BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — ēCO Credit Union and the ēCO Credit Union Foundation continues their passionate advocacy for education. In May of 2024, ēCO Credit Union awarded two $2,500 A.L. Bratcher Scholarships, while the ēCO Credit Union Foundation awarded one $2,500 ēCO Credit Union Foundation Scholarship.
Since 2011, The A.L. Bratcher Scholarship has been awarded to high school seniors. The 2024-2025 A.L. Bratcher Scholarship recipients are Hunter Lucas and Joshua Gary Jennings. Lucas is a shining senior at Bibb County High School, where he has maintained an impressive 4.1 GPA. Hunter is heavily involved with a variety of sports and clubs at Bibb County High School, as well as many community service projects. After graduating, Hunter plans to attend Auburn University to study Business. Joshua Gary Jennings is an outstanding senior that will be graduating from Evangel Christian School with a very impressive 4.0 GPA. Jennings plans to attend Samford University to pursue Nursing. Joshua is actively involved in many philanthropic, service, and mentor organizations in the community, along with internships, student ministry, and sports at Evangel Christian School.
Since 2017, The ēCO Credit Union Foundation Scholarship was established to help adults returning to school to change career paths or improve in their fields. Carle’ Denise Smith, this year’s ēCO Credit Union Foundation Scholarship recipient, decided to return to school to pursue her Masters in Higher Education Administration. Through her diverse professional experiences, it was her entry into higher education, beginning as an Assistant Residence Hall Director and now serving as the Academic Affairs Program Coordinator at Miles College, that ignited her passion for student development and success. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Carle’ seeks to make a lasting difference in the lives of students by fostering an environment where students can shine brightly and realize their inherent greatness.
“We are continually impressed by the amazing caliber of applications we receive for both the A.L. Bratcher and ēCO Credit Union Foundation Scholarships,” said ēCO Credit Union CEO Joey Hand. “We are delighted to assist three of our members in their pursuit of higher education to positively influence the community.”
Applications for the 2025-2026 scholarship cycle will be available in December.
About ēCO Credit Union
ēCO Credit Union is a not-for-profit, democratically controlled financial cooperative, which exists solely to provide safe, cost-efficient and personal financial services to its members. ēCO Credit Union was founded in 1939, and today has more than 16,000 members and over $200 million in assets. ēCO is open to the community and proudly serves members in Jefferson, Shelby, Cullman, Walker and Blount counties. Additional information about ēCO and its line of products and services can be found at www.ecocu.org.
# # #
Leave a Reply