Release Date: July 16, 2008

Valley Credit Union to donate golf tournament proceeds to east side heroes

San Jose, California (July 16, 2008) – Valley Credit Union has identified East Side Heroes as the beneficiary of their 5 th Annual Charity Golf Tournament. The tournament will be held on September 8 at the Silver Creek Valley Country Club.

Over the past four years, the credit union has donated nearly $100,000 to organizations in their community with the help of generous sponsorships from other businesses. The credit union is currently seeking sponsorships and players to help make this year’s tournament as successful as prior years.

Credit unions have long stood for “people helping people” and Valley Credit Union is no exception. When they learned that the mission of East Side Heroes coincided with their own core values, they immediately made the decision to get involved. Also, with a branch located in East San Jose, a portion of the credit union’s membership resides in these same areas where parents are struggling to keep their children out of gangs.

“It’s amazing how East Side Heroes can stretch each dollar donated to meet a student’s needs,” says Ryan Barringer, Assistant Vice President of Marketing at Valley Credit Union. “They incorporate mentoring into their overall program so that students have even more support than a scholarship alone could provide.”

Enrique Flores founded East Side Heroes as an organization that provides high school scholarships and mentorship to at-risk youth. Flores was categorized as “at-risk” when he was a teenager, but overcame that label with the help of a scholarship to Bellarmine College Preparatory. That experience provided the support he needed to later earn his degree from Santa Clara University. After graduating, Flores wanted to help other youth receive that same opportunity.

“There are many scholarships available for students entering college, but it’s important they receive a quality education in high school so that they have the mindset and preparedness to enter college,” says Flores. “With East Side Heroes, they have the opportunity to receive that foundation.”

Students who receive scholarships from East Side Heroes typically reside in neighborhoods prone to heavy crime. Attending private school gives students the means to escape these neighborhoods and focus on academics with a college-bound curriculum.

“We are excited about the possibility of a continued partnership with East Side Heroes,” says Barringer.

To find out more about sponsorship opportunities and how to get involved, visit www.valleycu.org/golf.

About Valley Credit Union

Valley Credit Union was founded in 1953 as a member-owned, not-for-profit financial institution serving San Jose telephone employees. Valley Credit Union has since evolved to serve all of Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The credit union serves approximately 27,000

members and has nearly $275 million in assets. For general information about Valley CU please call 408.955.1300 or visit www.ValleyCU.org.

About East Side Heroes

East Side Heroes was founded in 2003 to serve at-risk teens, young adults, and underprivileged families of any gender, race, culture, religious belief, and sexual orientation, residing in the South Bay and Peninsula Communities, via educational scholarships, life-long mentoring, and leadership development opportunities. They are the first community-based organization in the San Francisco Bay Area to successfully provide academic scholarships to qualified 8 th grade students. Visit www.eastsideheroes.org for more information.