Adopt a pet today at the Humane Society!

Little Sadie Mae loves her HCCU Frisbee! 

We were dog-less for the last seven years, but that all changed this past February. We went to the Bay Area Humane Society to see what they had available to adopt. All of the cages had a dog in them—some even had two dogs! It was so sad to see all of those dogs that were homeless and wanted to be adopted. I wanted to take them all home! There was one puppy that stood out. She was six months old and her name was Puddles. Every time I went by her cage, she wagged her tail and looked at me with her sad brown eyes saying “take me home.”

We weren’t sure if it was the right time to get a dog, so we got in the car and headed home. We didn’t even make it home before we changed our mind. We turned around and headed back to the Bay Area Humane Society to fill out all the needed paperwork. A few days later we were taking our new puppy home! Her name went from Puddles to Sadie Mae.

We love this dog! She brings so much happiness and joy into our lives and Sadie loves being with us. If you are looking for a dog, cat, bunny, guinea pig or any type of pet, check out your local Humane Society. The animals would love to be adopted by you!

Humane Society's in the Area:

Bay Area Humane Society  

1830 Radisson St
Green Bay, WI 54302
920-469-3110

Fox Valley Humane Association
N115 2 Mile Road

Appleton, WI 54914

920-733-1717

Written by: Alice E.

Gividends - giving has never been so easy!

Sometimes donating to a charity of choice can be a long and stressful process. First you have to pick a charity you wish to contribute to, then you have to decide how much and how often you would like to donate, and finally you have to hold yourself accountable for those funds and keeping track!

Well enough of all that work, HCCU is coming to the rescue! Beginning January of 2015, we are rolling out a GREAT new program that makes donating simple! Each month all depository accounts, such as a savings, club or money market, receive dividends. This new program is designed to automatically withdraw these dividends for you after they are posted, and donate them to a charity of your choice! We have a list of 10 great local & national charities to pick from, including Bay Area Humane Society, House of Hope, Beacon House, and Paul’s Pantry.  Every little bit helps, and if we all pool our dividends, just think of the difference we can make in our community!

I know setting this up may seem like a lot of effort as well, but really it’s simple! Stop in to either of the HCCU branches and speak with an MSR!  It’s as easy as filling out a quick enrollment form that tells us which charity you would like to donate to, what percentage of your dividends, and from which account.  From there, we take care of everything!  And when it comes to tax time, you can see the dividends you earned as well as your donations on your monthly statements, so keeping track is super easy!

Let’s kick off 2015 the right way, and start donating to our local community!

Post by: Emily P

Why Reading is Beneficial

When was the last time you read anything other than something on social media? For many of you it may be quite a while, and let me tell you something: you are missing out! Reading is incredibly beneficial to your everyday life. Continue reading and learn some of the perks that come with being a reader.

• Stress relief – No matter what age you are, you always have something causing you to stress out whether it is school, friends, your job or your family. Reading is like therapy for those of us who enjoy it. No matter how much stress is on our shoulders it is easy to get carried away into the story and escape reality for a while. If you have trouble falling asleep at night due to stress, reading for 15 minutes before bed could help you fall asleep sooner.  
• Mental stimulation – Reading helps keep the brain active and engaged. By doing so you give your brain the exercise it needs and keep it from losing its power and keep it healthy which could help prevent illnesses that affect your brain.   
• Memory improvement – When reading a book there are many things that need to be remembered. Like who each character is, their characteristics, their background, plots and schemes, etc. And by creating new memories, the brain creates new brain pathways that also strengthen existing ones which improves your ability to remember things.  
• Stronger analytical thinking skills and vocabulary expansion – Throughout a book you find yourself catching on to details that add to what is going on in the story.  You try to sort them out to determine what happened or what is going to happen. At the end of the book you think about whether you thought the story was well written or not and you learn to express your opinion with solid evidence from the story to support it. You may not realize it but by doing all of that you were able to put critical and analytical thinking skills to work. The more you do it, the better you get at it! By reading you also expose yourself to new words and their meaning by the context around them, which in return helps expand your vocabulary. Knowledge is precious and no matter what happens it cannot be taken away from you!  

So next time you’re having a bad day, start enjoying some of the incredible benefits that  come with reading, grab a book and enjoy yourself some free entertainment!

PS - In search of your next great read?  Both branches of HCCU are host to a Little Free Library.  Check it out the next time you're in!

Post by: Karla C.

The Perfect Gift

Photo Courtesy of digitalart at freedigitalphotos.net

Paper or Plastic?   Replace those paper gift certificates with plastic VISA® gift cards today!  Gift cards are the perfect gift for any occasion or time of the year … birthdays, graduations, showers, weddings, and all holidays.  Buying a gift card is easy and requires very little thought or time.  Shopping for gifts can be a real dilemma.  Just what do you get your significant other, your child, or your co-worker?  Gift cards may be the answer: one size fits all, and the receivers can get exactly what they want.  Our prepaid VISA® cards range from $10 to $500 and can be purchased for $2.50 at both Horizon locations.  So come in today & pick up that perfect gift!  

Post by: Beth B

No, you don’t HAVE to, you WANT to…

Face it, there are some things that we just don't like to do.  They might be a pain, a time-suck, or just undesirable.  I'm talking about things like paying bills, going to the DMV, having dinner with that friend... You have probably said it yourself, or hear it everyday from friends, your kids, coworkers, spouse, etc. - “Ugh, I have to go to work”; “I have to take out the garbage”; “I have to do my homework”; I have to, I have to, I HAVE to…do NOTHING!  

A few months ago, HCCU brought in a wonderful speaker who stirred up my thoughts and motivation to do, or not do, things I dreaded.  How, you may ask?  Simply by replacing the word “have” with “want”.  You don’t have to do anything, you have a choice about everything you do.  All these things that you think you have to do, you simply want to do.  You might be wondering, “Is she crazy, who would ever WANT to take out the garbage?” Okay, point taken.  But seriously, you do WANT to. You want to take out the garbage because otherwise it’ll stink up the house.

You want to go to work so you see that paycheck at the end of the week.  You don't have to go to work.  You really don't!  Stay in bed and just don't go if you really don't want to.  "But then I might lose my job" you say?  Right!  So get up and go to work because you want to, because you want to keep your job and keep getting a paycheck.  

You want to do your homework because you want to graduate.  Catching on?  You're not forced to do anything.  You don't have to!  You have a choice about everything, and you want to do something because of what the end result will be.  By owning your choices, you'll feel more empowered and in charge of your life.     

So remember this tomorrow morning, after the long holiday weekend, when you’re snuggled nice and warm in your bed with your blankets covering you and your alarm goes off.  Tell yourself, “I want to get up because I want to go to work today”.  Don’t tell yourself you have to, because you don’t have to do anything, you can stay snuggled up all morning if you decide to do that. It’s easy to catch on, just switch “have” with “want” and take control of your choices in life and you'll be a step closer to a positive you!  Carry this new outlook into your work week and see if it changes your attitude at all!  :)

Post by: Kelly V

Image courtesy of samuiblue at FreeDigitalPhotos.net