Hartford Federal Credit Union,Conn., President/CEO Edward Danek,Jr., has received the 2005 Professional Recognition Award from theConnecticut Credit Union Association. The award is presentedannually to a Connecticut credit union executive for outstandingcontributions to their credit union as well as the credit unionmovement. Danek also serves on the St. Francis Hospital and MedicalCenter Foundation board of directors. California Coast CreditUnion, San Diego, has received the Union-Tribune CorporateLeadership award from the San Diego Council on Literacy. The creditunion was singled out for its continuous support of literacy andeducation related initiatives. In addition to annual sponsorships,California Coast CU has provided financial assistance to the SanDiego Council on Literacy this year by underwriting the cost for44,000 books to be shipped from South Dakota to San Diego insupport of local youth literacy programs. MECU of Baltimore, Inc.,Md., was one of eight Baltimore companies that received the Mayor'sBusiness Recognition Award for commitment to community from theGreater Baltimore Committee. MECU was recognized for its ongoingsupport of Ft. Worthington Elementary School, including specificprojects to refurbish the computer lab and to help improve readingscores. As part of its ongoing support for the school, MECU alsosponsored the fifth grade class' participation in JuniorAchievement's Exchange City. Desert Schools Federal Credit Union,Phoenix, has been recognized as one of the Best Companies to Workin the Valley. This year, Desert Schools moved up six spots tonumber 19, among companies with more than 250 employees. Theresults are based on anonymous surveys conducted by Quantum MarketResearch for program co-founders, The Gredler Group and The PhoenixBusiness Journal. Aside from the multiple benefits and incentivespublic recognition for their efforts, volunteer opportunities, andloan discounts Desert Schools' employees have taken notice of thewelcoming friendly environment and the opportunities to growprofessionally. U.S. Federal Credit Union, Burnsville, Minn,Executive Vice President/Chief Operations Officer Phil Bachman hasbeen honored by the Archer-Doig Chapter of Credit Unions for hismore than 19 years of service to the chapter. First elected as achapter director in 1986, Bachman diligently served until the endof 2005. During that time he also served as the chapter chairman.Bachman also furthered his dedication to the credit union movementby serving as the Minnesota League Director LegislativeRepresentative to the chapter from 1986 to 1996 and MinnesotaLeague Director for the year following. In addition, he has workedat USFCU for over 20 years. Royal Credit Union, Eau Claire, Wis.,President Charles Grossklaus has been honored as Luther Hospitals'2005 Good Samaritan of the Year. Grossklaus was chosen for hisdemonstrated leadership and his contribution to the Eau Clairecommunity and Luther Hospital. As an Eau Claire native, Grossklaushas been giving back to his community for decades. He has been withthe credit union since 1971, taking it from a $5 millioninstitution serving Uniroyal employees to what is now a $702million business serving more than 105,000 members in 18 counties.San Mateo Credit Union, Redwood City, Calif., has been presentedthe 2005 Ways to Work Lending Partner of the Year Award by theFamily Service Agency of San Mateo County (FSA). SMCU wasrecognized for its outstanding contributions and service in supportof FSA's Ways to Work, a loan program focused on helping low-incomefamilies become financially self-sufficient. The program's missionis to strengthen the capacity of Alliance for Children and Familiesmember organizations to serve their communities. CFE Federal CreditUnion, Orlando, Fla., has been voted the Best Credit Union inCentral Florida by readers of the Orlando Business Journal. TheOBJ's Annual Readers' Choice Awards gives readers the opportunityto vote for their favorite businesses, from restaurants to healthclubs to financial institutions, by completing a ballot or anonline survey. The Readers' Choice award is the third prestigiousrecognition CFE has recently received. Earlier in 2005, CEO JosephMelbourne was selected as Professional of the Year by NAFCU and CFEFCU was named as one of Orlando's Top 100 Companies for WorkingFamilies by the Orlando Sentinel. Colorado Credit Union, Denver,has been presented the Colonel's Award for Excellence by theColorado State Patrol (CSP). The award is the CSP's highestcivilian award and recognized CCU's efforts in enlisting thesupport of other credit unions including Aurora Schools FederalCredit Union, Arapahoe Credit Union, Colorado Central Credit Union,Boulder Valley Credit Union, St. Vrain Valley Credit Union, PremierMembers Federal Credit Union, Coors Credit Union, Safeway RockyMountain Federal Credit Union, Denver Public Schools Credit Unionand the Colorado State Employees Credit Union. The credit unionssupport school presentations of Alive at 25, a four-hour defensivedriving program administered by the CSP.