Paragon Federal owes its success to the communities we serve. This is why we are grateful for the opportunity to support several local charities and organizations. Our primary focus is supporting everyone's future - especially children. We believe they are every community's greatest asset and hope for the future. That focus led us to create the Carl Strong Memorial Scholarship Fund to help deserving high school students continue their education. Over the years we have also contributed regularly to Bergen Community College, The Tomorrows Children's Fund and The Footprints in the Sand Foundation.
Below are brief descriptions of the charity/organizations we support.
Carl Strong Memorial Scholarship Fund
College expenses skyrocket every year, making it increasingly difficult for aspiring students to afford higher education. Paragon was founded by Bergen County Educators and strongly believes in the future of these students. For this reason, we established the Carl Strong Memorial Scholarship Fund, which awards college scholarships to deserving high school seniors.
Tomorrows Children's Fund
Tomorrows Children's Fund provides emotional, social and financial assistance to hundreds of youngsters who are fighting cancer or a serious blood disorder. Contributions fund new research in critical areas that will make a total cure possible. Funds are also used to maintain facilities such as the teen lounge and the well-equipped playroom, where kids with cancer or a serious blood disease can just be kids. Visit http://www.atcfkid.com/ for more information on this extremely worthy cause.
The Footprints in the Sand Foundation
Footprints in the Sand is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that was established to provide financial assistance to children and their families in obtaining necessary medical, educational, and therapeutic treatment. The mission is to bring joy and hope to those in need. By creating, supporting, and locating programs that directly develop the health and well being of children, the Footprints in the Sand Foundation is working to better the lives of children and their families.
To date, they have assisted seven families whom either live or work in the Southern Rockland or Northern Bergen Counties. All funds raised through their fundraisers, merchandise orders and donations, go in their entirety towards their grant pool. For more information, or to learn how to become a volunteer, visit them at: www.footprintsfoundation.com
"It's sad that tragedy ends up being the greatest reminder of how precious each moment with our children is."
Bergen Community College
The lobby of the Technology Education Center on the campus of Bergen Community College is named after Paragon Federal Credit Union, in appreciation for a pledge totaling $50,000, paid over five years, to support Bergen Community College students.
The two story, sky-lit lobby, features a grand central staircase to a mezzanine and the second floor. It is part of a two story, 50,000 square foot facility that includes a simulated manufacturing laboratory, six computer labs, an interactive television and videoconference classroom, a state-of-the-art Meeting and Training Center, an electronic library, and two observatories.
Paragon President/CEO Richard Rays felt the pledge fell in line with the credit union's mission. "As a community credit union, originally founded by Bergen County Educators, and in keeping with our philosophy of 'People Helping People' we felt this was an ideal opportunity to reach out to the community while staying in touch with our roots."
Community Blood Services
The Community Blood Services mission is to serve the community - its patients, physicians and hospitals - with the safest and highest quality transfusion products and services; to assure the safety of the blood supply and the donors they service through the highest level of integrity professionalism and utilization of the maximum technical standards on all aspects of their daily operations. For more information on blood donation, visit their website: www.communitybloodservices.org
Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon
Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon supports our troops both at home and abroad by organizing and conducts community drives to gather needed supplies which are then packed and shipped to our men and women in uniform. They engage in projects of all sizes: sending a custom built giant screen entertainment system for a Super Bowl party, providing wireless Internet to soldiers in the largest military hospital, supplying softball equipment for the largest base, providing thousands of blank DVDs for troops to send videos home, delivering personal care items for female soldiers and most recently providing X-Box entertainment game systems for troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Kyrgyzstan.
Paragon Federal Credit Union is proud to have actively taken the lead on several projects coordinated by Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon such as Operation X-Box 360 and K-9 heroes at Camp Anaconda. For more information, please visit http://www.adoptasoldierplatoon.org.
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