Category: Worthington Area

Worthington Recreation Authority Reaches Match

Worthington Parks and Recreation Authority Board Chairman Bill Hodak tapes a red stripe to the goal banner showing progress in June to the organization's fundraiser to replace the Worthingon Civic Center gym floor. The meter is now full as board members reached their $20,000 goal December 5. Rosebud Mining officials will match collected donations to help with the refurbishing.

by Jonathan Weaver

An eight-month fundraising campaign ended in Worthington earlier this week.

Beginning April 1, Worthington Parks and Recreation Authority board officials started raising money to revitalize portions of the Worthington Civic Center.

Authority Chairman Bill Hodak announced the news.    

“We went over the $20,000 mark on Monday night,” Hodak said.

The board will next show off their feat to Rosebud Mining officials, who are planning to match the collected donations to help fund a gymnasium floor and possible parking lot replacement at the Worthington Civic Center.

Authority Secretary/Treasurer Kathy Heilman graduated from Worthington High School in the Class of 1978 and remembers thinking the floor was old then.

33 years later, Heilman said the floor hasn’t gotten any better.

“It needs the repair badly, so that’s what we’re hoping to do, especially since we have soccer and volleyball scheduled in the gym now,” Heilman said.

But, Hodak said board members are elated with the possibility.

“We were just so tickled pink and giving each other high-fives. It was a hard job well-done. If you can raise $20,000 in a community in eight months, you know that the community in backing you – what a backing we got from the community!,” Hodak said.

Hodak said board members didn’t anticipate the collection concluding so soon.

“We were really surprised at how the community came out to support us – different organizations donated $1,000 here and there, everyone sent in $10-75. It was really a community effort that put us above, Hodak said.

“We were really surprised that we could raise $20,000 in eight months,” Hodak said. “We have to thank the community.”

Board members will contact the Civic Center’s 11 tenants in January. They also hope to start accepting bids for the new flooring at the start of the year.

categories Worthington Area | December 8, 2011 | comments Comments Off

Moonlight Credit Union Moves into New Home

Moonlight Credit Union opened in its current location along Deer Park Road July 11 and services nearly 3,000 area residents.

by Jonathan Weaver

A local credit union celebrates four months in its new location this week.

The Moonlight Credit Union in Worthington moved into its current building at 101 Deer Park Rd. July 11.

The credit union used to be based out of the former-Worthington High School, but CEO Candy Decock, said the new building has its advantages.

“It is a more professional environment – the high school was not built for privacy – this way, everyone has offices and it has more of a homey feel to it,” Decock said.

The credit union now has eight employees, thanks to approximately 3,000 members who have invested nearly $25 million of their money in the safe.

“We’re just growing so fast that we couldn’t stay in that school anymore,” Decock said. “I mean, I liked it in there, it was a great place for the community, but we couldn’t do it any longer.”

Established in 1947, the credit union was originally based on the Moonlight Mushroom farm. When the business closed in the early-1990’s, the business moved into the high school, but kept a part-time office at the farm when Creekside Mushrooms was in operation.

The new facility took 18 months to build.

Since the mushroom farms have closed, the credit union also decided to apply for a community charter to be able to serve more Armstrong County residents. It took only five months to get approval of the charter through the Department of Banking.

“We used to be just a credit union dedicated to employer sponsor groups, like Moonlight or Eljer, but when they all closed, we obtained a community charter so we can service anyone in Armstrong County,” Decock said.

Decock explained the difference between a ‘bank’ and a ‘credit union.’

“The people who borrow borrow from the people who put the money in – the people who have a savings account in here own the credit union, so whoever borrows in borrowing somebody else’s money. If we didn’t have savers, we wouldn’t have borrowers – it just circles itself around.”

The credit union will next celebrate its 65th anniversary September 9.

categories Local News, Worthington Area | October 17, 2011 | comments Comments Off