ALEXANDRIA, VA. Aug. 11. 2008—The President’s Club of Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company has contributed $100,000 to the Trusted Choice® Disaster Relief Fund, specifically designated for victims of the storms and floods throughout the Midwest in Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota.
The President’s Club consists of Grinnell Mutual’s top 50 agencies for outstanding production and profitability over a five-year period. “We have heard from many President’s Club agents about the work that needs to be done to help restore communities and families affected by these storms,” says Dan Agnew, president & CEO of Grinnell Mutual. “Neighbor helping neighbor is a way of life in the farm mutual industry. We want to show support for these recovery efforts because this is what we do.”
The Trusted Choice® Disaster Relief Fund was established by the IIAA Educational Foundation of the Big “I” to assist others who have suffered losses due to natural or man-made disasters. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) entity and all contributions are tax deductible.
“As an agent who saw first-hand the devastation of the Midwestern flooding this summer, I appreciate Grinnell Mutual’s generous contribution to the Trusted Choice® Disaster Relief Fund,” says Bob Fulwider, chairman of the Big “I” and principal and executive vice president of the Ray Wuestenberg Agency, Inc., in West Liberty, Iowa and the Fulwider Agency, Inc., in West Branch, Iowa. “The Trusted Choice® Disaster Relief Fund is a great way to assist disaster victims, including independent agents and industry colleagues, during their greatest time of need.”
The fund makes cash grants to those in the insurance industry, including Big “I” members and their agency staffs, and others to pay for immediate or ongoing financial needs when other funding sources (such as insurance and other grants) are not available, to fill the gap until other funding sources can be accessed and to provide insurance agents with supplies and resources to assist with disaster relief efforts to aid victims and surviving family members in their communities.
“We commend Grinnell Mutual for stepping up to support those affected by disasters,” says Bob Rusbuldt, president & CEO of the Big “I”. “The company is a strong partner for independent agents and a great example of the insurance industry doing what it does best—supporting people through difficult times.”
To make a tax-deductible contribution, go to www.independentagent.com and click on “About Us” and then “Trusted Choice® Disaster Relief Fund.” To contribute via check, send a check payable to “Trusted Choice® Disaster Relief Fund” to:
Attn: Lillian Carter
Trusted Choice® Disaster Relief Fund
127 S. Peyton St
Alexandria, VA 22314
Founded in 1896, the Big “I” is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance—property, casualty, life, and health—as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products.