Caryl Stewart, founder and president emeritus of Opportunities Credit Union passed away at the age of 85 on Saturday, March 28, 2015, after a short illness.
Among many other accomplishments, Caryl founded the Vermont Development Credit Union, now known as Opportunities Credit Union, one of VHFA’s participating lenders. She created a unique process tailored to help each individual help themselves through saving and money managment and an organizational mission of helping to create wealth among low-income people. Under Caryl's leadership the credit union won wide recognition including receiving the National Credit Union Association's Wegner Award for Outstanding Organization in 2005. That year, Seven Days profiled these acheivements and the lives of Vermonters whose lives were transformed by the credit union's role. Vermont Business Digest also chronicled the development of the original Vermont Development Credit Union in 1998.