2008 Annual Report - Albany, NY: Law Firm, Litigation, Commercial ...

For the Greater Good of Our Community
Depressed about the behavior of Wall Street executives? Well, pull up a chair and get to know
SEFCU, a Capital Region based financial institution. Your faith in business ethics – and active
corporate philanthropy – will be restored. In 2008, SEFCU returned 25 percent of its profits, totaling
$2 million, to the communities they serve. Both the Unity House food pantry and Unity Sunshine have
been beneficiaries of SEFCU giving.
“Local communities are the very heart and soul of SEFCU” says Michael J. Castellana, SEFCU's
President and CEO, and there is irrefutable evidence that he, his 620 employees, and the 186,000
credit union members – who together are SEFCU – walk that talk. “Sure, we are a business,”
Castellana continues, “but the better we perform financially, the better are the returns for our
members, and for those organizations that provide safety nets for people with urgent needs. Castellana
cites his strict, hard-working parents and the security of growing up in that environment as
Unity Sunshine Programs
At Unity Sunshine, children
grow and thrive by learning the
reading language and social skills
that make them successful. In
2008, Unity House:
• Cared for 685 children in
three child care locations
throughout the city of Troy.
• Provided 473 children from
34 school districts and four
counties with special
education, speech, physical,
and occupational therapy
from our qualified staff.
• Raised over $52,000 in
private dollars to send 120
children living in poverty to
the Unity House Traveling
Summer Day Camp.
instrumental in his special focus on helping children. “Every
child deserves a chance for a good start in life. Helping to
provide guidance, education and structure to children’s lives
is both a gift to individual children, and a real win for our
communities.”
SEFCU donates much more than money. The employees of
SEFCU provide hands-on help to their selected charities, and
that is nowhere more evident than at SEFCU’s annual
carnival for the children attending one of Unity House’s
three specialized preschools. A group of SEFCU employees,
led by Carol Brinkman, SEFCU Foundation's Executive
Director, fund, organize, and staff this day-long celebration,
held every fall. “The SEFCU Carnival provides huge
excitement for our kids, and a wonderful day for our
teachers, as well," says Kevin Grace, Director of Youth
Programs at Unity House. “The carnival has become a
tradition that the kids remember from year to year.”
"People want to be part of something bigger than
themselves," reflects Castellana. "SEFCU's goal is to provide that opportunity to our employees and our
members; all to the greater good in our communities."
ANNUAL REPORT 2008 9