Credit union contributions to members and communities around the world, through good times and bad, will be the focus of this year's annual International Credit Union (ICU) Day® webcast, co-sponsored by U.S. Credit Union Development Educators and World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU).

A panel of credit union and cooperative industry dignitaries will gather this year at Credit Union House on Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Hill to discuss their collective member service heritage.

The webcast will run from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. EDT on Oct. 21. It’s open to the public and may be accessed by registering at www.wescorp.org. The recorded program will be available for viewing on WOCCU's Web site after the broadcast.

“Credit unions in many different countries play a vital role in helping people who otherwise would lack access to basic financial services,” says Pete Crear, WOCCU president/CEO and one of the panelists. “Celebrating ICU Day each year is a reaffirmation of the value credit unions provide to members at all socio-economic levels around the world.”

In addition to Crear, this year's panel will include CUNA President/CEO Bill Cheney; Paul Hazen, president/CEO of the National Cooperative Business Association; and Mark Meyer, CEO of the Filene Research Institute.

As in past years, the program will be moderated by Paul Berry, the voice of CUNA's Home and Family Finance Radio.

While the recent economic crisis has affected institutions everywhere, the presence of credit unions has expanded locally as well as globally, with more institutions helping members in trouble.

The philosophy of cooperative service combined with a strong consumer orientation has helped both the institutions and members persevere in the face of difficult odds, making this year's ICU Day celebration noteworthy, Cheney says.

“This year's theme of ‘Local. Trusted. Serving You.’ perfectly captures what makes credit unions so appealing to consumers across the nation and around the globe,” Cheney says. “We will use the celebratory events planned for International Credit Union Day as an opportunity to deepen this understanding among our membership and within our communities.”

ICU Day has been celebrated annually on the third Thursday of October since 1948.