ABOUT OPERATION BEST WISHES
Operation Best Wishes, an award-winning holiday event first organized in 2004 by WesCorp Federal Credit Union, invites military families to record and send a video-based greeting to that special person in their lives who will not be able to be with the family during the holiday season because of deployment overseas.
During its inaugural year in 2004, more than 125 family members and friends from North Island and Pacific Marine Credit Unions in southern California recorded special greetings as part of Operation Best Wishes.
In 2005, the tour expanded beyond its Southern California locations to include East Coast installations, allowing military families at Marine Federal Credit Union in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and at Navy Federal Credit Union in Norfolk, Virginia, the opportunity to participate.
The 2006 tour saw The Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) partner with WesCorp Federal Credit Union to add even more new credit union locations to the national tour, giving more families from all the branches of service an opportunity to bridge the distance of separation during the holidays. The 2006 National Tour visited 13 credit unions in 11 states, from Alaska to Hawaii, and from California to New York.
Today the Defense Credit Union Council is the driving force behind Operation Best Wishes, supporting the national tour along with its member credit unions that participate by hosting the one-day event at their location.
The Defense Credit Union Council
The Defense Credit Union Council is a niche membership association representing the interests of credit unions operating on military installations worldwide. By maintaining a close and constant liaison with the Pentagon, the Council supports its member credit unions and the Department of Defense (DoD) in coordinating policy, procedures and legislation impacting morale and welfare, financial readiness, and the delivery of quality financial products and services to DoD personnel and their families.
The Council is comprised of 235 credit unions having more than 14 million members. Organized in 1963, the Council is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors consisting of a representative from each of the services (Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps) plus three representatives at large. Approximately two-thirds of the Defense Credit Unions are federally chartered, and one-third are state-chartered. All are insured by either the National Credit Union Administration (the federal regulator), or an independent or state agency which meets federal standards.