On Friday, April 22, MVCU teammates spent the night at Bridgewater State University to support the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life fundraiser. This was the credit union’s first time participating in the Relay, and the team collectively raised $5,150 for the American Cancer Society.
MVCU’s relay team was led by Team Captain Wendy Kuntz, a senior mortgage underwriter. Wendy, who has lost numerous family members and a lifelong friend to cancer, felt passionate about this cause and the opportunity to show support for those currently battling this disease.
“Most everyone has been impacted in one way or another by cancer. Relay for Life is a wonderful way to show support for our loved ones and those we may not know,” Wendy says.
Participating MVCU teammates included Ian Dejesus, FSR; Toeun Pot, mortgage loan processor; Babu Srinivasan, senior application support analyst; Mallory Pryor, training specialist; Annette Yee, vice president of project development and CRA officer; Jakia Lopes, senior collections representative; Linda Bercowitz, commercial lending assistant; and John Mackenzie, vice president of finance.
The team held fundraisers both prior to and during the event, selling raffle tickets and handmade items, and collecting donations to support the cause. According to Wendy, the team was incredibly supportive and enthusiastic about the overnight event.
“We have an amazing team and it was definitely a team effort!” Wendy recalls. “Everyone pitched in obtaining donations, gathering supplies, decorating, and requesting raffle items and sale items. We raised over $5,000 in donations which contributed to the event’s total of over $51,600!”
The event was made even more special as two of Wendy’s friends, April and Tara (show above), joined MVCU’s team and enjoyed the night’s festivities. April is currently battling cancer and Tara is her caregiver.
“These two women are such incredible human beings. They are smart, compassionate, supportive and hysterically funny. My laps around the track with them were very entertaining! We all share similar stories with April and Tara and that’s why we participate in Relay. My MVCU employee teammates were so supportive of April and the other teams that attended the event. They participated in activities, bought raffle tickets and sale items from others, and even gave some supplies away to people in need. Plus, Ian bought us all KFC for dinner! This team is a great representation of our OneTeam culture at MVCU,” says Wendy.
Thank you to our teammates for supporting and participating in such a special evening for our community!