Despite temperatures near 100 degrees under bright sunshine on Sunday, about 40 representatives from credit unions in North and South Carolina stood along the main entryway to Victory Junction Gang Camp and greeted incoming campers. Credit unions, which sponsored the nearly 70  campers during the week of July 25th, held signs to greet campers and their families as they made their way to check in at VJGC.

"From the very beginning, credit unions in North and South Carolina have had a very special bond with Victory Junction," said Carolinas Credit Union Foundation President/CEO John Slack. The Foundation coordinated the credit union sponsorship of the camp through the week, meaning that no campers had to pay to attend VJGC. "Times are tough and money is tight for all of us," Slack said, "but good times or bad – this is money well spent."

Since opening in 2004, VJGC has enriched the lives of nearly 11,000 young people who are living with serious conditions including spina bifida, hemophilia, diabetes and heart/lung disease. The camp gives these children a fun-filled, exciting camp experience.

Campers attending July 25-29 are living with serious physical disabilities. Victory Junction selects a theme for each week of the camp, with the credit unions sponsoring "Pirate Week." The credit union people gathered held signs with a pirate theme as they waved to passing vans and cars.

As the credit union folks waved to the passing vehicles, the reach of the camp was made clear. License plates from as far away as Wisconsin and Kansas carried the excited campers to a week of unforgettable fun.

Credit unions are the largest non-NASCAR donors to Victory Junction, having donated nearly $2 million to the camp. Beyond the funds contributed, the camp has motivated other credit union people to volunteer. Mark Curran, SVP of Business Development for Palmetto Cooperative Services, has volunteered at the camp since 2006. He remarked that he was especially proud to be there this week. Both Curran’s father and daughter are volunteering with him through the week. "My dad is working in the kitchen and my daughter is a cabin counselor," Curran said. Curran usually volunteers two full weeks in the summer and does weekend volunteer stints in the spring and fall.

After welcoming the campers for more than two hours, the credit union group gathered for an ice cream social under a tent set up above the NASCAR-themed camp. "It was a terrific conclusion to a very special day," noted Slack "and all of us at the Foundation are grateful for the continuing enthusiasm and support credit unions in both Carolinas have for Victory Junction."