NuMark Credit Union Joins in the 11 Days of Kindness Movement

Posted on October 9th, 2026

Joliet, ILL – Last month, NuMark Credit Union (NuMark) was excited to partner with 1340 WJOL (WJOL) to promote the “11 Days of Kindness” initiative, and invited community members to take part in eleven days of activities dedicated to spreading kindness within their communities. This initiative was inspired by the true story of Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11 by Kevin Tuerff and his Pay It Forward 9/11 organization, coinciding with the 25^th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Officially kicking off August 31, 2026, each day was dedicated to supporting different causes within the local communities to encourage participation: animal shelters; supporting schools and teachers; women and homeless shelters; food pantries; libraries; be kind to nature; healthcare professionals; local veterans; shopping at local businesses; random acts of kindness; and fire and police departments. The initiative concluded with the final day dedicated to volunteering at Carry the Load’s Patriot Day gravesite cleaning event at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery (ALNC) on September 12, part of the organization’s National Day of Service.

“In our grief following 9/11, we witnessed the best of who we are when neighbors and strangers came together to help one another,” said Kari Endres, Chief Marketing Officer at NuMark. “Kindness is a powerful healing force. Every act of kindness matters, and you never know how far one kind act will go. By helping one another, we have the power to make the world a better place.”

NuMark gave its branches and departments an opportunity to come up with outreach activities that supported their communities. For the management team’s activity, they volunteered to make a meal for the residents staying at the Comer Ronald McDonald House. Their Marketing Department donated 130 homemade t-shirt tug toys to the Naperville Humane Society and Pawsitive Impact Animal Shelter; their Mortgage Team collected donations of treats, leashes and collars, dog and cat food, toys, and more needed items for Paws for a Cause Vet Care; and the Call Center packed more than 6 laundry baskets full of toys, clothes, and other personal items for the Guardian Home.

“The Learning & Development Department donated requested school supplies to two first grade classrooms in Joliet,” said Carol Sheetz, NuMark’s Learning & Development Manager. “As a team passionate about learning, growth, and helping others succeed, it was especially meaningful to support educators and spend time in an environment filled with curiosity, creativity and potential. Seeing classrooms ready to greet new students on their first day of school and witnessing the teachers’ genuine gratitude reminded us of the profound impact educators have every day. We left inspired, grateful, and proud to play a small part in supporting their important work.”

Continuing in the effort to spread kindness, NuMark’s Accounting and Employee Experience Departments partnered with the Joliet branch to collect needed items for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Will County, donated by staff and members alike. In Crest Hill, staff handed out 300 seed packets to members to grow wildflowers and support the native pollinator population; New Lenox donated much needed items to the NAWS Humane Society in Mokena; and the staff in Plainfield also chose to support educators by delivering supplies, mugs, and thank you cards to local teachers. Finally, the Earlville, Paw Paw, and Sublette branches teamed up to deliver 150 kindness cards to residents at the Mendota Senior Center, packed 60 care packages for our troops, restocked their community food pantry, and spread awareness for suicide prevention.

For the team at WJOL, they volunteered their time packing food for neighbors in need at the Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB). They packed over 10,000 pounds of food for NIFB, which is equal to around 9,854 meals for families in Northern Illinois. In addition to their time volunteering, they also went out into the community and gave out 15 free t-shirts to anyone they saw doing a random act of kindness.

“WJOL radio and the team at Connoisseur Media were honored to partner with NuMark Credit Union on the ‘11 Days of Kindness’ initiative,” said Diane DeVries, Marketing Executive for Connoisseur Media and WJOL. “As part of the media, we take our responsibility seriously to keep our community strong and to promote positive actions for our citizens. This was a perfect opportunity to bring people together for good, and we were thrilled to encourage everyone to BE KIND.”

WJOL also played a crucial part in helping spread the word about the 11 Days of Kindness initiative. In addition to promoting the initiative on the radio to encourage community involvement, they had two episodes of NuMark’s Money Talk Radio Show dedicated to discussing the event. The episode from August 18 featured Endres and DeVries to talk about the initiative’s intention and inspiration, and the September 1 episode focused on the Patriot Day event that concluded the initiative, featuring Endres alongside NuMark’s Graphics Coordinator, Adam Claiborne, and two volunteer NuMark Board members and U.S. military veterans, Wally Chlipala and Ray Eich.

Community outreach has been a cornerstone of NuMark’s mission since the credit union first started over 70 years ago, and their partnership with WJOL has allowed them to spread the message of positivity and kindness to more community members. With several veterans on NuMark’s staff and Board of Directors, supporting local veterans is a large part of the credit union’s outreach. This dedication to veterans made the 11 Days of Kindness especially meaningful, as it was a way to not only share the credit union philosophy of “people helping people” and spreading kindness, but also honor those who have served the country and made the biggest sacrifices to help others. NuMark believes even the smallest act of kindness can make a lasting difference. Whether volunteering their time, supporting local organizations, or helping someone navigate a financial challenge, they are committed to lifting up the communities NuMark calls home.