Truliant Foundation Honors Four Award Winners at Founders’ Dinner

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (December 17, 2025) – The Truliant Foundation recently held its inaugural Founders’ Dinner to thank donors and honor organizations that are helping fulfill its mission to uplift and transform member communities.

The event was attended by about 150 guests at the Truliant Operations Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. It gathered Foundation contributors and event sponsors who are providing support for the Foundation through charitable giving, collaboration and meaningful partnerships. Davie Construction, a longtime Truliant facilities and construction partner, was the Champion Sponsor of the event.

The focus of the evening was a celebration of the donors who helped to establish the Truliant Foundation and also the accomplishments of four community partners and their organizations, through the first presentation of the Truliant Foundation’s People Helping People Spotlight awards. This year’s honorees included:

• Ginny Ayers, executive director of Literacy in the New River Valley (NRV) in Southwest Virginia. Ayers and her organization champion the transformative power of literacy to strengthen individual lives and the communities where they live. With the Truliant Foundation’s help, Literacy NRV was able to expand two important programs: Skill Up NRV and English for Life. Both programs help adults gain important workplace and language skills.
• Phyllis Caldwell-George, president and CEO of Financial Pathways of the Piedmont for more than two decades in the Piedmont Triad. The organization helps clients advance their financial well-being and helps create housing stability. Caldwell-George has been working with Truliant since 2019.
• Gina Bridges, director of the STAR Center at the Greenville Technical College in Greenville, S.C. The STAR Center’s primary focus is helping students in a dignified way meet their basic needs. With the help of the Truliant Foundation, STAR has been able to expand its food security efforts and financial wellness programs – barriers that can threaten a student’s academic success.
• Michelle Jennings-Anderson, co-founder of the Jennings O’Neil Career Academy in Charlotte, N.C. Jennings-Anderson and her team create pathways to opportunity for individuals who have been exposed to trauma and face adversity. The academy does this through career-training, job-placement assistance and mentorship. With the help of the Truliant Foundation, they were also able to begin a culinary arts program.

“These four women and the organizations that they represent embody the credit union spirit of ‘people helping people,’” said Atticus Simpson, executive director of the Truliant Foundation. “We are so pleased that we have the opportunity to support their work and to have a meaningful way to show our donors how their contributions to the Foundation are helping us to build a community bridge to a brighter tomorrow.”

In addition to the awards, each organization was provided with an additional monetary contribution from the Foundation.

“Because of the financial support provided by our donors to support this event and the Truliant Foundation’s mission, we’re able to provide impactful giving to be a true catalyst of growth for community nonprofits like these organizations,” said Simpson. “We were proud to provide, on behalf of our donors, an additional contribution to help them continue making a difference in the Truliant member communities we serve together.”

The following event sponsors and annual contributors were also recognized during the event: Davie Construction, 123 Recovery USA, Allied Solutions, Fiserv, Verinext and HPE, Visa, Accelerize 360 and Salesforce, Clutch, CRIF Select, Equifax, Gallagher, Marsh McLennan Agency, SEJ Services, LLC., Sesami, Spry, Inc., Velera, Zest AI, Econocheck, Vericast, Office Environments, BlueModus, Bancography, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Brock & Scott, Diebold Nixdorf, Engageware, Media Placement Services, MeridianLink, Parker Poe, SRM Corporation and TTEC Digital.

In 2025, the Truliant Foundation supported more than 120 nonprofits in Truliant member communities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia by providing more than $525,000 through the Foundation’s charitable giving programs.

About The Truliant Foundation
Established in 2023, the Truliant Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity with a purpose to lift up and transform Truliant member communities through charitable giving, collaboration, and meaningful partnerships. The Foundation strives to be a catalyst for growth for established nonprofits seeking the support and guidance they need to flourish and spark positive change in their communities. The Foundation also provides college scholarships to Truliant members and relief funds to Truliant employees facing unforeseen personal hardships. Learn more or donate at Truliant.org/Foundation.

About Truliant Federal Credit Union
Truliant is a mission-driven, not-for-profit financial institution that improves lives by providing financial guidance and affordable financial services. Chartered in 1952, Truliant now serves 334,000+ members and has 38 Member Financial Centers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: 
Contact: Heath Combs 
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(o) 336-293-2054 (c) 336-442-5736