Supporting Our Communities

THE IMPACT FOUNDATION HELPS BROADEN SERVICE CREDIT UNION’S PHILANTHROPIC REACH

Doing what is right for members by improving financial wellbeing, as well as supporting the communities they serve — that’s the Service Credit Union mission. The Impact Foundation’s mission is to impact the standard of living and the ability to pursue education for everyone to reach their full potential.

Sarah Kuhl is one of the people at Service CU carrying out that mission. She is the credit union’s foundation specialist, overseeing and managing the Impact Foundation, the nonprofit philanthropic arm of the credit union. “The foundation broadens our community reach and provides a way for us to make even more of an impact in New Hampshire and beyond,” she says.

In the two years since its inception, the Impact Foundation has raised more than $1.1 million that has supported, in broad terms, education, human services, and care for veterans and the military. The fundraising has been nurtured through efforts such as the Spring Gala, the Annual Golf Charity Classic and, more recently, a cash raffle.

For the golf tournament, Service CU partners with the Robert Irvine Foundation, which focuses on providing support for veterans and the military. “We’re able to expand our reach nationally, even internationally, through our partnership with the Robert Irvine Foundation,” says Kuhl. This year, the tournament raised nearly $450,000 to support veteran organizations locally in New Hampshire, across the United States and in Germany.

The money raised supported more than a dozen local organizations, among them: Honor Flight New England, which provides veterans with flights to Washington, D.C., so they can visit and reflect at their memorials. Proceeds also benefited Liberty House, based in Manchester. The organization helps homeless and struggling veterans by connecting them to available resources and providing a safe, substance-free transitional home.

In addition, the Service CU Impact Foundation, together with the Robert Irvine Foundation, donated an iBOT to a two-term Vietnam Veteran. An iBOT is a personal mobility device that can raise the user from a seated position to up to 6 feet tall, as well as “walk” up and down stairs. “It was so amazing,” says Kuhl. “Robert Irvine [of the eponymous foundation] was there and announced that we were donating the iBOT to the veteran, who attended the event with his family. It was such an emotional, wonderful moment.”

Another event, the Spring Gala, funds the human services component of the Impact Foundation’s work. The Inaugural Spring Gala was held this past May, raising $105,000. “We donated all proceeds from the gala to the New Hampshire Community Action Partnership (NHCAP) agencies,” Kuhl says. NHCAP is a collaboration of the five Community Action Agencies in the state that work to connect people in need with resources and support to help them thrive.

LEFT: Sarah Kuhl, Foundation Specialist at the Impact Foundation.

The county-based CAP agencies used the money in a variety of ways: to help with housing stability, provide furniture for families moving into an apartment, to retrofit a bus to distribute food to the unhoused population, to store household supplies and donated furniture, and to support case management. “CAP agencies are doing important work for those who are experiencing homelessness. We’re really happy to have the opportunity to partner with them,” Kuhl adds.

Another area of focus of the Impact Foundation is education. Each year, the Impact Foundation provides scholarships to high school students and adult learners. “We give away $50,000 in scholarships each year,” Kuhl says, “and we’re looking to increase that.”

A brand-new fundraiser is a cash raffle. “We sell 3,000 tickets, and once those tickets are gone, a winner is drawn, and they receive $20,000,” Kuhl says. “The winner of the first raffle is a Service CU member overseas, who is serving our country.” The raffle was just launched at the end of September, and the hope is to hold it, at minimum, every other month.

For Kuhl, the work with the Impact Foundation is rewarding: “I go home smiling. Not only are we doing so much good for our community and beyond, but it's fun. And I work with a great team too. I love what I do."

Dennis Yates and others enjoying a meal prepared by the Chef Robert Irvine team.