America's Christian Credit Union (ACCU) concluded its annual Patriot Week festivities yesterday with the Family Day & Awards Ceremony hosted at the credit union's Glendora headquarters. Throughout the week, ACCU honored local veterans, U.S. military, and first-responders in partnership with Project Glendora Yellow Ribbon and American Legion Riders – Chapter 835.
Patriot Week had begun in earnest with the opening ceremony on Tuesday. Mayor Pro Tem and ACCU’s President/CEO Mendell L. Thompson was joined by Pastor Mike Platter of Glendora Community Church who gave a blessing over the week. Rev. Karen Davis, Glendora Police Chaplain, also Glendora City Councilmember and First Christian Church’s Pastor, added significance to the event with a heartwarming flag presentation that morning. On Wednesday, Patriot Week continued as Dennis Navarre of the American Legion Riders – Chapter 835, spoke about the work that he and his organization do to honor the men and women in our country’s military.
On Thursday, first-responders, current military personnel, and veterans were honored by family members and the community for the Family Day & Awards Ceremony, where Col. Vic Bezjian was recognized for his years of dedication and exceptional service to the United States Air Force. “This country has given me every opportunity to serve in uniform for the past 37 years. It has been a gift, a generous gift; a gift to belong to the greatest country in the world,” said Col. Bezjian, as he reflected on his time in the U. S. Airforce. The ceremony concluded with the attending family, friends, and community members together in fellowship, snapping photos with the local military, veterans, and first-responder heroes.
Patriot Week has also served as an opportunity to raise funds for this year’s spotlighted charity, the Patriot Guard Riders. A day of fundraising at Chili’s restaurant in Glendora, and an ACCU product promotion – a new, limited-time “Patriot Term Share Certificate” – generated additional revenues for this worthy cause. “This has been a special week for us at ACCU. We have had the chance to celebrate veterans, the police, the fire department, and first responding heroes who step into the gap to keep us safe from danger. We want to say ‘thank you’ to each one of them and hope that the events of this week served to encourage and honor them,” commented Thompson.
For more information about this year’s Patriot Week, please contact Nikole Pearce at npearce@americasccu.com.