WCCU Awards $10,000 in Teacher Grants
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Westerly Community Credit Union is proud to announce they have recently awarded (22) WCCU Teacher Grants, totaling $10,000, for the 2025/26 school year. This year, the Westerly Community Credit Union has awarded teacher grants to teachers from the Chariho, Coventry, Exeter-West Greenwich, Narragansett, South Kingstown, Stonington, and Westerly school districts. To date, WCCU has awarded over $82,000 in teacher grants.
Congratulations to the following Teacher Grant Recipients:
“Our local teachers are the heartbeat of our schools, and we are honored to play a role in fueling their creativity," said Andrew Rogers, President. "By investing in these grants, we aren't just funding classroom projects, we are empowering educators to dream big by providing their students with the tools they need to excel in an ever-changing world."
Westerly Community Credit Union’s Teacher Grant Program awarded grants in values up to $500. These grants are awarded annually to support creative and experiential educational projects or programs in the area’s school districts. Special consideration is given to innovative projects that strengthen the relationship between our schools and the community at large, and to projects that support student excellence. All applications are judged on the following criteria: Educational Focus, Promotion of Skills/Excellence, Creativity/Innovation, Community Connection, and Goal Clarity/Attainability.
Please contact Shannon Reed, WCCU’s Financial Education Coordinator, at 401-596-7000 x2132 or [email protected] with any questions regarding WCCU’s Teacher Grant Program. 2026 applications will become available in July with a deadline of October 31st, 2026. You can also visit www.westerlyccu.com/teacher-grant for program details.
About Westerly Community Credit Union:
The WCCU mantra, #WCCUCares, emphasizes their focus on caring about their members, their members’ financial success, and their community. Established in 1948, Westerly Community Credit Union is a local, full–service financial institution that currently serves over 22,000 members with lending and deposit products through convenient locations in Westerly, Richmond, Wakefield, Coventry, and online at www.westerlyccu.com. Recent WCCU awards: #1 for Best Credit Union, #2 Best Financial Planning Services by the Westerly Sun’s 2025 Community Choice Awards and #1 for Best Credit Union by Southern RI Newspapers 2025 Community Choice Awards; Southern RI 2023 Chamber Choice Awards “Spreadin’ the Love Giving Back Award”, as well as PBN’s Best Places to Work (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025) and PBN’s Fastest Growing Companies (2024 and 2025).
Congratulations to the following Teacher Grant Recipients:
- Trisha Whipple of the Chariho School District
- Kerry Bruno, Kerri Robichaud, Julie Lamare, Kristen Abood, Kelly Kramer, Jennifer Higham and Emilie Cunningham-Joost of the Coventry School District
- Teresa Doughty and Lea Jendza of the Exeter-West Greenwich School District
- Tracey McCallig and Michelle Souchette of the Narragansett School District
- Paula Rekos and Martha Barbera of the South Kingstown School District
- Lauren McGugan, Timothy Thayer, Elaine Temel, Faith MacDonald, Patrick McCarney and Tricia DeLapp of the Stonington School District
- Christina Lamb and Bea Lukens of the Westerly School District
“Our local teachers are the heartbeat of our schools, and we are honored to play a role in fueling their creativity," said Andrew Rogers, President. "By investing in these grants, we aren't just funding classroom projects, we are empowering educators to dream big by providing their students with the tools they need to excel in an ever-changing world."
Westerly Community Credit Union’s Teacher Grant Program awarded grants in values up to $500. These grants are awarded annually to support creative and experiential educational projects or programs in the area’s school districts. Special consideration is given to innovative projects that strengthen the relationship between our schools and the community at large, and to projects that support student excellence. All applications are judged on the following criteria: Educational Focus, Promotion of Skills/Excellence, Creativity/Innovation, Community Connection, and Goal Clarity/Attainability.
Please contact Shannon Reed, WCCU’s Financial Education Coordinator, at 401-596-7000 x2132 or [email protected] with any questions regarding WCCU’s Teacher Grant Program. 2026 applications will become available in July with a deadline of October 31st, 2026. You can also visit www.westerlyccu.com/teacher-grant for program details.
About Westerly Community Credit Union:
The WCCU mantra, #WCCUCares, emphasizes their focus on caring about their members, their members’ financial success, and their community. Established in 1948, Westerly Community Credit Union is a local, full–service financial institution that currently serves over 22,000 members with lending and deposit products through convenient locations in Westerly, Richmond, Wakefield, Coventry, and online at www.westerlyccu.com. Recent WCCU awards: #1 for Best Credit Union, #2 Best Financial Planning Services by the Westerly Sun’s 2025 Community Choice Awards and #1 for Best Credit Union by Southern RI Newspapers 2025 Community Choice Awards; Southern RI 2023 Chamber Choice Awards “Spreadin’ the Love Giving Back Award”, as well as PBN’s Best Places to Work (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025) and PBN’s Fastest Growing Companies (2024 and 2025).