Listerhill Credit Union continued celebrating the start of the new school year and joining the Athens community with a large donation of school supplies this week to its partner in education, iAcademy at Athens Elementary.

The donation included glue sticks, crayons, pens, notepads, erasers, pencils and even gift cards for teachers to spend on additional supplies as needed, according to Sarah Evans, Listerhill community relations specialist. Evans said a list of supplies was sent out to employees so they could donate, and the gathered supplies were delivered this week to the school by the staff members who will work at the upcoming Athens branch.

“Athens has a fantastic community, and we are proud to be partnering with a great local school as we head towards our grand opening,” Evans said. “Supporting education has always been a main focus for Listerhill, and appreciating our teachers is just one of the ways that we can do this.”

iAcademy Principal Amanda Tedford said faculty and staff were delighted to get the extra supplies from the school’s community partner.

“We are already seeing their commitment to the Athens community, and we are excited to welcome them to our town,” Tedford said.

Listerhill is set to open its first Athens branch at the corner of Bab Daly Road and U.S. 72 next year. Evans said the employees who delivered supplies this week are already in training so that when the doors open on the branch’s first day, they are ready to go.

Listerhill describes itself as a “nonprofit, member-owned financial institution” that was started by Shoals area residents nearly 70 years ago and has since grown to include 94,000 members. Those interested in joining Listerhill’s staff or opening an account can visit listerhill.com for more information.