Awards to be presented at the 36th Annual Conference on Serving the Underserved
(May 5, 2010 - New York, NY) The National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions (Federation) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2010 Annie Vamper “Helping Hands” Award, the highest honor given out by the Federation to community development credit union (CDCU) staff and volunteers. This year’s recipients of the “Helping Hands” Awards are Rebecca “Becky” Anderson, Board of Directors Secretary and Chairperson of the Supervisory Committee at Northwest Baptist Federal Credit Union (Seattle, WA); and Marcus Bordelon, President/CEO of Appalachian Federal Credit Union (Berea, KY).
Federation President/CEO Cliff Rosenthal, himself a recipient of one of the first “Helping Hands” Awards in 1993, commented on this year’s winners. “Marcus and Becky have been involved with their respective credit unions for more than 20 years, and their commitment to their institutions and the principles of the credit union movement are truly exemplary,” he said. “Both are extremely deserving of this award, and it is an honor to present them their Vamper Award during our upcoming conference in Pittsburgh!”
Both Anderson and Bordelon will receive their awards at a special ceremony on Friday, June 11, during the Federation’s 36th Annual Conference on Serving the Underserved in Pittsburgh, PA. For more information about that event, please click here.
About Becky Anderson
Becky Anderson’s introduction to the credit union movement began in the 1980s when she was a member and leader of the Mount Zion Baptist Church Sojourner Truth Circle, a church women’s leadership group for young adults. As president of the Circle, Anderson was the first to visualize the benefits of introducing young professionals to the unique member-friendly world of credit unions.
When the credit union expanded its charter in 1990 and 1994, Anderson was central to gathering support from several American Baptist churches and other nearby churches to join Northwest Baptist FCU’s field of membership. Since that time, she has served in various capacities on the credit union’s Board of Directors and its Supervisory Committee.
Anderson was also instrumental in esblishing the credit union’s Youth Credit Union Program (YCUP) in 1993, a program she continues to lead. Northwest Baptist FCU’s YCUP has built the credit union’s youth membership and provided them with the financial management skills needed to succeed as adults. In addition to her work at the credit union, Anderson has also volunteered extensively with the Federation’s Youth Credit Union Network, serving as Chairman of the Task Force responsible for coordinating the Network’s yearly youth conferences.
About Marcus Bordelon
Marcus Bordelon began his life as a member of a small town banking family in rural Louisiana. However, despite that pedigree, he accepted an offer to become President and CEO of the Central Appalachian Peoples’ Federal Credit Union in 1990, now known as Appalachian Federal Credit Union.
Bordelon joined the credit union at a critical time in its history, when high delinquencies and an inexperienced staff nearly forced the credit union’s regulators to close the institution. From the beginning, Bordelon was instrumental in hiring the credit union’s branch directors and training them to build a sound management team.
With his extensive financial training, he grew the credit union’s loan offerings by developing policies and training staff to expand from consumer lending into more complex real estate and business loans, which provided the credit union with new and important avenues to better serve its members. Bordelon also pushed for Appalachian FCU to become a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank, helping the credit union increase its liquidity and access to financing, which has allowed it to become a significant provider of mortgages in communities where local banks rarely offer mortgages with affordable rates and terms to low-income consumers.
A constant innovator, Bordelon spearheaded the credit union’s predatory lending alternatives, developing the underwriting policies that enabled the credit union to offer affordable car loans and payday loan alternatives to help their members avoid predatory lenders operating throughout the region.
Under his tenure, Appalachian FCU has grown to become a nearly $18 million CDCU serving over 2,200 low- and moderate-income residents throughout rural Appalachia.
About Annie Vamper
Born in Bessemer, Alabama in 1933, Annie Wilma Vamper started her credit union career with the College City Elks Lodge FCU in 1958. By 1962, she was working with the M.C.E. FCU, where she served as manager until 1966. During the War on Poverty, Vamper helped organize, charter, and train the staff of twelve credit unions across the South.
In the 1970s Vamper worked with the Bureau of Federal Credit Unions as a Limited-Income Credit Union Specialist for the Southeast Region, and later, as second in command of NCUA’s CDCU division. By 1982 however, NCUA’s CDCU office was dissolved and Vamper became a field examiner for NCUA.
In 1983, Vamper came to the Federation, joining its only remaining staff member, Cliff Rosenthal, in rebuilding the organization. Upon joining the Federation Vamper became Associate Director -- and Chief Financial Officer, Capitalization Program staff, regulatory analyst, and “godmother” to half a dozen new CDCUs formed during the 1980s. Until her death in 1990, Annie Vamper gave every ounce of her strength, her commitment, and her love to the CDCU movement. In 1993, the “Helping Hands” Award was created to honor her memory, along with the dedication of the Federation’s training center at its New York City headquarters.
The “Helping Hands” Award celebrates those individuals whose unselfish work for the CDCU movement carry-on Annie’s legacy. Since 1993 the Federation has honored 45 credit union staff and volunteers with the award.
A complete list of Vamper Awards recipients is available by clicking here.
© 2010 National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions.
