Chairman’s Report
Cliff Struthers | Board Chairman
We’re happy to report that 2024 was another great year for NuMark! Between new technology to improve member experience, like the ability to open accounts online, and supporting our surrounding community members, last year was another one dedicated to the “people helping people” mantra that is the foundation of the credit union movement. In addition, 2024 marked a major achievement for NuMark when we celebrated our 70th anniversary of serving our members and surrounding communities on August 23rd.
We are grateful that you continue to choose NuMark for all your financial needs and appreciate your continued support, which allows us to give back to our members and community.
Last year, NuMark employees spent over 1,250 hours volunteering for our communities in a variety of ways, including participating in CU Kind Day on October 14th. For CU Kind Day, NuMark split into three teams to lend a hand to the Bridge Teen Center, St. Patrick’s Food Pantry in Amboy, and DuPage Pads. Whether it was packing meals for community members in need, or helping to provide holiday gifts for families, our staff members are always excited to help in any way they can.
In addition to CU Kind Day, we continued our partnership with the Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB), participating in Mobile Food Market events where we provided groceries and meals for community members, and raising money to help in their mission. Since the beginning of our partnership with NIFB, we’ve raised over $59,000 to go towards supporting families in need, thanks to the generosity of staff and members.
Last year was also another year dedicated to supporting veterans and showing our appreciation for their years of service to our country. Once again, we raised money for Honor Flight Chicago and Honor Flight Quad Cities to provide veterans across the country the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. to see the memorials of fallen soldiers and other national monuments.
In addition to the Honor Flight Network, we also continued our support of Wreaths Across America (WAA), participating in Flags in Day at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, and raising money to sponsor 292 wreaths for National Wreaths Across America Day. Throughout our 14 years supporting WAA, we’ve raised a total of $49,351 to sponsor 4,879 wreaths.
While we had a wonderful year supporting our communities and celebrating 70 years of stellar service, we also had the bittersweet announcement in October of Lloyd Fredendall’s retirement, whose official last day was March 31st, 2025. We’re immensely grateful for Lloyd’s many years of wonderful leadership and wish him all the best. We’d also like to congratulate Michelle Balog on taking over the role of President and CEO and are looking forward to seeing NuMark continue to grow under her leadership. Thank you again for your continued support and being part of our NuMark family.