album Happy Feet

Reliant Community Credit Union really brightened the beginning of 2018 January 8th by donating 75 pairs of new sneakers to the Newark Central School District. ey will be distributed to children in need who attend Perkins, Lincoln and Kelley Schools.

Part of a special project Reliant calls “Feet Forward,” the credit union will donate $10,000 worth of sneakers for elementary school children in 2018 to schools and organizations in several of the 9 communities Reliant serves in Ontario, Monroe and Wayne counties. It has branches in Brockport, Canandaigua, Geneva, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Macedon, Newark, Sodus, and Webster.

As part of this charitable endeavor, Reliant partnered with Fleet Feet Sports Rochester which helped facilitate the credit union’s purchase by providing a discount so an array of high quality children’s sneakers can be donated to children who otherwise wouldn’t have access to them.

“Serving children is vital to Reliant’s efforts to serve our communities,” said Amy Calabrese, Reliant’s Chief Brand Officer at its corporate headquarters in Sodus.“We know how important it is for children to be active, but we also recognize that not all children have access to quality footwear. We hope our contributions through “Feet Forward” will enable the children they bene#t to be more active and participate more fully in activities.”

Reliant representatives Hanna Colling, a teller at Reliant’s Newark branch; Alisa Erbland, Reliant Marketing Communications Specialist; and Karen Dean, Reliant Member Development Coordinator made the presentation of the sneakers at Perkins School to Perkins School Principal Sue Achille, Superintendent Matt Cook and Chris Corey, Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Health.

e sneakers will soon be distributed to children at the three schools based on determinations of need from the physical education teachers at each school.

“It is always gratifying to work with corporate partners who give back to the local community,” Cook said. “Reliant Community Credit Union recognizes how important public education is and stepped up today to allow 75 Newark Central School students to have quality footwear. is allows them to feel more comfortable in physical education classes, as well as more comfortable throughout the day. Once basic needs are met, we can begin the process of education in earnest. It’s wonderful working with good corporate citizens like Reliant!”

“e mission of our Physical Education program is to develop physically literate students who are active and healthy for a lifetime,’’ added Corey. “Reliant Federal Credit Union’s generous donation lends an enormous hand to the work of our department by helping our students have safe and appropriate footwear so they can be up, moving, and healthy.”

e donation to the Newark Central School District was the "rst donation of the year for Reliant’s “Feet Forward” project. Reliant plans to deliver hundreds of additional pairs of sneakers in the coming weeks.