Success Story
North Central Area CU Superhero September
By Donna Adinolfe
Background: North Central Area Credit Union, Houghton Lake, Michigan has 16,000 members and just over $120 million in assets. Tracy Wilson, Marketing Director at North Central Area Credit Union, watched an idea grow and evolve over the last five years as one of her high school classmates started an effort to empower child victims of violence and abuse.
What they did: Superhero September was born in Phoenix by Sean Reavie, a Michigan native and now a detective with the Phoenix Police Department’s Crimes Against Children Unit. Reavie was looking for a way to educate the public about child abuse, to end generational cycles of abuse, and a way to empower the child victims during their recovery. Superheroes became the perfect answer.
Superhero September is a month-long awareness, fundraising and educational campaign for the Childhelp Children’s Center in Phoenix. Wilson was looking for a way to spread this fun and educational program to Northern Michigan and the “people helping people” philosophy of credit unions offers that platform.
“Someone took away their right to be a little kid,” Reavie said. “Superhero September is a way to help give it back to them.”
North Central Area Credit Union hosted its first Superhero September in 2018 in its Grayling, Roscommon and Houghton Lake branches to benefit the Northern Michigan Children’s Assessment Center of Roscommon (NMCAC); and the efforts of NCACU’s Standish Branch benefitted the Arenac County Office of the Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) Council Great Lakes Bay Region. They raised more than $5,000. Superheroes again took over the branches in September 2019 with an added “Super Main Event” on the grounds of the Houghton Lake Community Schools.
Superhero September has grown so fast in Arizona that Reavie found it necessary to create a foundation and established it as “Put On The Cape, A Foundation for Hope.” NCACU collaborated with the foundation in 2018 and offered the first official Michigan events. The Super Main Event day started off with a Walk For Kids sponsored by a local real estate agent who partners with the credit union.
Superhero Costumes were encouraged, and the walk had about 30 families participate. Along with members from the League of Enchantment, a non-profit Cosplay group from the Lansing area, Superheroes of all shapes and sizes interacted with kids and adults of all ages. The event was free and open to the public. Goodwill donations of cash and Superhero-themed items like clothing, school supplies and toys were collected. A hot dog lunch was sponsored by Sno Queen of Houghton Lake and was also free. Participants got to meet and take pictures with a variety of superheroes, play games and participate in crafts, as well as visit with local child-related non-profit organizations.
Results: The event raised more than $5,000 for the Northern Michigan Children’s Assessment Center and donations continue to be collected in the NCACU Branches through the end of the month.
Key Lessons Learned: Everybody loves superheros and are willing to give to support those who are in need. Fundraising events are a solid way to increase visibility for a credit union while giving back and doing good in the community.