Hospice of Yuma shares AEA prize

Hospice of Yuma is the winner of the $10,000 GO Direct Initiative donation from AEA Federal Credit Union.

However, in true community spirit, the agency has announced it will share the winnings equally with Crossroads Mission and Yuma Community Food Bank, the other two charity organizations that were competing for the big check.

The three finalists were selected from nominations by the community over the past several months. Throughout January, community members went to AEA's Facebook page to cast their votes for the winner.

“All three charitable organization finalists provide a unique and much-appreciated contribution to our community, so it was impossible for us to choose just one to receive the $10,000 donation,” Yanna Kruse, AEA vice president of marketing, said earlier. Therefore, AEA opened it to a month-long community vote on its Facebook page.

“We're very pleased at the support for Hospice on Facebook,” executive director John Williams said this week after being notified the organization had won. “It's nice to know so many people went online and voted for us.”

And while keeping the entire $10,000 would have been nice, he said, sharing it with Crossroads Mission and the food bank “was the right thing to do. We have a good relationship with both of them and we don't want to be in competition with our sister organizations. So goes one nonprofit, so goes them all.”

Besides, Williams noted, Crossroads and the food bank often are serving the same families that Hospice does. The food bank may well be providing food boxes to the families of Hospice patients, and the mission provides other services for them.

“These organizations do wonderful things,” Williams continued. “By supporting them, we help support our patients.”

The three-way split amounts to $3,333.33 for each of the three organizations.

“We may flip to see who gets the last penny,” Williams said. “Or maybe AEA will donate two more cents so each organization has the exact same amount.”

Hospice will use its share for its Charitable Care Program. At a monthly cost of $18,000, the program provides Hospice care for dying patients who have no insurance or way to pay for that care, Williams said.

“We have a growing number of these patients who are falling through the cracks. We're here for them.”

Williams said he hopes the AEA campaign and donation have increased awareness of the community's nonprofits and their need for support.

“There are some fantastic organizations doing incredible things.”

In 2012, AEA pledged it would write a $10,000 check to a community service organization once it reached its goal to award members more than $200,000 in Instant Cash for Car Loans before the year's end.