CCU Sponsor Offers Over $100,000.00 in Scholarships

Waukegan, IL, November 10, 2023: Consumers Cooperative Association (CCA), sponsor for Consumers Credit Union (CCU; $2.9 Billion, Waukegan, IL), is pleased to announce they will award over $100,000 in scholarships and are excited to reveal more opportunities to the credit union membership community.

CCA will award Thirty-one (31) scholarships to eligible high school seniors graduating from the class of 2024, totaling $70,000 in 2024. Thirty (30) of the selected high school seniors will each be awarded a scholarship worth $2,000. One (1) high school senior will be chosen to receive the Bill Reidel Memorial Scholarship worth $10,000.

CCA also opened more scholarship opportunities to eligible members pursuing their undergraduate degree. CCA will award sixteen (16) scholarships totaling $38,000 in 2024. Fourteen (14) selected students will each be awarded a scholarship worth $2,000. One (1) student will be selected to receive the Gayhart Silvola $5,000 Honorary Scholarship, and one (1) student will receive the Dorotha Betke $5,000 Honorary Scholarship. These named scholarships honor Gayhart and Dorotha, who each graciously shared their time and talents over 40+ years of devoted service as enthusiastic, loyal, and faithful CCA board members.

Additionally, for the second year, CCA is offering a scholarship opportunity to support eligible members with student loan debt. The scholarship seeks to alleviate the burden of student loan debt by helping members who have graduated and are in the workforce but still have student debt to pay.

"CCA is excited to provide various opportunities to help reduce the financial burden of a college education. It’s a great honor that CCA has been able to assist high school seniors in strengthening their education through this scholarship program for the past forty-six years," said Kathleen Crews, Consumers Cooperative Association (CCA) Chairman. “In the spirit of supporting and investing in our membership community, we are thrilled to be able to open the scholarship program to more members this year.

Details on the various scholarships, as well as applications and eligibility, are available on CCU’s website on the Consumers Cooperative Association’s page; myconsumers.org/cca. The deadline to apply for the high school and undergraduate scholarships is January 14, 2024, by 11:59 p.m. CST. The deadline to apply for the student loan scholarship is December 01, 2023, by 11:59 p.m. CST, providing ample time for eligible individuals to apply.

“Recognizing our youth’s academic achievements has always been very important to CCU. It is strongly encouraged that all eligible students apply for one of the offered scholarships,” noted Sean M. Rathjen, CCU’s CEO. “Both the credit union and the Association are committed to providing our youth with guidance and support through their educational journeys. This incredible initiative would not be possible without Consumers Cooperative Association, CCU’s sponsor.”

For more information about the Consumers Cooperative Association’s scholarship program, contact Kathleen Crews, CCA Chairman, by email at [email protected]. Consumers Credit Union, recognized as one of Forbes Best in State Credit Unions, is member-owned and proudly serves over 198,000 members in Illinois, Wisconsin, and across the country. Visit myconsumers.org for more information.