2022 marks the 14th year for Assured Life Association’s national member food drive. In the United States, 1 in 8 people face hunger in some way or other. According to Feeding America, more than 38 million people are facing hunger in the country – over 11 million of them children. Food insecurity is defined as a lack of consistent access to food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life.
Even though there has been an improvement in people facing hunger over the years (when we started our national member food drive 14 years ago, 1 in 6 people in the United States was facing hunger), there is still an enormous need for assistance. So, please consider getting involved in our food drive this year.
Assured Life has awarded 38 individual and 1 institutional college scholarships for the 2022-2023 school year totaling $30,000. Assured Life has provided over $1.8 million in scholarships since the inception of the program, impacting nearly 2,085 students. Congratulations to the 2022 scholarship recipients! Assured Life will publish the recipients in its Fall issue of Life Assured member magazine.
17 Youth Head to Summer Camp
Assured Life is providing $1,700 in summer camp grants this year! Have fun at camp, kids!!
2021 marks the 13th year for Assured Life Association’s national member food drive. In the United States, 1 in 9 people face hunger in some way or other. According to Feeding America, due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, more than 42 million people may experience food insecurity, including a potential 13 million children. Food insecurity is defined as a lack of consistent access to food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life.
Even though there has been an improvement in people facing hunger over the years (when we started our national member food drive 13 years ago, 1 in 6 people in the United States was facing hunger), there is still an enormous need for assistance. So, please consider getting involved in our food drive this year.
Assured Life has awarded 38 individual and 1 institutional college scholarships for the 2021-2022 school year totaling $30,000. Assured Life has provided over $1.8 million in scholarships since the inception of the program, impacting nearly 2,050 students. Congratulations to the 2021 scholarship recipients! Assured Life will publish the recipients in its Fall issue of Life Assured member magazine.
34 Youth Head to Summer Camp
It was so nice to see the number of applicants for Assured Life Association’s Summer Camp Grants increase this year. On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic it appears summer camp programs are back! Assured Life is providing $3,325 in summer camp grants this year; over $1,000 more than the grants provided last year! Have fun at camp, kids!!
The summer camp experience for our youth is a very important part of their development; especially on the tails of being so constrained for activity and interaction with other kids due to COVID-19! This time has been very hard on the kids in this country and hopefully they will be able to gather again with other youth during summer camp this summer.
We anticipate more summer camps taking place this year than last. Now is the time to be thinking about Assured Life’s Summer Camp Grant program!
The Society provides up to a $100 grant for each child attending a summer camp program. This grant is available to members, children or grandchildren of members, or youth being sponsored by a local chapter. The deadline for application is May 15, 2021. Get your Summer Camp Grant App here.
We can only hope that the year 2021 will be better than 2020; but then how could it not be, right?! The anticipated distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine should help. In any case, we at Assured Life Association wish all of our members and their families a prosperous and blessed new year.
As we enter 2021, please help us help the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple programs! Funds raised will help to send the children of our nation’s military families to Operation Purple summer camp. Even though we don’t know what the status will be for summer camps in 2021, the National Military Family Association can still use our help. Other Operation Purple programs include family retreats and healing adventures. Please consider a donation to help support our military families through frequent moves, deployments, wartime stress, injury and loss.
This year our country has experienced great uncertainty, and military families felt that even more—from halted homecomings and stop-movement orders that kept their families separated, to challenges no American family should face, like food insecurity.
At the National Military Family Association, we know hard times make it difficult to remain hopeful. But no matter what they are going through, military families continue to be the light for us all.
As we enter a new year and are hopeful for a fresh start, a clean slate, and renewed spirits, I believe our greatest example of optimism is the steadfast service of our military families.
No matter what our country asks of its military force, they answer, with their loved ones in close step beside them. Our work here at NMFA is far from over. As our military members continue to answer the call to serve and protect our country, we will be inspired by their optimism and we will continue to serve and protect the families who keep this country strong.
When generous donors, like you, team with NMFA, we guarantee that more military families will experience the support of our grateful nation; they will know peace of mind, they will find hope in the darkest times, and they will radiate true pride and immense joy in the midst of uncertainty.
First Member Benefit Program for 2021 – College Scholarships
As we start this new year, we also start a new season for Assured Life’s many member benefit programs. The first such member benefit program of the new year is the college scholarship program.
Applicants for Assured Life Association’s college scholarship program must be benefit members (insurance certificate/policy holders), or children or grandchildren of benefit members. There is no restriction as to age, sex or area of study. Applicants must be a senior in high school, college undergraduate or graduate student, and must be taking at least 12 credit hours of study for the Fall of 2021. Applicants must also have at least a 2.50 GPA; as funds are limited for 2021, higher GPAs will be given priority.
This year’s essay topic (a required piece of the application) is:
“We all have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. What was your experience like dealing with COVID-19 this past 12 months (on your health, well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, etc) and how have you overcome the adversities imposed by the pandemic? What made an impact in your life because of the pandemic? What, if anything, have you done to help others during these trying times?”
As we think about Thanksgiving and being grateful for all that we have, even in this most challenging, difficult year, we set our eyes on helping those less fortunate during the Christmas season.
2020 marks the 12th year anniversary for Assured Life Association’s Operation Santa’s Elves. Assured Life Association encourages its chapters and members to help bring the joy of Christmas and Santa Claus to the lives of needy children by getting involved in Operation Santa’s Elves.
Since its inception in 2009, Assured Life’s Operation Santa’s Elves has impacted 1,295 kids with gifts valued at over $18,000 and cash donations of over $13,000!
It’s easy to participate! Have your own toy drive or seek out a local organization or program that assists in providing Christmas gifts to kids that would not otherwise receive anything for Christmas. Whether it is Toys for Tots, Adopt-A-Family programs or the Salvation Army, get involved.
If you decide to donate money to one of these programs, remember to utilize the Growth Ring Matching Gift Program. We will match up to $250 of any benefit member’s donation in a given calendar year. But be sure to get your request for matching in by December 7, 2020.
What have we learned through the self-quarantine and resolve to do our part by staying home during this COVID-19 pandemic? We have learned that we are resilient, strong, compliant and caring. There are so many examples of people helping others during this time; first and foremost the health care professionals that put themselves at risk everyday to help others.
We solute those individuals that have responded to the call to help during this challenging time.
Now the call shifts to us. The coronavirus has put millions of people out of work and as a result many are struggling to put food on their families’ table. Many have turned to local food banks and programs to fill the void. And it’s great that they exist in times like this. But many food banks are experiencing critical funding shortfalls as a result of increased utilization.
In Denver, Colorado alone, Food Bank of the Rockies is anticipating needing to feed double the number of clients than usual for at least 6 months. And Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, has estimated 1 in 6 Americans could face hunger as a result of the pandemic. “Because of COVID-19, more people than ever before are visiting food banks and many of them are getting help for the first time.” So, let’s do our part. The Assured Life National Food Drive has never been more important than right now. Please consider making a financial donation to your local food bank or food program now for the COVID-19 response. Report your donations here: http://assuredlife.org/Volunteer/Food-Drive/COVID-19-Food-Fund-Drive-Response.
Assured Life Association has extended the deadline for Summer Camp Grant Applications to June 15, 2020. We hope that this extension will give members more time to see what kind of impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) has had on summer camp program availability. Hopefully, you will find a summer camp for your children or grandchildren. So, even though the application says the deadline is May 15, 2020, we will accept applications through June 15, 2020. Get a Summer Camp Grant App here.
We don’t know what the coronavirus will do to the various summer camp experiences this summer. But the Summer Camp Grant Application deadline is not until May 15, 2020; hopefully we will all have better information on any summer encampment delays or cancellations by then.
Assured Life provides individual Summer Camp Grants for youth with a membership connection (members, children or grandchildren of members or youth being sponsored by a local chapter). Summer Camp Grant awards may vary depending upon the number of eligible applications received, but for the last few years Assured Life has been awarding the maximum camp grant of $100 per camper.
Operation Purple Camps – One of Assured Life’s Projects
Operation Purple Camp, a National Military Family Association program, provides military kids a free week of summer camp where they connect with other kids just like themselves. Kids from all uniformed services are invited to apply. At Assured Life, we believe that helping military kids go to summer camp shows our support for our military families. Please consider a donation to this very worthy cause. Click here for a donation form.
Lois Toftemark of Eugene, OR DBIA Lodge 348 takes aim at picking up a spare! I think she left the hardest pin standing.
Assured Life Association is officially sponsoring a team “mail-in” bowling tournament to benefit Feeding America again this year. This means your team can bowl at your location and mail in the scores!
Strikes Against Hunger is a team only bowling tournament to include 4-person teams of all males, all females or mixed; however, all teams will be placed into one tournament pool unless the number of registrations allows separate tournaments.
A team registration fee in the amount $60 ($15 per bowler) must be mailed to the home office along with the registration form. The winning team will receive a monetary prize of $260; additional prizes may be awarded depending upon the number of teams registered.
All profits from the tournament will be donated to Feeding America to help those struggling with hunger in the United States. Profits are defined as all registrations fees received. No other expenses will be deducted from the registrations collected.
There is no deadline for registration, but please register your team before you bowl. Bowling must be completed and scores submitted to the home office on or before December 1, 2019.
Assured Life Association has officially announced its 2nd annual Scramble to End Hunger mail-in golf tournament benefiting Feeding America! Find the details here.
A mail-in golf tournament means that members can play any 72-par golf course in their own area and enter their score in the golf tournament. There are rules and guidelines for each 4-person team to follow, but there are also some fun “buy-outs” of those rules. And remember, this is all to benefit Feeding America, the nations largest domestic hunger relief organization.
Get a foursome together to enter Assured Life’s Scramble to End Hunger (at least 1 golfer from each team must be a member of Assured Life Association).
Register your team any time before you play your tournament round of golf by completing the registration form and submitting it with a $100 entry fee.
Follow the tournament rules and guidelines or consider purchasing “buy-outs” of some of those rules and guidelines.
Golf your tournament round on or before August 31, 2019!
Submit your team score by sending in the score card from the golf course you played to the Fraternal Department by September 15, 2019.
You can find all the details on the Assured Life website.
Why Scramble to End Hunger is Important
According to Feeding America, millions of people struggle to get by because of underemployment, stagnant wages and rising costs of living. In fact, more than 46 million people still turn to the Feeding America network each year for extra support. In the United States, 1 in 8 people struggles with hunger.
Get a foursome together to enter Assured Life’s Scramble to End Hunger (at least 1 golfer from each team must be a member of Assured Life Association).
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