Toronto, ON and Vancouver, BC, February 22, 2021 – The Gary Gillam Award, jointly sponsored by Alterna Savings and Central 1 Credit Union (Central 1), is now open for nominations.

The award recognizes and honours individuals within the British Columbia and Ontario credit union system who have reinforced co-operative values and made significant achievements in social responsibility.

The nominees will have made meaningful accomplishments in social responsibility and sustainability in credit unions or promoted credit unions as a socially responsible investment alternative.

Up to two awards may be presented each year: one to a credit union employee and/or one to a credit union volunteer. Recipients each receive $2,500, provided by Alterna Savings and Central 1 to be donated to the recipients’ charity, organization, or project of choice.

Nominations are limited to those who have taken credit unions beyond traditional philanthropy and good corporate citizenship. To be eligible, nominees must be a credit union member and a current or past director, employee, or volunteer.

Nominations must be received by March 23, 2021. The award committee will review all nominations and select the annual recipient(s). The award will then be delivered to the recipient’s preferred location in early April 2021.

For information about the nomination process, view the 2021 Nomination Guide & Selection Criteria package.

About Gary Gillam

The Gary Gillam Award was established to honour the memory and work of Gary H. Gillam. Gary was the Director, Legal, Governmental Affairs and Administration, at Credit Union Central of Ontario (now Central 1) from 1982 to 1988.

In 1988, Gary became CEO of Unicoll Credit Union (now Alterna Savings), where he worked until illness forced his resignation in 1993.

Gary Gillam was one of the leading advocates for social responsibility in the credit union system, long before it became popular within organizations. He vigorously promoted the concept of social investment, calling on credit unions and their centrals to use social as well as financial criteria for their investment portfolios. He supported the development of community loan funds to assist socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. At CUCO and his own credit union, he initiated social audits to measure the social performance of the organization, as a complementary process to the financial audit.

About Alterna Savings

Alterna Savings and Credit Union Limited (Alterna) has been the good in banking for 112 years! Alterna is made up of Alterna Savings and Credit Union Limited and its whollyowned subsidiary, Alterna Bank. Together, we have $10 billion in assets under management.

As the first full-service, member-owned co-operative financial institution outside Quebec, Alterna Savings shares its expertise with more than 185,000 members through a network of 36 branches across Ontario, that includes partner Peterborough Community Savings; as well as call centre and digital channels. Members and customers also benefit from an industry-leading online brokerage, investment management services, and have access to over 43,000 surcharge-free ATMs in North America with THE EXCHANGE Network in Canada and the Allpoint Network in the US.

About Central 1

Central 1 is a preferred partner for financial, digital banking and payment products and services – fuelling the success of businesses across Canada. We leverage our scale, strength and expertise to power progress for more than 250 credit unions and other financial institutions, enhancing the financial well-being of more than 5 million customers from coast to coast. For more information, visit www.central1.com.