Thompson of Philadelphia Named 2011 CU Youth Ambassador of PA

5/19/2011
Thompson of Philadelphia Named 2011 Credit Union Youth Ambassador of Pennsylvania;
Madore of Bethel Park and Williams of Erie Named Alternates

HARRISBURG – At the 35th Annual Youth Ambassador Contest of Pennsylvania held on May 12, Whitney Thompson was declared the winner and will serve as 2011 Credit Union Youth Ambassador of Pennsylvania.  Thompson represented the Philadelphia Chapter of Credit Unions and is a Member Service Officer at the Philadelphia Stock Exchange branch of American Heritage Federal Credit Union.  The annual statewide contest was held during the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association’s (PCUA) 77th Annual Convention & Expo held May 11-13 in Hershey.

Thompson, 25, graduated from Philadelphia High School of Girls and holds a bachelor’s degree from Temple University.  She is currently working on a master’s degree from Arcadia University.  For the next year, as the Pennsylvania Credit Union Youth Ambassador, Thompson will speak to credit union officials throughout the state at Association events and regional chapter meetings.

The First Alternate was Joshua Madore, 25, of Bethel Park representing Riverset Credit Union, Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Chapter of Credit Unions. 

Second Alternate was Mike Williams, 21, of Erie representing Erie General Electric Federal Credit Union and the Erie Chapter of Credit Unions.

Serving as the Master of Ceremonies was Melanie Gardner, Multi Media Journalist for WPMT FOX43 of York. The contest judges were:

1.    Rebecca Doumaux, President, Junior Achievement of Central Pennsylvania
2.    Doug Nielsen, Executive Coach, Doug Nielsen Communications, Ogden, UT
3.    Kelley Parks, Founder, Gira{ph} Creative, Richmond, VA
4.    Mike Ruzicka, President, AMIS, Carnegie, PA
5.    Jim Sherrill, Director, Product Distribution, CUNA Mutual Group, Madison, WI

Twelve finalists won regional contests before advancing to the state finals.  The finalists completed a written exam before presenting speeches about credit union topics.  A panel of five judges selected the winner, tallying scores from the test, personal interview, and speech.

The additional nine contestants were:

•    Beaver Valley Chapter – Randi Ewing, Chester, WV
•    Delaware County Chapter – Kevin Tyson, Upper Chichester
•    Harrisburg Chapter – Brandi Kempfer, Grantville
•    Lan-Chester Chapter – Kevin Edwards, West Chester
•    Monongahela Valley Chapter – Renee Bredniak, Avella
•    Montgomery County Chapter – Kimberly Miller, Spring City
•    Schuylkill Chapter – Christina Ulrich, Reading
•    Susquehanna Valley Chapter – Katelyn Huling, Cogan Station
•    York Chapter – Alli Garner, Dover

The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association conducts the contest to attract young people to credit unions and to prepare them for leadership roles.  Credit union members between the ages of 17 and 25 compete and are sponsored by the Association’s chapters.  The contestants are judged on their knowledge of credit unions and their ability to communicate that knowledge.

Several hundred young people have competed in the Credit Union Youth Ambassador Contest since the early 1970s.  Many of the contestants have gone on to hold volunteer and professional positions within the credit union movement.  

Credit unions are financial cooperatives that provide affordable financial services to help their owner/members.  The Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Credit Union Association is a trade association that provides legislative, promotional, educational and operational support for nearly 500 credit unions in Pennsylvania.  These credit unions have assets in excess of $33 billion and serve more than 3.5 million members.  For additional information about credit unions or to find a credit union near you, visit www.iBelong.org

Editor’s Note:  Photos available upon request.

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