Washington, DC (May 8, 2018) — National Cooperative Bank (NCB), a leading financial services company serving cooperatives nationwide, named Vernon Oakes, the founder of Everything Co-op Radio Show, the recipient of the 2018 Stan Dreyer Spirit of Cooperation Award. The honor, presented each year at NCB’s Annual Meeting, is bestowed to those who live and work with the spirit of the cooperative principles.
“Vernon’s passion for co-ops and wanting to tell their story is the reason he created Everything Co-op, a weekly radio show with inspirational guests from the co-op sector”, stated Charles E. Snyder, president and CEO of National Cooperative Bank. “In its fourth year, the show explores the impact of the cooperative business model and highlights leaders in our niche sector.”
“I am truly humbled to receive this award from such a wonderful organization”, stated Vernon Oakes. “I love co-ops and the empowerment they create in the community and I look forward to telling more great stories.”
Everything Co-op is streamed live at worldcnews.com every Thursday from 10:30-11:30 a.m. EDT and airs live in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area on WOL 1450 AM—Radio One’s premiere talk radio station. The show is currently available in podcast format on iTunes, allowing Everything Co-op to reach an even wider and more diverse audience.
The Bank carefully selects the yearly recipient of The Stan Dreyer Spirit of Cooperation Award, named for Mr. Dreyer to ensure it’s given to an individual or organization who lives the spirit of the cooperative principles. Mr. Dreyer, who passed away in 2017, was one of the people who was instrumental in the passage of the Congressional Bank Act in 1978 which created NCB. The award is bestowed annually on an NCB employee or member-customer whose devotion and contribution to the cooperative community emulate those embodied by Mr. Dreyer. Among his long list of accomplishments, Mr. Dreyer served as Executive Director of NCBA and, in that role was the premier advocate to Congress in helping to pass the National Consumer Cooperative Bank Act, which created NCB. Throughout his career, his dedication to fostering the growth and success of cooperatives, nationally and internationally, has earned him widespread recognition and an enduring legacy.
