$154K in expenses

The gecu foundation recognizes the impact that it can have on the well-being of our communities when we support organizations that focus on health issues. This year, we contributed to community organizations that help reduce treatment costs, provide essential services to combat health issues, and make the health care journey for patients' families easier. Our contribution to el paso children's hospital helped with the development of the family lounge on the eighth floor. This new floor will be a hybrid unit designed to accommodate admissions to pediatric intensive care unit patients and is home to the region's only pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit (emu). The family lounge will also help create a cozy and welcoming space for families, especially those from out of town, that offers them comfort and a sense of community during their health care journey. The sobreviviendo el cancer program is based at the umc infusion center in el paso, texas, and provides psychosocial support and short-term funding to cancer patients. Approximately 37% of umc's cancer patients are uninsured and/or come from a low-income background. The additional cost of co-payments for treatment and medication, medical equipment, and supplies and transportation needs can become an overwhelming barrier to their fight. The program aims to identify and assist with the challenges that may interfere with the patient's treatment plan to improve their treatment outcomes and their quality of life. The el paso center for diabetes moved from a 3,800-square-foot building to a 6,000-square-foot facility. This new, larger facility will have a teaching kitchen, additional classrooms, a healing garden, private consult rooms, a diabetes resource room and other amenities. Our contribution sponsored one of the dietitian rooms where participants learn about nutrition, stress management, physical activity, medication adherence, reducing complications and more. The el paso center for diabetes serves more than 10,000 families annually.

$293K in expenses

We believe that investing in education, especially in the health care field, is going to help with the overall quality of life of underserved regions. This year, we contributed to students' tuition costs at various institutions, allowing them to better focus on completing their degrees. Our contribution to burrell college of osteopathic medicine in las cruces, new mexico, will fund a full four-year scholarship for one student. The estimated cost of attendance at this college is $60,600 per year. We trust that this initiative is going to help address the critical need for physician retention in the borderplex area. Howard payne university is a private baptist university in el paso, texas, that offers associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. The academic community of the university is dedicated to excellence by developing and equipping its students with intellectual inquiry, personal and professional integrity, and service to god and humanity. Our contribution awards four-year scholarships to two students to help them obtain their degree at howard payne university. Proaction actively works to bring women and people of color into the emergency medical technician (EMT) field through targeted outreach and education. Proaction partners with community members to offer scholarships to remove barriers associated with the program's cost. Our support provided scholarships to two el pasoans and helped them complete their basic or advanced EMT programs.

$615K in expenses

This year, we continued to elevate the communities that we serve by donating to community organizations that focus on our 12 core development issues, including through a new fundraising initiative. We also provided support to those affected by the wildfires in new mexico. In 2024, the gecu foundation launched its first matching may campaign, where we matched donations of up to $12,000 to each of the 12 nonprofit organizations that we selected. Each of the selected nonprofits represents one of our core development issues that are crucial for the economic growth and prosperity of the el paso, texas, community. Throughout may, the el paso community came together to support their favorite charities through donations. The mission of the el paso gold star memorial is to honor and recognize the families of service members who have passed away in service to the country. The organization serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by military families and the nation's debt of gratitude to them. Their efforts include constructing memorials, hosting events and providing support to gold star families. The utep foster homeless adopted resources program provides comprehensive academic and social welfare services to utep students who were adopted, have aged out of foster care, and/or are experiencing housing insecurity. This grant helps empower generations of vulnerable students by offering them the essential support that is required for them to complete their university degree. Our contribution helped eight students receive financial assistance for needs such as purchasing books and supplies, covering utility bills, securing deposits for rental units, transportation costs, and more. In the spirit of the credit union's people helping people philosophy, the gecu foundation supported those affected by the wildfires in ruidoso, new mexico, through the american red cross. We are grateful to gecu members and employees and our community for helping us make this contribution.