EDMONTON, Alberta, May 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To kick off a movement aimed at helping Albertans start to feel good again, Servus is giving $50,000 to support mental health services in Alberta.
Servus’s $50,000 donation will primarily go to support distress centres that operate Alberta’s 211 helpline, an initiative of United Way. The 211 portion of the donation is eligible for the Government of Alberta’s Charitable Giving Matching Donation Program, which will potentially double Servus’s contribution toward COVID-19 response services.
“We’ve been working closely with our members throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and have seen first-hand the strain it’s had on them and Albertans overall,” explains Garth Warner, President & CEO of Servus Credit Union. “Mental health supports are more important than ever, and we want Albertans to be able to easily access help when they need it.”
"This is a challenging time for everyone and there are increasing cases of stress and poor mental health that will have short- and long-term impact on many in our community,” said Allan Undheim, Vice President, Community Building & Investment, United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. “211 understands how everyone needs to take care of their mental health and how situations like financial struggles, childcare challenges and isolation are impacting people’s ability to do that. 211 is here to help all Albertans. This donation will help us do that.”
The Servus Feel Good Movement™
As the world slowly begins to adjust and recover from COVID-19, the impacts on society and individuals remain significant. According to a recent Angus Reid poll monitoring Canadians and their perceptions and behaviours related to COVID-19, 24% of Canadians reported their levels of stress to be very or extremely stressed.
“It’s our mission to help our members feel good about their money,” says Warner. “But at a time like this, we know their primary need is to first feel good about their health and wellbeing. In order to make a positive impact for both our members and for Alberta, we’ve created the Servus Feel Good Movement. We’re aligning our community investment, financial services and employee initiatives to support this new movement.”
The Servus Feel Good Movement incorporates:
- Community investment that drives to help Albertans improve how they feel in the wake of COVID-19. Servus will focus its remaining community investment dollars in 2020 toward programs and initiatives that help people feel better by finding ways to connect safely and access resources that have positive long-term effects.
- In the coming weeks, we will announce how Servus members, employees and other Albertans can participate in the Feel Good Movement.
Helping members feel good
“The Servus Feel Good Movement is a natural extension of how we’ve already been helping our members – individuals and business – take control throughout the pandemic,” Warner points out.
Since March, Servus has:
- Offered a suite of COVID-19 financial relief programs to support members including mortgage and loan deferrals and Mastercard® relief options.
- Supported more than 7,500 members through their mortgage deferral financial relief program.
- Deferred payments on more than $4 billion in personal and business loans, while also making arrangements to avoid compounding interest charges.
- Connected members with government programs including CERB and CEBA. In particular:
- Approved and funded more than $150 million in Canadian Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loans.
- Processed over 5,000 registrations for the CRA’s direct deposit application for the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
- Reached out to members regularly to provide financial counsel.
- Provided more than $2.4 million in additional pay to Servus employees between April and June to recognize them for their important work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Donated $10,000 to the Wood Buffalo Food Bank in response to floods impacting Fort McMurray in April.
More information
Learn more about the Servus Feel Good Movement at servus.ca/feelgoodmovement.
About Servus Credit Union Ltd.
At Servus Credit Union we're building a better world, one member at a time. We've been shaping the financial fitness of Albertans for 80 years with a full line of secure financial services. We help members manage their money wherever they are through 101 branches in 59 communities; online, mobile and telephone banking; and 1900 no-fee ATMs across Canada. We re-invest our profits in our members and the communities we serve. For more information, call 1.877.378.8728 or visit servus.ca.
About Alberta 211
An initiative of United Way, 211 helps Albertans identify the support they need quickly and easily, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 170 languages. 211 is Alberta’s most comprehensive and reliable source of information on government and community-based health and social services.
For more information contact:
Chris Tse
Media & Story Consultant
Servus Credit Union
T: 587.594.3820
Email: chris.tse@servus.ca