hearth Homes Director Angela Lorenzi in the parking lot.
She knew someone from Numerica was coming to visit, but wasn’t expecting a $5,000 check.
“Wow, thank you so much. This is a very Merry Christmas,” Lorenzi said.
CEO On The Road also stopped at Because There is Hope, Operation Healthy Family and the Wishing Star Foundation.
Because There is Hope is home to Faye’s House, which provides temporary housing for cancer patients and their care givers during treatment and recovery in Spokane. Operation Healthy Family, in Spokane, helps those in need by offering education, mental health and wellness programs to help strengthen family units. And Wishing Star grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses between the ages of 3 and 21, living in Eastern and Central Washington and Idaho.
When CEO On The Road began in 2010 organizations were each given $1,000, Hawkins said. But when Altepeter took over as CEO two years ago worked with the board of directors to increase the amount.
“We could do better. We could do more,” Altepeter said. “So we ramped that up significantly, and the entire leadership team talked about our role as corporate citizens and how we can make our community a better place to live, work and play.”
A video on the 2012 CEO on the Road can be viewed here.
