Global Bridges 2024

We were thrilled to host the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions’ Global Bridges Programme this week in celebration of International Credit Union Day. We welcomed back our colleagues and friends from PVKS Credit Union in Ukraine (Liudmyla, Iryna, Viktoriia, Ilona, Tetiana,Larysa & Yana) to Dundalk Credit Union for an exciting week of events!

We were very lucky to have a host of esteemed guests and colleagues join us throughout the week. Those guests included; Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, Cllr. Kevin Callan B.L., Her Excellency, Larysa Gerasko, Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Elaine Byrne Registrar of Credit Unions at the Central Bank of Ireland, Kevin Ryan and Alisa Stetsyshyn from the Worldwide Foundation of Credit Unions (WFCU), Caroline Vahrenkamp from Filene Research Institute, David Malone CEO Irish League of Credit Unions, Alan Moore CEO ILCU International Development Foundation, Paul J Walsh CEO Peopl Insurance, Diarmuid O’Callaghan President Dundalk Institute of Technology, John McNamara from CMutual, Claire Byrne CEO St. Raphael’s Garda Credit Union, Senator Erin Mc Greehan, and Dundalk Credit Union Brand Ambassadors Amy Broadhurst, Zoë Conway and Collette O’Hagan.

The week has been filled with valuable knowledge-sharing sessions on Marketing & Business Development, Lending Operations, Member Services, and an inspiring Global Women’s Leadership Network (GLWN) ‘Women in Leadership’ event. We were also honoured to visit Drumcar, where we met with Ukrainians who have temporarily relocated to Ireland. Hearing their stories on the Ukrainian War and witnessing their incredible resilience was both heart-wrenching and inspiring.

Another standout moment was our visit to the beautiful Ukrainian café The Rabbit Hole, where the owners shared their inspiring success story and journey to opening the café, offering a true taste of resilience and entrepreneurship.

To launch International Credit Union Day at Dundalk Credit Union, we were honoured to have a live zoom presentation from the President of the Worldwide Foundation For Credit Unions, Mike Reuter, CFRE, CUDE, who gave an up-lifting report on the strength of the international Credit Union movement and the wonderful work being done by the Worldwide Foundation in ‘doing global good’.

Throughout ICU Day we came together to share our experiences, challenges, and solutions in the credit union sector, helping to build stronger connections and a brighter future for our global credit union community.

We wrapped up the day with a SEEK walking tour guided by local Dundalk man, Liam Gaynor, exploring the rich history and culture of our town.

Thank you to WFCU, Mike Reuter, Kevin Ryan & our Ukrainian friends from PVKS Credit Union for this incredible opportunity to learn, share, and grow together.