USA Federal Credit Union first sponsor in '2006 Canstruction' - projected to result in 10 tons of canned foods donated to local charities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pictured (left to right): Neva Buckhanon, USA Federal Director of Business Development and Betty Connell

from the Society for Design Administration

San Diego, Calif., March 9, 2006 – USA Federal Credit Union (headquartered in San Diego, CA) is the first sponsor of the 2006 Canstruction, a unique competition featuring 12 teams of architects and engineers who will build giant sculptures made entirely out of canned foods on March 22 nd at the New School of Architecture & Design, 1249 "F" St., in Downtown San Diego.

Each sculpture, expected to measure as much as eight-feet across and 10-feet high, is estimated to consist of 5,000 to 10,000 cans. After the teams build the structures, starting at 8 a.m. on March 22nd, judging follows on March 23rd and free public viewing on March 24th and 25th. All canned food used in the structures will be donated to local food banks for distribution to pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and day-care centers for children and the elderly, according to event organizers. It's estimated the competition will result in approximately 10 tons of food donated to charity.

The San Diego chapter of the Society for Design Administration (SDA), a professional trade group, is hosting the competition, which began in other U.S. cities in 1994, and in San Diego in 2003. "In the spirit of the credit union philosophy of `people helping people,' all of us at USA Federal are excited about being the first to sponsor this cause," said Mary Cunningham, President and CEO of USA Federal Credit Union. "We are proud to support the design and construction industry in this special event that will greatly benefit the community,"

SDA officials expect about 10-to-15 other businesses, not including the participating architectural firms, will join USA Federal over the next few weeks to become sponsors of the 2006 Canstruction competition. For more information about Canstruction, visit www.canstructionsd.org.

About USA Federal
With more than 60,000 members and $680 million in assets, USA Federal Credit Union (headquartered in San Diego) operates 19 branches, including locations in San Diego, Murrieta, and Temecula (CA), Las Vegas (NV), Japan and Korea. Members of this non-profit financial cooperative include the military, civilians and select employee groups. Founded in 1953 at the Naval Training Center in San Diego, USA Federal offers a full range of financial services including business services and consumer savings, checking, mortgage and home equity loans, auto loans, debit and credit cards, share term certificates, and IRAs. Online services include eStatements, Online Banking and Bill Pay with Money HQ and online loan applications and approval. Additional services include the BALANCE financial fitness program, and investment and retirement planning offered by MEMBERS Financial Services. This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. Visit www.usafedcu.org or call (800) 220-1USA (1872) or (858) 831-8100 for more information.

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Note: USA Federal maintains the above information for archival purposes, which is presumed accurate upon release, however, data may become outdated over time and affect accuracy.