Agrace to Offer New Volunteer Orientation, Grief Support Groups in February

Agrace Hospice & Palliative Care is seeking volunteers locally to support its nonprofit mission by working directly with hospice patients, or helping in roles that do not involve patient care. Needed most urgently are volunteers to make companionship visits with patients, and people who can provide specialized services for patients, such as hairstyling, hand massages, music performances or therapy dog visits.

In February, Agrace will offer orientation for new volunteers on Tuesday, February 6, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Thursday, February 15, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., at Agrace’s Madison campus. Before they attend orientation, prospective volunteers will complete an application and interview to discuss their skills and interests. Call (608) 327-7163 to register.

Also in February, Agrace will offer grief support groups at the new Agrace Grief Support Center, 2906 Marketplace Drive, Fitchburg.

There is no cost for these groups for people whose family member had hospice care in the past 12 months. Fees can be lowered or waived for others, if needed. To ask about upcoming meeting dates, registration or fees, call Jody at (608) 327-7118 or go to agrace.org/griefgroups.

• Bridges Grief Support Group is for adults who are grieving a death. The group meets on Wednesdays, throughout the year. No pre-registration is needed.

• Meets 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m., February 7 and February 21
• Meets 6 p.m.– 7:30 p.m., February 14 and February 28

• Journey Through Grief Support Group is a six-week series for adults who are grieving a death. It meets Thursdays, February 1 to March 8, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Pre-registration is required. For registration and fee information, call Jody at (608) 327-7118 or go to agrace.org/griefgroups.

• Family Grief Support Program is for families with children aged 5 to 18 who are grieving a death. It meets every other week, on Tuesdays, all year long, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dinner is included. Pre-registration is required. For more information, call Jessie at (608) 327-7135 or go to agrace.org/griefgroups.

To request one-on-one grief support, call the Agrace Grief Support Center at (608) 327-7110.

NGL employees donate 627 pairs of socks for homeless veterans

When National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) employees learned that the American Red Cross needed socks for homeless veterans they jumped into action to fulfill the request. After only four days, NGL employees donated a total of 627 pairs of new socks for the American Red Cross to distribute at Homeless Veterans Stand Down, an event that will provide homeless veterans an opportunity to connect with resources in the community to hopefully begin a transition from homelessness.

The American Red Cross was hoping to receive 200 pairs of socks but NGL employees were incredibly generous and exceeded their expectations. “The sock drive for homeless veterans really hit home for me. My son is currently serving in the military so I donated because I would hope that if my son needed basic clothing items someone would help him,” shared Becky Anderson NGL Marketing.

“The outpouring of support from employees was overwhelming. We had a short time to collect socks but NGL employees made it happen. It was inspiring to see all of the socks and know that they are going to homeless veterans in our community,” said Elizabeth Kirchstein NGL Corporate Giving Administrator.

About American Red Cross

Through a strong network of volunteers, donors and partners, American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. Learn more at: redcross.org.

About NGL

Since 1910, National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL), a mutual insurance company, has been located in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products including specialty and student insurance. Additional information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

###

CISD102017

Old National awards $21,000 in Tools for Schools grants

Old National Bank (ONB) recently completed its third annual Tools for Schools grant promotion, a company-wide campaign created to help get the school year started right for countless students in need in local communities.

A voting page was created for each of Old National’s regions throughout Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan, and Indiana with participating school districts pre-populated to make the voting collection easy. 99,184 votes were cast for nearly 840 schools in approximately 358 cities.  Grants for $1,000 are now being awarded to the schools with the most votes in each region.

An earlier phase of Tools for Schools collected school supplies which were distributed locally in Southern Wisconsin. More than 8,000 items were collected in Wisconsin and nearly 33,000 items were collected in the Old National five state footprint. In Dane County, supplies were donated to local schools and to 100 Black Men of Madison.

Contact: Andrea Finck – VP, Community Relations Manager – andrea.finck@oldnational.com – (608) 354-0893

Per Mar Security Services Awards Academic Scholarships to Ten Students

Contact: Jennifer VanGenderen, Per Mar Security Services, 563-344-7313

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 12, 2017

Per Mar Security Services Awards Academic Scholarships to Ten Students

DAVENPORT, Iowa – Per Mar Security Services, a leading provider of total security solutions for residential and commercial clients based in Davenport, IA, is pleased to announce it has awarded ten $500 scholarship awards for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Earlier in 2017, Per Mar introduced a new scholarship program that was created to benefit the children of Per Mar Security Services or Midwest Alarm Services employees. Children of employees at Per Mar or Midwest could apply for the scholarships to be used towards higher education. “Per Mar and the Duffy family strongly believe in the value of education, so we are excited to be able to award scholarships to some very deserving students.”,said Brian Duffy, President of Electronics Division.

Congratulations to all of the recipients of Per Mar’s Scholarship Program for the 2017-2018 school year.

• Joneise Ross is the daughter of Toi Owens, Central Station Supervisor for 3^rd Shift at Per Mar Centre. After graduating from Davenport North High School in 2016, Joneise worked part-time in the Data Entry department at Per Mar Centre until beginning her freshman year of college in the fall. Joneise is studying psychology at the University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Cal Giese is the son of Craig Giese, Sales Consultant for our Wausau, WI branch. Cal graduated from Stevens Point Area High School in 2014 and is attending St. Cloud State University. Cal is a pitcher for the St. Cloud State University baseball team, where he has earned numerous region honors. Cal is pursuing an Accounting Major and a minor in Information Technology.
• Madison Campbell is the daughter of Kevin Campbell, Electronics Operations Manager for our South Bend and Griffith branches. Madison attended Mishawaka High School and graduated in June of 2017. She spent 4 years playing on the Varsity Soccer team, two of those years as their Team Captain. Madison is attending Indiana University in South Bend, Indiana.
• Steven Beda is the son of Mark Beda, Sales Consultant for our Wausau, WI branch. Steven graduated from DC Everest High School in 2016. This summer he worked for Per Mar as a full-time security officer. Steven is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in Music Education, where he plans to become a university professor teaching Trombone studies.
• Sara Mulder is the daughter of Randy and Donna Mulder from our Des Moines, IA branch. Sara graduated from East High School in 2016 where she was involved with the Ambassadors program, the dance team and also the yearbook committee. Sara is attending Grand View University in Des Moines where she is studying Elementary Education.
• Allison Blaisdell is the daughter of Michael Blaisdell, Sales Consultant for our Rockford, IL branch. Allison graduated from Hononegah High School in 2014 and is enrolled in the Accounting Program at Augustana College. She has had numerous internship opportunities, including with the Quad City Symphony, the Communications and Marketing Department at Augustana, and completing the United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
• Jessica Dvorak is the daughter of Rob Dvorak, Operations Manager of Electronic Security for our Quad Cities and Des Moines branch. Jessica graduated in May of 2017 from the University of Dubuque with her Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. She is now attending the graduate program for Applied Clinical Psychology at Loras College, where she intends to earn her Ph.D. and become a doctor of clinical psychology.
• Jacob Osterman is the son of Bob Osterman, General Manager for Security Officer Services for our Omaha, NE branch. Jacob graduated from Millard South High School in 2016. He is now in his second year at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln where he is studying Journalism. Jacob also belongs to Sigma Phi Epsilon and one of their missions as a Greek community chapter is to fight human trafficking.
• Taylor Melk is the daughter of Matt Melk, District Operations Manager for Electronics for our Wausau, WI branch. Taylor graduated from D.C. Everest Senior High School in 2016, and is attending Greenville Technical College in Greenville, South Carolina. She is currently working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Young Childhood Education.
• Tiana Wilmington is the daughter of Marilyn Wilmington, Central Station Supervisor for 1^st shift at Per Mar Centre. Tiana graduated from Davenport North High School in 2017 where she played basketball, volleyball and volunteered at sports camps. She is attending the University of Iowa where she is studying Anesthesiology.

About Per Mar Security Services

Established in 1953, Per Mar Security Services is the largest, family-owned, full-service security company in the Midwest with more than 2,400 team members, operating in 23 branch locations and 18 satellite locations. The company provides full-service security solutions for homes and businesses including security officer services, smart home automation, burglar and fire alarms, access control, security cameras, alarm monitoring, investigative services and background checks. For more information about Per Mar Security Services, please visit permarsecurity.com.

25 NGL employees volunteer for United Way of Dane County Seasons of Caring

Employees at National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) proudly participated in the 2017 Seasons of Caring event through United Way of Dane County. This year, 25 NGL employees volunteered for a variety of projects at local nonprofits, including Agrace, Independent Living, Inc., Lussier Community Education Center, The River Food Pantry, Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, UW Arboretum, YWCA Madison and Dane County Humane Society.

NGL strongly believes in giving back to the community both financially and through volunteerism. Each year, employees are offered eight paid workday hours to volunteer at a nonprofit of their choice. Many employees use this time to participate in Seasons of Caring projects through United Way of Dane County.

Seasons of Caring offers an opportunity for people to give back to nonprofits that are meaningful to them. When Niki Wagner, Senior Production Assistant at NGL, noticed that Agrace needed volunteers to clean the family kitchens, she knew that was the volunteer task for her. “I like giving back to the place where my mom lived her remaining last few months. Everyone at Agrace was wonderful to not only my mom, but to all of us,” shared Niki.

Below are a few highlights of NGL employee volunteer projects.

Cookout for Seniors at Independent Living, Inc.

Three NGL employees volunteered for the Independent Living, Inc. cookout to celebrate the senior residents. They helped set up and serve grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, brats and salads. The most enjoyable part about the volunteer opportunity was mingling and spending time with the seniors. One resident even entertained them with her lovely singing voice.

Preparing meals at The River Food Pantry

Two NGL employees volunteered at The River Food Pantry to prepare lunches for people in our community. In just three short hours, they prepared hundreds of lunches that will be distributed to people in need.

Felicia McKenzie, New Business Representative at NGL shared her experience, “I really enjoyed meeting people from other Madison companies who were also volunteering. It’s inspiring to see that we live in such a caring community!”

Mulching for Mutts at Dane County Humane Society

There were eight NGL employees who rolled up their sleeves to spread mulch and help maintain the dog walking trails at the Dane County Humane Society. They trimmed bushes and vines and blanketed the trails with fresh wood chips.

Kendra Wotring, Multi-Line Claims Representative at NGL, shared what she liked most about volunteering for the Dane County Humane Society, “It was fun working with other companies who shared the same interest in not only helping the humane society build the paths but helping each other. I enjoyed meeting the other volunteers and seeing the finished project – the trails are so beautiful. I look forward to volunteering again!”

About United Way of Dane County

United Way of Dane County engages the community, mobilizes volunteers and strengthens local nonprofits to achieve measurable results and change lives. To learn more, visit UnitedWayDaneCounty.org.

About NGL

Since 1910, National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL), a mutual insurance company, has been located in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products including specialty and student insurance. Additional information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

###