Community Federal Supports Recycling Efforts at Plymouth-Canton’s Smith Elementary School

Plymouth, MI (Apr. 22, 2002) – Community Federal Credit Union recently donated a large supply of pencils, made of recycled products, to Plymouth-Canton’s Smith Elementary in recognition of the school’s recycling efforts.

In October 2001, Smith Elementary Principal Peggy Brooks launched a program to promote recycling at the school. In addition to paper and corrugate, Brooks recognized an opportunity to recycle the nearly 1,500 polystyrene lunch trays that are used each week.

When Brooks proposed the lunch tray recycling idea to the student body, third grader Garrett Layman volunteered for the task. Brooks said, "The program is a success because of Garrett. Each lunch period he routinely collects the trays and prepares them for storage for the weekly pickup." The city of Plymouth provides bins and a dumpster for the recycled products on the school grounds.

Natalie McLaughlin, Community Federal’s Business Partnership Coordinator, explained the credit union’s donation. "We wanted to show our support for the school’s efforts by giving them a supply of pencils that are made from a minimum of 60% of the polystyrene post-consumer lunch trays and reclaimed sawdust." McLaughlin added, "We are thrilled to sponsor Garrett and Smith School by providing them with these pencils that bring awareness to the importance of recycling."

Brooks has developed a program for Garrett to distribute the recycled pencils as a reward to students, faculty and staff that he, in turn, sees doing a good deed.

McLaughlin said that Community Federal has a number of school partnerships in the communities where its members live or work.

With more than 34,000 members and total assets exceeding $254 million, Community Federal Credit Union is headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan. Its membership is open to anyone who lives or works in the communities of Plymouth, Canton, Northville and Novi, and in Otsego and Montmorency counties.

For more information, visit the credit union web site at www.cfcu.org or call

(734) 453-1200 or (877) 937-2328, toll free.

Photo caption:

Community Federal Business Partnership Coordinator Natalie McLaughlin (left) presents recycled pencils to Smith Elementary third grader Garrett Layman and Smith principal Peggy Brooks.

Media contacts:

Sarah Cousineau
Community Federal Credit Union
734-453-1200, ext. 468

scousineau@cfcu.org mknes@margauxpr.com