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In the fall of 2024, Redstone's Community Champions program gave five exceptional individuals a well-deserved platform to further their missions of making a positive difference. These Champions were local heroes from Alabama and Tennessee; everyday people whose dedication to their communities is truly inspiring. This was the second round of awards for the program which was launched in 2023 to honor local changemakers.
The Community Champions program is all about shining a spotlight on those who selflessly serve their communities. Recipients have said the Community Champion designation helps them serve more people and meet more needs.
Pictured from left to right, 2024 Community Champions: Leo Robinson, Rachel Oppman, Kaye Bough, Janet M’mbaha-Zarnesky, and Robin Kramer
The program’s success continues. In March 2025, Redstone received a Diamond Award for the program at the Marketing, PR, and Development Council’s annual competition for marketing excellence. This marks the second consecutive year the credit union has been honored with the “video non-commercial series” award. Redstone’s Community Champions initiative was also recognized as a top eight finalist for the prestigious Best of Show award.
Pictured from left to right: Lori Cutler, Ashley Carter, and Kelley Middlebrooks of Redstone’s Community Relations and Business Development team at this year’s Diamond Awards celebration.
Pictured from left to right: Honest Films videographers with Redstone’s Kira La Scola, Kayla Clatterbuck, and Haley Tucker at the AAF Addy Awards ceremony.
Earlier in the year, Redstone’s Community Champions program also won North Alabama’s American Advertising Federation (AAF) Addy Award in the “Mosaic Award” category. This award honors campaigns that represent diversity and inclusion, recognizing work that thoughtfully portrays or supports diverse cultural, ethnic, or social groups positively.
Joel Guske, Redstone’s Vice President of Marketing and Innovation, shared that these awards reflect the team's commitment to meaningfully engaging with their audience. “Our goal is to make our work impactful for our members and to highlight the incredible contributions of some of our community’s most dedicated individuals,” Guske said.
The Community Champions initiative features a compelling video series that tells the inspiring stories of local heroes making a difference in their communities. These videos help raise awareness about the diverse ways individuals and organizations are contributing to the well-being of people in Alabama and Tennessee.
Thanks to the videos, more people and caretakers of those with special needs now know about Robin’s Next Step Farms and the life skills they teach. Robin, one of the program’s featured Champions, shared, “Wow, just WOW!! Being a Community Champion exploded our exposure to the unknown world. Sponsorships and clientele have increased. Our program grew to five days a week, and we’re now looking at expanding our facility.”
In Scottsboro, Kaye’s Kindred Hope Rescue and Sanctuary experienced a dramatic increase in visitors after being featured. “I cannot tell you how much we appreciate Redstone Federal Credit Union's support of our endeavor,” Kaye said.
Leo, another Community Champion, saw his work at Second Chance Ministries gain significant exposure, particularly during the colder months when the program helps provide coats, hats, gloves and blankets to those in need. “The Community Champion Award certainly helped increase our exposure to new donors. We saw an increase in donations and new contributors, which allowed us to donate more coats to local schools and the Richard Showers Center,” Leo explained.
Redstone is proud to have played a role in giving these individuals the recognition they deserve. Their stories have been shared across social media channels, and many of their efforts have been highlighted in posts by Hville Blast.
But the work doesn’t stop here! We’re excited to announce that our 2025 Community Champions will be revealed soon. Be sure to follow us on social media to stay updated and catch the big reveal!
For more information about the Community Champions initiative and to view the award-winning video series, visit www.redfcu.org/champions.
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