Card Systems for Credit Unions, has announced the winners of its 2000 Marketing Awards. Award recipients are honored based on their credit union card program excellence. Credit award winners had the most growth in account base between December 1999 and December 2000, the highest percentage growth in outstandings between December 1999 and December 2000 and the largest account base as a percent of membership base as of December 2000. Debit award winners were chosen based on their growth in account base between December 1999 and December 2000. In the credit division the following credit unions were recognized: 1st Place assets over $100 million- Randolph Brooks FCU, assets under $100 million- Premier FCU; 2nd Place: assets over $100 million – Teachers' Federal Credit Union, Farmington, NY, assets under $100 million – Delaware Federal Credit Union. In addition, for the first time, awards were also presented to credit unions with outstanding debit card programs. In the category of assets over $100 million – Teachers' Federal Credit Union, Farmington, NY and in assets under $100 million – 1st Mississippi Federal Credit Union, returned with the honors. Maine Credit Union League, Portland, has announced that its fee-based subsidiary, Synergent, has received seven first place awards and one second place award during the 17th annual Printing Excellence Program Awards. Presented annually by the Maine Graphic Arts Association, the PEP Show recognizes the talents of printers and designers in the State of Maine. Thirty-one companies submitted a total of 260 printing and design entries. Synergent received awards in the following categories: Photography, Synergent Brochure; Illustration, League/Synergent Christmas card; Annual Report Design, MSIC;Newsletter Design,Infinity FCU; Packaging Design,Synergent hat mailing;Printing Books,League Convention book; Printing,Tricorp FCU "Take a Look" mailing brochure; and Printing, North Country FCU Postcard. Pennsylvania Credit Union League, Harrisburg, has honored many individuals during its Members Annual Convention for their contributions to the credit union movement. Over 900 members attended the ceremony. The following recipients were honored: Freedom Credit Union President/CEO Lee MacMinn, the League's 2001 William W. Pratt Professional Lifetime Achievement Award; Stanford Anderson, Chairman of NFO Irvine Federal Credit Union received the 2001 Joseph A. Moore Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, and Greta Lynn Straub of the Harrisburg Chapter, was named the 2001 Youth Ambassador. As Pennsylvania Credit Union Youth Ambassador, Straub will speak to credit union officials across the state at League events and regional chapter meetings. Straub received a cash award of $1,000 for winning the title. Rebecca Rushkowski of the Wyoming Valley Chapter and Heather Wenrich of the Schuylkill Valley Chapter each earned a cash award of $750 for finishing second, as Youth Ambassodor Co-First Alternates. In addition Keystone awards were presented to Ed Fox, President/CEO of Mid-Atlantic Corporate FCU in Middletown, for his leadership, vision and dedication to credit union progress and the Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation, for its leadership role and goodwill contributions to ensure the continued growth of the Pennsylvania credit union movement. California Credit Union League, Rancho Cucamonga, has announced that its flagship publication, Credit Union Digest, has won Awards of Distinction in the 2001 Communicator Awards for the cover of its August 2000 issue focusing on technology, and for the issue's science-fiction cover story, "The Net Generation: Episode I: The Secret Assignment." The cover, featuring a man with X-ray eyes set against a red-and-gray paisley background, won in the design/magazine cover category. The story, a noir-style adventure pitting banks against credit unions in the high-tech world of 2030, won in the writing/feature article category. In addition, the league also won honorable mention in the magazine/association category for the February 2000 issue of Digest, which focused on credit union advocacy. The Communicator Awards is a national awards competition founded by communication professionals to recognize excellence in the communication field. The Communicator presents two awards in print media, the Award of Excellence and the Award of Distinction. The latter award honors projects that exceed industry standards in communicating a message or idea. Affinity Federal Credit Union, Bedminster, N.J., marketing team has been presented with the Gold Astra Award by The New Jersey Communications, Advertising & Marketing Association. AFCU's "IRA Chili Pepper" mailer was an entry in the Direct Marketing, Business-to-Consumer category, for which it won the distinction. The award winning marketing campaign featured an explanation of each of the five different IRA options (traditional, Roth, education, SEP and simple) on bottles of hot sauce with the tagline "Give your retirement plans some extra kick!" AFCU has more than $878 million in assets and serves 100,000 members.