TwinStar Credit Union stepped up to support Yelm Community Schools and its students’ lunch debt by donating $38,116 to the district.
Laurie Kresl, TwinStar’s vice president of marketing, attended the Thursday, Nov. 21, school board meeting to explain why the credit union, which has two branches in Yelm, lent its hand. When the TwinStar staff learned of the school district’s double levy failure and accruing student lunch debt, they knew it was time to pitch in.
“Our mission is to make our communities and our members financially secure so that they can thrive and meet their goals. With that, when we heard there were some issues because a levy didn’t pass in Yelm … we consider this part of our community,” Kresl said. “We have two branches here. We have families that live here. They go to the schools. It matters. So our director of community engagement reached out and said, ‘How can we help?’ because that’s what a credit union does.”
Kresl is also the board chair for the TwinStar Community Foundation, a charity nonprofit aimed to help feed hungry children.
“Our mission as a foundation is well-fed kids create well-fed minds. So it feels like the perfect scenario,” she said. “This is exactly what we do. One of our number one things is paying off school lunch debt. It was just a perfect opportunity for us to be able to give back to a community that we care about and is struggling, and we hope it helps and we’re here to help more if you need it.”
Overall, the Yelm school board voted to approve $47,015 worth of gifts from community members, including STIHL Northwest donating $6,649 worth of equipment for students and three local organizations donating a combined $1,750 to help pay for Yelm High School choir students to travel to New York to perform at Carnegie Hall in May.
The YHS Connects Choir Committee also presented a donation of $15,000 for the YHS choir trip thanks to its Nov. 9 benefit concert featuring performances by students, alumni and staff. The donation will be up for board approval on the next school board agenda.
