Credit Union Influencer Highlight: Patty Corkery

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Credit Unions for Kids, and the Credit Union Industry – the Power of Collaboration.

Credit unions have a superpower: the power of collaboration. “When we talk about the superpower of credit unions collaborating on industry trends and philanthropic organizations like Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, that’s what makes our industry so unique,” said Patty Corkery, President/CEO of Michigan Credit Union League (MCUL) and Michigan CUSO, CUSG.

It’s truly incredible to see the impact that credit unions can have both individually and as a group. Supporting organizations like Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals and other non-profits that align with the industry’s mission, vision and values is of the upmost importance to Corkery and MCUL. The League’s primary mission is to support and protect the cooperative credit union movement by strengthening the credit union community and its image through advocacy, cooperative initiatives and providing high-quality solutions.

Before joining the team at MCUL, Corkery was an attorney in Michigan for a law firm that only represented credit unions. So, when she joined the team at MCUL, she was very familiar with many of the issues the organization faces.

“The current environment for credit unions is tough when you consider the rhetoric around credit union fees and threats to interchange income,” said Corkery.

Despite the challenging environment, credit unions across the U.S. focus on brighter topics such as assisting their communities financial, emotional and physical well-being – issues that are often overlooked by big banks. Working together as an industry to create a larger impact is at the forefront of Corkery’s work as President/CEO of MCUL. As a top industry advocate and supporter of children’s health, Corkery walks the walk and talks the talk when it comes to involvement. CMN Hospitals and Credit Unions for Kids (CU4Kids) sees Corkery supporting top fundraising events, such as the “Credit Union Cherry Blossom Race” in Washington, D.C. and new signature events like “Bourbon, BBQs and Bands.” Corkery was even involved in 2023’s inaugural “In the Cellar” event, which raised nearly $1 million for CMN Hospitals across the Great Lakes.

MCUL strives to be a leader for credit unions not only in advocacy and solutions, but in social, health and economic issues as well. One of the ways that MCUL lives and breathes their mission is through their partnership with CMN Hospitals and CU4Kids. For the past number of years, MCUL has been proud to incorporate four different fundraising events into their annual conference. Bids for Kids silent auction and live auction, the CU4Kids Fun Run/Walk and the golf outing are all fundraisers within the organization’s annual conference to fundraise money for CMN Hospitals. In 2023, the events were able to raise a combined total of over $100,000.

MCUL has a CMN committee that comes together under one umbrella to make the lift easier for the fundraiser and get people involved – not to mention new idea generation. This past year was the first year the committee was in place, and it was made up of credit union employees from across Michigan, along with a few MCUL employees.

When asked if the new committee was successful, Corkery said, “Bringing credit unions together has definitely made us stronger as a League.”