Western Division Awards $6500 in Scholarships to Local Students

Western Division is pleased to announce the 2026 Scholarship Award winners.  Scholarships are awarded to high school seniors planning to further their education at a two-or-four year college or university.

The scholarships were awarded to students that exhibited excellence in four categories: GPA; community service; leadership roles and an essay question.  This year’s winners received $1000 each, with one recipient awarded $500 due to their service to the community.

Myah Benjamin (Dunkirk, NY) – Academic & Community Award

High School: WNY P-Tech STEM

College: Jamestown Community College

Career: Mechanical Design Technology

 

 

Matthew Killian (Lancaster, NY) – Academic Award

High School: Lancaster High School

College: Canisius University

Career: Childhood Education

 

Thomas Bittar (Clarence, NY) – Academic Award

High School: Clarence High School

College: Georgia Institute of Technology

Career: Mechanical Engineering

 

 

Lila Drab (Cassadaga, NY) – Academic Award

High School: Nardin Academy

College: Ohio State University

Career: Psychology/Criminal Justice

 

 

Cara Swader (Akron, NY) – Academic Award

High School: Akron High School

College: SUNY Niagara

Career: Radiologic Technology

 

 

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In 2025, Western Division partnered with the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, allowing us to extend our support to organizations that provide vital services to our community.

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Supporting the SPCA of WNY

Supporting our little furry friends.  Our members voted on their favorite employee’s dog on National Dog Day.  For every vote, we donated $1.00 to the SPCA of WNY.

 

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Salvation Army Toy Drive 

Western Division helps Santa make sure that every child has a toy for the holidays.  We were proud to sponsor a table of toys and our happy elves helped children and parents shop for the day.

 

 

 

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FeedMore WNY – Food 2 Families 2024

Spreading Holiday Cheer in WNY!  We’re excited to participate once again (since 2008) with the Food 2 Families Food Drive to benefit FeedMore WNY!  Thank you FeedMore WNY for making a difference in the lives of so many!

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Salvation Army Toy Drive 2024

There’s nothing like watching a child’s eyes light up on Christmas morning when they see that Santa left a gift or two. That’s the reason we partner with the Salvation Army’s Toy Drive – to keep the magic of the holiday season alive and well for local children.  Thank you to our friendly elves: Stephanie and Tracy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________Herd of Hope We Have a Name!  ***Rumble***

The time has come!  We have chosen the winner of our ‘Name the Buffalo’ contest that we’ve been holding over the last several weeks, and we have to say it’s been quite the fun experience.  We’ve loved reading all the entries and we admire how creative some of you are!  We’re extremely grateful to everyone who participated in this contest.

Choosing the winning entry wasn’t easy, but we felt the name “Rumble – because he fights cancer“ submitted by Devon O’Brien, from Akron, NY, was perfect.

For 80+ years Western Division has been a hometown credit union supporting our members and helping them achieve their financial goals.  That’s why partnering with Roswell Park Cancer Institute made sense to help them achieve one of their goals through the Herd of Hope Program.  (This is where our beautiful Blue Buffalo at our Williamsville branch location came from.)

Thank you everyone for your participation and welcome Rumble to our membership.

 

Blue Buffalo Contest