Mountain America Credit Union and the Utah Jazz "Pass It Along" to Operation Underground Railroad
Mountain America Credit Union and the Utah Jazz are pleased to announce Operation Underground Railroad as this season’s second recipient of “Pass It Along,” a program featuring fan-nominated opportunities that reward five local charitable organizations with $5,000 each. The “Pass It Along” program has donated $135,000 to local charitable organizations since its inception in 2013.
Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) paves the way for permanent eradication of child sex trafficking through coordinated rescue and recovery planning. Since 2013, O.U.R. has rescued more than 1,700 victims and assisted in the arrests of more than 848 traffickers around the world.
“We are honored to be the recipient of the ‘Pass It Along’ program this month. This contribution will allow us to continue to rescue more children who have been trafficked and assist those who are on the path of recovery,” says Tim Ballard, founder and chief executive officer at Operation Underground Railroad. “Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise today and with the generous donation and community support from the Utah Jazz and Mountain America Credit Union, we will continue to fight to end it.”
Earlier this month, Sterling Nielsen, president and chief executive officer at Mountain America Credit Union, visited Operation Underground Railroad’s office in Holladay to learn more about the organization, its mission and impact. “The ‘Pass It Along’ program is one way Mountain America fulfills the ‘people helping people’ philosophy,” says Nielsen. “Operation Underground Railroad plays an integral part in our local community, providing training for local law enforcement and aftercare programs for survivors. Thank you, Operation Underground Railroad, for protecting our children and working diligently to end child trafficking.”
Mountain America is encouraging fans to help end child trafficking by joining the O.U.R. Abolitionist Club. Visit www.ourrescue.org/macu for more information.
O.U.R. received tickets to this Saturday’s Utah Jazz game against the New York Knicks, where representatives from Mountain America Credit Union, the Utah Jazz and O.U.R. will be on hand for a pregame check presentation.
Fans are encouraged to nominate local charitable groups that they feel go above and beyond in giving back to the community via www.utahjazz.com/passitalong. One winner will be announced each month, from November through March 2019, for a total of $25,000 donated to five deserving organizations. This season’s first “Pass It Along” recipient was Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah.
About Mountain America Credit Union
With more than 790,000 members and $8 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union assists members on the right path to help them identify and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile banking technology, over 90 branches across five states, thousands of shared-branching locations nationwide and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain America—safely guiding you forward along your financial journey. Learn more at macu.com.
About the Utah Jazz
Founded as the 18th member of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1974, and located in Salt Lake City since 1979, the Utah Jazz are committed to excellence as a team and in the community. On the court, the Jazz are the second-winningest team in the NBA over the last 30 years, having won nine division titles and two Western Conference championships along with 15 seasons of 50-plus wins, and are supported by one of the most passionate fan bases in all of sports. The Jazz are part of Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment that includes Megaplex Theatres, Vivint Smart Home Arena, The Zone Sports Network, NBA 2K Jazz Gaming, NBA G League Salt Lake City Stars, Tour of Utah professional cycling stage race and Triple-A Salt Lake Bees baseball.
