Golden Apple Awards

Freedom Federal Credit Union’s Golden Apple Educator Awards Now Open for Submissions

Golden Apple Awards Call for Entries Header Image

Program will award $10,000 in grants to educators across Harford County, Baltimore County, Carroll County, and Baltimore City

March 26, 2026 – Freedom Federal Credit Union is now accepting applications for its 2026 Golden Apple Annual Education Awards, an annual program that will provide $10,000 in grant funding to local educators across Harford County, Baltimore County, Carroll County and Baltimore City. Eligible applicants include employees of public and private primary and secondary schools, including teachers, administrators, and support staff. Applicants must be new or existing Freedom members to receive an award.

For more than a dozen years, the Golden Apple Awards have helped local educators bring impactful ideas to life in their classrooms, schools, and communities. “It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how the Golden Apple Educator Awards program has grown over the years,” said Mike MacPherson, President and CEO of Freedom Federal Credit Union. “What began as a way to honor and support our members who are educators has continued to expand, allowing us to invest in innovative ideas that positively impact students, energize schools, and strengthen communities.”

Freedom will award ten Golden Apple Educator Awards this year, including two $2,000, four $1,000, and four $500 awards to local education employees. The program recognizes educators with innovative ideas that can positively impact students, classrooms, schools, and the broader community.

As part of the application, entrants must submit an essay addressing one or more of the following questions:

  1. What is your creative idea or initiative to benefit your students, classroom, or school, and how will you bring it to life using the funds from this award?
  2. How will your idea or initiative support or improve the learning experience of your students or benefit your classroom or school overall?
  3. Will your idea or initiative benefit the overall community? If yes, how so?

Interested applicants can complete the entry form available at freedomfcu.org/golden-apple and submit their completed application materials to enter@freedomfcu.org by May 31, 2026. Entries will be reviewed by a panel of Freedom employees, volunteers and community partners. Award recipients will be contacted by June 22, 2026 and will be honored guests at an awards reception in August.

About Freedom Federal Credit Union

Freedom Federal Credit Union is a community-chartered federal credit union offering business banking services and consumer financial services to those who live, work, volunteer, worship, attend school, or have family in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, and Harford County. Freedom was founded in 1953 and currently has eight locations throughout Harford and Baltimore Counties. To learn more, visit freedomfcu.org.

 

County Teachers Win Golden Apple Awards

Golden Apple Awards Reception Held June 22

Freedom Federal Credit Union President and CEO, Mike MacPherson, with 2018 Golden Apple Annual Education Awards recipients
Freedom Federal Credit Union President and CEO, Mike MacPherson, with 2018 Golden Apple Annual Education Award recipients. (L to R): Jacob Bennett, Kathleen Ford, and Tara Recor

Freedom hosted a reception at the Credit Union’s Park Avenue branch to celebrate this year’s Golden Apple Awards winners. Kathleen Ford, a music teacher at the John Archer School won this year’s grand prize. Ms. Ford received the $2,000 prize for her plan to better connect students with disabilities through music and song. One of Ms. Ford’s goals is to purchase a complete set of Music K-8 magazines and CDs. Her entry also calls for adapted instruments, assistive devices and software. These items will better enable students with severe physical challenges to produce music independently.

Although we received a record number of submissions this year, Ms. Ford’s thoughtfulness and creativity in considering how the award could affect positive change for her students, school, and community made her application standout.

Additionally, two runners-up were selected: Jacob Bennett, Kindergarten Teacher at Havre de Grace Elementary, and Tara Recor, Gifted &Talented Resource Teacher at Prospect Mill and Halls Cross Roads Elementary schools. Both Mr. Bennett and Ms. Recor will receive $500 each to fund initiatives at their respective schools.

The Golden Apple Educator Award benefits Freedom members who work for HCPS and have a creative vision for education that can only be met with community support. Contest applicants must submit an essay demonstrating how their idea would serve their students, class, school and the Harford County community. A panel of Freedom employees, board members, and community leaders judges each year’s entries.