Gesa donates more than $24,000 to Moses Lake schools
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months AGO
Loren Sandhop, left, athletic director at Moses Lake High School, holds the check presented to the Moses Lake School District by Evan Buelt, education partnership specialist for Gesa Credit Union.
COURTESY PHOTO/MOSES LAKE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Gesa Credit Union Education Partnership Specialist Evan Buelt, left, holds a facsimile of a Gesa Affinity Debit Card with Vanguard Academy Principal Matthew Stevens.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | September 16, 2025 1:50 AM
MOSES LAKE — Student activities in the Moses Lake School District got a boost last week, as Gesa Credit Union handed Moses Lake High School and Vanguard Academy more than $24,000.
“These dollars are important to what we're doing and important to our students,” Shannon said.
The funds were raised through Gesa’s Affinity Debit Card program, which allows members of the credit union to select a debit card that supports a cause or organization they care about, according to Gesa’s website. Every time a cardholder swipes a card affiliated with Moses Lake High School or Vanguard Academy, a portion of the transaction goes to that school.
“Over the course of the year, those numbers accrue,” Shannon said. “And then … they deliver those checks to their partner schools around the state.”
The money is earmarked for student activities, Shannon said. MLHS Athletic Director Loren Sandhop and Vanguard Academy Principal Matthew Stevens will determine how to allocate the funds within their schools, he added.
Gesa Credit Union offers Affinity Cards for 61 K-12 schools statewide, according to its website. Ephrata High School also participates in the program.
Moses Lake School District has participated in the program since 2018, Shannon said. District patrons interested in supporting the schools through a Gesa Affinity Card can pick up a flier in the front office of either Moses Lake High School or Vanguard Academy.
Gesa Credit Union Education Partnership Specialist Evan Buelt, left, holds a facsimile of a Gesa Affinity Debit Card with Vanguard Academy Principal Matthew Stevens.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
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