One would suspect that Honor Credit Union, as a financial institution, would be all about solid numbers.

As their Teacher Awards shows, though, the intangibles also matter.

Last week, the credit union announced the winners of their fifth-annual educator awards, sorting through applications from 188 teachers across 35 districts in southwest Michigan. In the end, they awarded $100 to each of the 30 winners, dolling out a total of $3,000 to local schools.

Jeff Robinson

Among the recipients was Jeff Robinson, the choir director at Dowagiac Union Schools. The teacher applied for the awards in October, hoping to use the money to help purchase a subscription to Music Alive, a monthly periodical aimed at children grades 5-10.

Each magazine contains a wealth of knowledge for the musically inclined child, discussing the science behind popular songs and the advances in recording equipment, among other subjects.

“It’s a great periodical, but it’s about $330 for the year,” Robinson said. “Each subscription includes 30 magazines for the year, and includes back issues. I knew that this award would allow me to help provide that to my students this year.”

While not essential to his regular instruction, the catalog helps provide some additional context to his lessons. It also reinforces the reading instruction that the studnets’ core instruction provides, Robinson said.

“It’s curriculum in my department as well as someone else’s,” he said. “It’s a win-win.”

While the choir director, who has been with the district for 14 years, normally purchases a subscription for his students, budget limitations force him to prioritize core course materials. The $100 worth of prize money allowed him to order the magazines much sooner than usual, though, with the first shipment arriving sometime this month.

Honor Credit Union is no stranger to supporting the children of the district. In addition to the Teacher Awards. The company also set up the Chieftain Student Credit Union for students at Dowagiac Middle School, and are major supporters of the school’s Five Star afterschool program.

“I’m impressed with how Honor is so community oriented,” Robinson said. “I think other businesses could learn from them on how to be more committed to their communities.”

Other local winners included Ariyll Forester with Niles Community Schools and Kelly Hargrove with Cassopolis Public Schools.