HOUSTON — As the African American Credit Union Coalition marked the tenth year of its annual meeting, the group celebrated generating $24,000 in scholarships, encouraging the industry to raise nearly $2 million towards the building of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial and placing more than 200 college interns nationwide.

"Like every AACUC conference, we blend new ideas with tried-and-true practices, formal learning sessions and informal peer to peer conservations–serious work with serious fun," said Barbara Stephens, chairwoman of AACUC and president/CEO of $27 million Houston Municipal Employees FCU.

Stephens told attendees at the Aug. 6-10 conference that the coalition has come a long way since its incorporation in 1999. Mentorship, for instance, took on a different tone following Hurricane Katrina. Members of the group stepped in to assist 12 Gulf Coast credit unions that sustained extensive damage. Scholarships have been provided to Kenyan credit union representatives to attend Strathmore University in Nairobi.