Indiana credit unions help Rep. Pence spread holiday cheer in Afghanistan
November 23, 2004

Caption: Staff members of Sixth District Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) accept holiday cards from Indiana credit unions, which will be personally delivered by the Congressman to troops in Afghanistan. Three bags of cards were hand-delivered to Rep. Pence’s district office. Shown here, from left: League VP of Governmental Affairs Chris Beaumont, League President John McKenzie and League Director Randy Glassburn of Ball State FCU—Glassburn’s credit union is located in District 6. Pence staffers: Lani Czarniecki, Ryan Reger, Kathleen Atterholt and Karrie Pardieck.

ANDERSON, Ind.-- Troops that meet Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) during his upcoming visit to Afghanistan will get handwritten holiday messages from Indiana’s credit unions.

In response to the Congressman’s “Operation Holiday Greeting” request, the Indiana Credit Union League contributed 232 cards, hand-signing each one with a personal message on behalf of each of the state’s credit unions. In addition to the cards from the League, other cards are being contributed by Indiana credit unions for a total of more than 1,000.

“We became aware in mid-November of this opportunity to show our support for the troops and to assist Congressman Pence on this initiative,” explained League President John McKenzie. “Helping the Congressman make their holiday a little bit brighter while they are so far from home is something we are honored to do.”

The cards were hand delivered to Rep. Pence’s office in Anderson, Indiana today with thanks and good wishes for safe travels. Rep. Pence will be leading a Congressional delegation to Afghanistan next month. The visit will include meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, reviewing military operations, and evaluating progress on the war on terror. He has asked all Hoosiers to send cards for him to deliver to the troops he meets along the way.

“We appreciate the efforts of the credit unions,” said Lani Czarniecki, District Director for Rep. Pence. “Congressman Pence is thrilled to be able to take so many cards overseas.” The Congressman’s office estimates more than 10,000 cards have been received so far. There are thousands of U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, of which, 1,445 are members of the Indiana National Guard.

Note of interest: The cards that were used by the League were Riley Hospital Holiday Cards. They are for sale at 86 credit union and shared branch service center locations throughout the state, with proceeds benefiting Credit Unions for Kids.

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