Winter 2020 | Protecting families through life insurance since 1894. | Gleaner Life Insurance Society
MAGAZINE
20/20
VISION: Do you have a financial plan for the other side of the mountain? p. 16
Recap of our 59th Biennial Convention p. 4
2020's Family Day lineup p. 6
Building flexible retirement strategies Strategic Choice Indexed Annuity® gives you the power to plan for retirement on your own terms. By allocating your annuity premiums to fixed and indexed accounts, you can maximize long-term growth without losing value when markets perform poorly. The index-linked feature allows you to take advantage of the upside potential increases in the index, subject to the participation rate, while protecting you from losses if the index return is negative. • • • • •
Flexible contributions Potential for greater growth linked to an external index Competitive current interest rates for fixed allocations Surrender charge period of seven years1 No annual maintenance fees
To learn more about flexible retirement strategies with Strategic Choice Indexed Annuity®, contact your Gleaner agent, listed on the back of this publication. If you don’t have a Gleaner agent, you can find one online at www.gleanerlife.org/agents. Strategic Choice Indexed Annuity® Form No. ICC18-IFPDA7 with state-specific variations. Gleaner Life Insurance Society is domiciled in Adrian, Michigan, and licensed in AZ, FL, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, NE, OH, PA, TN, VA, WI and WV. This ad is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended to recommend a specific product, nor is it intended to provide any legal or professional advice. For information on possible tax implications, you should consult with a legal or tax adviser. 1Surrender charge of seven percent in year one, decreasing by one percent each year until zero.
www.gleanerlife.org
5200 West U.S. Highway 223 P.O. Box 1894, Adrian, MI 49221 p 800.992.1894 | f 517.265.7745
Contents
Winter 2020
Features 4
Recap of 59th Biennial Convention A milestone birthday party added to the Gleaner Life convention festivities.
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2020’s Family Day lineup Some favorite Gleaner Life events are back, plus a new riverboat cruise in Chicago.
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Annuity reinsurance Learn how we have further increased the Society's financial stability with annuity reinsurance.
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How a depression altered Gleaner history Gleaner envisioned a different future 100 years ago. A sudden depression changed that.
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Getaway bus tour to Indiana and Kentucky Visit the Ark Experience, Creation Museum, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, a dinner theater and more.
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20/20 Vision: Plan for safe returns Throughout 2020, Forum Magazine will help you visualize your financial plan and sharpen your focus. Reaching your peak earning years only takes you halfway. What’s your plan for the rest of the journey?
Do you enjoy searching for Gleaner’s wheat stalk? It's hidden in every issue of Forum Magazine. Having difficulty finding
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the wheat stalk in this issue? Look on Page 9 for the answer.
@GleanerLife
16 www.gleanerlife.org
Forum Magazine is made from soy-based ink products and is recyclable. Make a small impact on conservation by recycling this publication or passing it on to a friend. Forum Magazine \ Winter 2020 \
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6 oz. spinach
Spinach Salad FORUM
Contents
green onions, chopped
hard boiled eggs, chopped
slices of bacon, crushed
ressing:
Winter 2020 / V. 125 / No. 1 Senior Officers
garlic clove, crushed
2 c. Vegetable oil
Kevin A. Marti, FSA, CLU, ChFC President and CEO
D. Arell Chapman, CRISC, FLMI
2 t. Salt
Senior Vice President, Chief Operations and Technology Officer
2 t. Dry mustard
Todd M. Warner
T. Lemon juice
4 c. White wine vinegar
ash pepper
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial and Investment Officer
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Deborah K. Elliott, SHRM-SCP, SPHR Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Community Engagement and Secretary
Anthony D. Golden, CLU, ChFC, RICP, FIC Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Gleaner Financial®
Barbara Janowski, RN, ALMI
Vice President, Insurance Operations and Chief Underwriter
Kaylene S. Armstrong, FLMI
Vice President, Finance, Controller and Treasurer
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Officers Jaime Linden, FIC
Assistant Vice President, Member and Community Engagement
At a glance
Chuck Monahan, ALMI
Assistant Vice President, Marketing
News & reviews
Interests
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and Communications
Board of Directors
Thoughts from the president
20 Letters from members
Additional Family-Friendly Events
30 Korinne’s Korner
Terry L. Garner, Chair
Mark A. Wills, Vice Chair
Donna K. Baker | Russell E. Cunningham Margaret M.S. Noe | Daniel R. Sutton
21 50- and 75-year members
32 Benny’s Page
Supreme Arbor Officers Dick Hadden, Supreme Chief Gleaner
Norma Garner, Supreme Vice Chief Gleaner
Giving back 22 Arbors in Action
Linda Ruehrmund, Supreme Chaplain Deborah Rydberg, Supreme Conductor Cheryl Jones, Supreme Guard National Headquarters
29 Samaritan program totals
5200 West U.S. Highway 223 P.O. Box 1894
Adrian, Michigan 49221-7894
p 517.263.2244 or 800.992.1894 f 517.265.7745
www.gleanerlife.org
forum@gleanerlife.org Hours Forum Magazine is produced quarterly at Gleaner’s Home Office by Dustin Everden, Mark Lenz, Chuck Monahan and Julie Tison. For questions regarding this publication, please email forum@gleanerlife.org.
Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. EST
Thoughts from the president Dear valued Gleaner members: What a wonderful year 2019 is turning out to be! As Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” In late 2017-2018, we took a calculated leap of faith introducing the society’s first-ever indexed universal life and annuity financial solutions. At the same time, we moved to build out a team of regional sales directors, led by Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Gleaner Financial® Tony Golden. The objective was to get our Society back on a growth track after several years of uninspiring results. We are pleased to report that on top of 100% growth in our new business life premium in 2018, our new business life AND annuity premium is up 60% in 2019! And we have plans — and the team to execute those plans — to continue our progress in 2020. At the same time we focus on growth, we cannot and have not lost sight of achieving positive bottom-line operating results. Those results allow our enhanced community engagement efforts through our arbors and other good works. Your membership is further enhanced by our Gleaner Family Day events, where attendance increased nearly 20% over 2018 to around 2,000 attendees. Plan to participate in your local arbor and our Family Days in 2020. You’ll be glad you did! October 12, 2019, marked the Society’s 125th anniversary of service to our membership and their communities. We had a wonderful celebration of fraternalism at our 59th Biennial Convention in Sandusky, Ohio. We re-elected Board Directors Garner, Sutton and Wills. And we passed an important constitutional amendment pertaining to corporate governance.
qualification guidelines in our Board Policy Manual (see Page 11), please contact Deb Elliott, senior vice president of human resources, community engagement and secretary, via the process and timeline laid out on Page 11. The Board of Directors plans to fill this position for the remaining two years of Todd’s term at its March 2020 board meeting. On Page 10, you will find an article of importance to the Society and its members with respect to our ongoing risk management program, which helps plan for the Society to be around for the next 125 years! Ensuring the financial strength of the Society for our members and their beneficiaries’ benefit is the highest priority of your senior management team and Board of Directors. Further, we cannot continue our community engagement efforts through our arbors and members if we do not have sound fundamentals in our insurance operations! We trust you had a wonderful CHRISTmas and New Year’s holiday with your family and friends. May God continue to richly bless the Society, its members and their families, the work of our arbors, our agents, our business partners, and our employees in 2020.
Fraternally, Kevin A. Marti President & CEO
Related to corporate governance, we are pleased to report that Todd Warner has accepted the position of senior vice president, chief financial and investment officer for the Society, effective November 4, 2019. As a result, there is an opening on our Board of Directors. If you are interested in applying for this position, meet the qualifications in our constitution, and feel you are well-qualified under the director www.gleanerlife.org
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Gleaner celebrated 125 years at its 59th Biennial Convention Birthday festivities made Gleaner Life Insurance Society’s 59th Biennial Convention at Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, Ohio, one to remember. A large turnout of members marked the Society’s 125th birthday milestone while also conducting the fraternal organization’s biennial business. The Oct. 11-13 convention coincided with the annual Safari to Kalahari outing. The Midwest’s largest water park and resort enabled participants to celebrate at one location. After delegates and guests checked in, they were able to start participating in a charity auction. Gleaner Life Insurance Society President and CEO Kevin A. Marti welcomed everyone, board candidates and business leaders were on hand, and one room was set up with displays on the Society’s history. Other highlights came Friday night with a circusthemed dinner and entertainment. The Kilimanjaro Ballroom was a carnival midway with stilt-walkers, carnival games, a photo booth, face painting and more. Dinner followed a similar theme in the Kalahari Ballroom. Afterward, guests enjoyed Cirque-Tacular’s Gatsby to Glam show with acrobatic performers and songs that reflected Gleaner Life’s past 125 years. Saturday’s business meeting saw board candidates Terry L. Garner, Daniel R. Sutton and Mark A. Wills all re-elected to new terms. Changes to the Society
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Constitution regarding board nominations and candidate background checks were approved by a vote of 193-3. Keynote speaker Joseph J. Annotti, president of the American Fraternal Alliance, urged the audience to publicize and remind state leaders of the good work Gleaner Life members and arbors do. He noted that this work includes fighting communities’ problems such as hunger and homelessness. Each arbor was recognized for its work and received a new charter document. Concluding the meeting, Dick Hadden succeeded Jeffrey Price as Supreme Chief Gleaner for the new term, and Cheryl Jones was elected Supreme Guard. Saturday’s banquet included recognition of Chuck Davis as the Fraternal Agent of the Year and Eileen Kochensparger as the Fraternalist of the Year. Dinner was followed by a high-energy concert by the group Your Generation. The dance floor was filled with members and glowing Gleaner Life light sticks. Following breakfast Sunday, an afterglow program took place. It included the a cappella singing group Up in the Air from Tiffin University, delivery of food and supplies collected during the convention for the local Community Action Commission, and a reminder that Gleaner Life’s 60th Biennial Convention will take place at the Belterra Casino Resort in Florence, Indiana, in 2021. Gleaner Life also gave a combined corporate gift of $12,422 to the local Community Action Commission.
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www.gleanerlife.org
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JOIN US FOR GLEANER
FAMILY DAYS 2020
Travel activities make memories, whether visiting new sites or familiar locations. Gleaner members can expect that balance of new and familiar in 2020 with Gleaner Life’s Family Days and Getaway trips. The 2020 Family Day events are scheduled at regional attractions. Members can purchase up to eight tickets at discounts of up to 60%, plus complimentary meals. Two popular events in Sandusky, Ohio, that members will continue to enjoy in 2020 are the Family Day at the Cedar Point amusement park in July, followed at summer’s end by Safari to Kalahari in August. New events include a visit to The Florida Aquarium in Tampa, a Chicago riverboat cruise, and a day at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In addition, a Getaway Bus Trip to Kentucky and Indiana is planned Oct. 12-15. The trip includes visits to the Ark Encounter, Creation Museum, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and Derby Dinner Playhouse theater, with members staying at the Belterra Casino Resort. More information about the Getaway Bus Trip can be found on Page 14. Gleaner Life discounts make these events especially affordable, so members will want to register to reserve their tickets early. To register, visit www.gleanerlife.org/familydays.
The Florida Aquarium Tampa, Florida | March 7 The coasts of Florida are known for their sea life, and Tampa’s largest aquarium allows visitors to see everything from bay creatures such as sharks and moon jellies to wetland life including otters, alligators and exotic plants. The aquarium includes a 4D theater that combines digital 3D film with special sensory effects. Kids can bring a swimsuit and enjoy The Splash Pad. Also learn about efforts to save coral reefs, sea turtles and sharks, as well as other conservation work. Ticket price includes admission and lunch. $20 per ticket | ages 2 and under admitted free Registration deadline: Feb. 7 6
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www.gleanerlife.org
Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio | July 11
Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo Fort Wayne, Indiana | Aug. 15
Cedar Point was a record-breaking Family Day in 2019 when 750 members and guests attended, and it’s back on the schedule for 2020. The package includes admission to both the amusement park and Cedar Point Shores Waterpark, access to the beach along Lake Erie, parking, a discounted drink wristband and a complimentary lunch. Cedar Point has a world record 72 rides and has been named “Best Amusement Park in the World.” The second-oldest operating amusement park in America also has several buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Featuring a variety of creatures, including sharks and rays as well as lions and Tasmanian devils, it’s no surprise the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is ranked the seventhbest zoo in the United States by Trip Advisor. The zoo opened in 1965 in Franke Park and is one of Indiana’s top attractions. It contains more than 1,000 animals across 38 acres, featuring specialized areas such as the Australian Adventure and the African Journey.
Ticket price includes parking, admission and lunch. $25 per ticket | ages 2 and under admitted free Registration deadline: June 12
Chicago Riverboat Cruise Chicago, Illinois | July 25 Enjoy fresh perspectives on Chicago’s world-famous landmarks and skyscrapers with a cruise down all three branches of the Chicago River. Expert and entertaining guides use more than 40 city landmarks, including the Willis (Sears) Tower, to tell in detail how the different buildings made Chicago famous. Shoreline Charters has provided Chicago River tours since 1939. The staff also can offer ideas for museums, restaurants and other attractions to visit in the Windy City. Ticket price includes the tour and dinner. $25 per ticket | ages 2 and under admitted free Registration deadline: June 26 www.gleanerlife.org
Ticket price includes parking, admission and lunch. $15 per ticket | ages 1 and under admitted free Registration deadline: July 17
Michigan Fall Color Railroad Tour Coopersville, Michigan | Oct. 25 Ride the Coopersville & Marne Railway on a unique fall trip back in time. The train features passenger cars built prior to 1930 and a 1950s-era locomotive. The train takes passengers from downtown Coopersville southeast to Marne, over an open deck girder bridge and past family-owned farms and fields where wildlife may be seen. The 14-mile round trip lasts about 90 minutes. In addition to a free pumpkin for each child, passengers can watch the locomotive decouple before the second half of the trip on this custom excursion. Ticket price includes pizza lunch and a soda. $15 per ticket | ages 2 and under admitted free Registration deadline: Sept. 28 Forum Magazine \ Winter 2020 \
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Join us for additional family-friendly events throughout the year. Safari to Kalahari Sandusky, Ohio | Aug. 28-30 The Midwest’s largest water park is once again available to Gleaner Life members as a summer adventure for the whole family. If you enjoy water attractions, consider dozens of activities including the family wave pool, FlowRider bodyboarding or Lazy River. The African-themed resort has plenty of other things to do, including shopping for boutique items or jewelry, the Spa Kalahari & Salon, restaurants, rock climbing, relaxing in a cabana or bungalow, and much more. Ticket price includes two-night minimum and a Saturday breakfast. $185* per night (*Rate for a standard room; upgrades are available.) (Up to 4 waterpark passes) Registration deadline: July 24 at www.gleanerlife.org/Kalahari.
Bus Getaway to Ark Encounter and other attractions Kentucky and Indiana | Oct. 12-15 Try something unique with this four-day trip. The Gleaner Getaway Bus Tour departs from Adrian, Michigan, and, on its first day, visits the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. There, Gleaner members can learn about creation of the universe and mankind as presented by the Christian group Answers in Genesis. The second day of the tour features the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. It includes a self-guided tour of the massive reproduction of Noah’s Ark built from descriptions recorded in the Bible, plus a zoo, displays and more. On the third day, baseball fans in particular will enjoy touring the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Visitors can see how wooden baseball bats used by the stars of today and tomorrow are crafted. They can see legendary bats, including ones used by Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and even hold several at the Hold a Piece of History exhibit. Following the baseball activities, the tour will cross back into Indiana for food and a live show at the Derby Dinner Playhouse. Gleaner members will stay each night at the Belterra Casino Resort, the same venue that will host Gleaner Life’s 60th Biennial Convention in 2021. Dinner vouchers to the resort’s Stadium Sports Bar & Grill restaurant will be given for the first two nights. The resort features a spa and golf course in addition to its casino. Please be mindful that this is a heavy-walking trip. Most of the attractions are self-guided, so feel free to take your time.
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Ticket price includes hotel, transportation, admission to attractions. Meals provided are Monday dinner, Tuesday breakfast and dinner, Wednesday all meals and Thursday breakfast. $400 per person based on double occupancy ($595 single pricing) Registration closes Sept. 1 at www.gleanerlife.org/arkencounter.
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Not yet a member? Gleaner members receive more than financial security. They have access to exclusive benefits like PerkSpot, scholarship opportunities, discounted family events and more. It’s easy to become a member with one of our financial solutions. We offer life insurance to help secure your loved ones and annuities to fund your retirement years and pass on a legacy. No matter what life stage you are in, we have a financial solution to fit your needs—from life insurance to cover individuals as young as one month to annuities that may be issued up to age 85— Gleaner Life focuses on helping members secure their financial futures. To learn more, contact the agent listed on the back of this publication or visit www.gleanerlife.org.
Did you find the wheat stalk? In this issue of Forum Magazine, the wheat stalk is hidden on Page 28 in the Simply Giving Arbor photo. www.gleanerlife.org
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Risk Management: Being thoughtful for the future of your Society Gleaner Life Insurance Society’s mission is to help our members and their families achieve financial security through our life insurance and annuity solutions, while supporting the communities in which they live and work through our arbor system. Reinsurance (insurance for insurance companies) has been the backbone of our life insurance risk management practices throughout our history. For example, today we do not keep more than $250,000 of life insurance risk on any one member’s life. Reinsurance helps protect our member surplus against extraordinarily large losses on any given member’s death claim, allowing us to write larger face amounts on our life insurance certificates than we would otherwise be able to responsibly do. Our annuity business also features significant risks that need to be managed — for example, long-term interest rate guarantees. Reinsurance can help us mitigate that risk as well. With the possibility of lower or even negative interest rates spreading to the U.S. in the future (as has been the case for some time in several European countries and Japan), we are taking an important risk management step. For the first time in Gleaner’s 125-year history, with the approval of your Board of Directors, we are using reinsurance for a portion of our annuity business with higher long-term interest guarantees. This move benefits the overall financial strength of the Society for every Gleaner member, agent and employee. With annuity reinsurance, we can reduce our risk to a fluctuating financial landscape and safely weather the ongoing, frustratingly low interest rate environment of more than a decade, while keeping our longterm promises to our membership. 10
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This was a big step for the Society to take, and we did extensive due diligence in this evaluation process. As with any major operational change, we always keep our members’ financial security foremost in our mind. As our nation’s economy expands and contracts, we want you to always be confident that we will be here for the next 125 years and beyond, keeping our long-term promises, and providing you with an excellent membership experience rooted in our community-mindedness and the financial stability of our member-owned organization. This change will have virtually no effect on our annuity certificate holders. The annuity reinsurance simply adds another layer of protection for us on some of our older Gleaner annuities, many of which feature long-term guarantees well above the credited interest rates available on most of our current annuity certificates. We remain proud of our 125-year history of fiscal prudence, conservative investment policies and financial strength. Look for more in-depth information on our new reinsurance program in the Spring 2020 issue of Forum Magazine alongside our year-end 2019 financial statements.
www.gleanerlife.org
Gleaner’s Board of Directors seeks applicants for open seat Gleaner Life Insurance Society is proud to welcome Todd Warner to the role of senior vice president, chief financial and investment officer. In order to satisfy the qualifications and requirements for Board members, Warner resigned his position on the Board of Directors at its November 2019 meeting. When a vacancy occurs with more than nine months remaining until the next biennial convention, the responsibility of filling the vacancy falls to the Board of Directors itself. The Board is seeking applications from qualified, eligible members to fill this open seat. If you are interested in serving Gleaner Life Insurance Society in this capacity, please review the requirements and the application process below.
Board qualifications According to the Gleaner Constitution, members of the Board of Directors must be members of the Society who are in good standing for at least two consecutive years and are at least 21 years of age and less than 72 years of age. However, an individual is ineligible to be elected to the Board of Directors if at any point in the four-year period preceding the election he or she is or has been: •
A licensed life insurance agent of any company
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An employee of the Society
The Gleaner board has approved Director Qualification Guidelines, which state that directors should be selected for “their belief in the Society mission and purposes, and personal attributes and values that embody those of the Society, as well as specific skills, and areas of expertise.” Universal attributes expected of all directors include: an ability to think strategically and independently, personal integrity, good communication and listening skills, and a commitment to accountability and sound judgment. Desired skills and expertise include: • • •
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10-plus years of senior/executive-level experience in business management or organizational leadership
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Completed the Board of Directors Application Form
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Consented in writing to a background check
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Prospective directors should understand the critical role of good governance, including working for the collective good of the Society and its membership, assuring accountability and oversight to the members who have entrusted the Society with $1.2 billion of their assets under management, while also working at a board policy level on the complex issues.
The application process 1.
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Corporate board and/or not-for-profit board experience
A commitment to increase one’s knowledge and understanding of the work of the board and the issues affecting the Society in the complicated 21stcentury business environment A demonstrated commitment and leadership in fraternalism and/or volunteerism
Pursuant to the constitutional amendment passed at Gleaner’s 59th Biennial Convention on Oct. 12, 2019, prospective directors concurrently have: www.gleanerlife.org
Complied with the terms of the Board of Directors’ current Nomination Process Policy
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Members who are interested in serving on Gleaner’s Board of Directors should visit www.gleanerlife.org/board. You will be asked to submit your name, email address and certificate number to begin the process.
After completing the online form, the website will prompt you to download a PDF of the Gleaner Life Insurance Society Board of Directors Application Form. For your convenience, this form is type-ready, which means you can type your answers directly in the form on your computer. This application also includes a check box to consent to the required background check. Once you’ve answered all the questions, follow the instructions at the end of the form to submit your application. We prefer to receive the application via email, but you may also mail your application to our Home Office as instructed in the PDF. Your application must be received by February 10, 2020.
When your application is received at the Home Office, you will be provided with information on the required background check. You will receive this information via email and will need to provide additional details to complete the check. The Board of Director’s ad hoc selection committee will review all applicants and will select finalists. You will be contacted by a member of the ad hoc selection committee to inform you whether you are under further consideration or not. Finalists may be required to complete an in-person or phone interview with the selection committee.
At its spring board meeting on March 9, 2020, the Board of Directors plans to select a new board member from the pool of eligible applicants.
Interested in serving on Gleaner’s Board of Directors? Begin the application process at www.gleanerlife.org/board. Forum Magazine \ Winter 2020 \
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HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
An economic crisis 100 years ago this winter struck America. Although largely forgotten today, the Depression of 1920-21 affected millions and altered the future of Gleaner Life Insurance Society. The Ancient Order of Gleaners (the Society’s name at the time) was founded in 1894 as a fraternal society for farmers. Founder Grant Slocum grew up on a family farm and saw the benefits of farmers working together to offset the power of railroads, banks and manufacturers. Gleaner cooperative operations began in 1907 when the separate Gleaner Clearing House Association was incorporated. It bought in bulk to save farmers money on supplies such as binder twine and fence posts. Gleaner also pushed Michigan officials to build a binder twine factory at the Jackson State Prison. In 1908, Gleaner sold farmers the prison’s entire 500-ton output, which grew to 3,000 tons in 1916.
Crop prices had gone up when World War I broke out in 1914, and Slocum was eager to fi nd ways to grow. A major opportunity developed when a 1918 federal report confi rmed that the nation’s largest meat packers, known as the “Big Five,” had conspired to manipulate prices and block competition. The meat packers, including Armour & Co., settled the case by agreeing to sell some of their assets. The Gleaner Clearing House purchased Armour’s Michigan grain and bean processing plants in both Grand Rapids and Big Rapids, along with several elevators. It also
bought part of the Union Stockyard in Chicago. Expansion ideas ranged from Gleaner creameries and canning plants to a Gleaner coal mine. At their May 1920 meeting, Clearing House stockholders approved issuing $1 million in stock to fi nance expansion. Few people realized, however, that the economy was sliding into a depression. The stock market fell 47% from November of 1919 to August of 1921. Unemployment more than doubled. European nations imposed credit rules that blocked most U.S. farm exports. Bean prices fell from $15 per hundred pounds to $2.50, and wheat dropped from $2.90 a bushel to $1.05.
The Gleaner Clearing House purchased large Michigan bean and grain elevators in Grand Rapids and Big Rapids. Expansion ideas ranged from Gleaner creameries and canning plants to a Gleaner coal mine. What they didn’t foresee were crashing crop prices and high borrowing costs. 12
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in April 1922 when he quoted another editor: “If we let the farmers’ elevators go now, never again in this or the next generation will we get anything of the kind again. Competition will pass out with the passing of the farmers’ elevators and the old order will again be rooted and in control of the situation.” Slocum, who died barely two years later, added: “Someone must pick up the torch of co-operation and carry it on. Whom shall it be?” The 1920-21 depression ended and gave way to the “Roaring , 20s,” but it signaled two major changes for Gleaner. First, the depression opened the Society to being more than strictly a farm fraternal. The Society voted at its 1923 convention to no longer require members to be connected with agriculture.
High costs of borrowing especially hurt the Clearing House, which had been unable to sell its $1 million in stock. Bank loans in 1921 cost it $17,000 in interest (about $244,000 in today’s dollars). Slocum worked without salary and spoke against farmers’ high costs for coal and railroad freight, which had remained near wartime levels. He was powerless, however, to help farmers with low prices. “The farmer is selling potatoes at fi fty percent less than it cost to produce them,” Slocum noted in May 1921.
Second, the depression reinforced the protection of fraternal life insurance. It became so integral that Gleaner delegates at their 1931 convention voted to change the order’s name to Gleaner Life Insurance Society. “In spite of the recession, and perhaps because of it, the Ancient Order of Gleaners and the fraternal insurance program continued to prosper,” Gleaner historian Victor C. Wood wrote of 1920-21’s effect on the Society. “People are not inclined to give up a form of security during hard times.”
Although some locally-owned elevators stayed in operation as cooperatives, the Clearing House Association failed to survive. Slocum expressed concern
U.S. farmers also were hurt after World War I when European nations imposed protectionist policies. Tariffs blocked farmers and reduced world trade throughout the 1920s and 1930s.
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The Ark Encounter & more Join us for an experience like no other when we step back in time with tours of the Ark Encounter, the Creation Museum and the Louisville Slugger Museum. Envision taking a self-guided tour aboard Noah’s Ark. Imagine trips to museums devoted to topics as varied as biblical creation and baseball bats. Picture a dinner theater performance or staying three nights at a resort casino on the Ohio River. Gleaner Life members can do more than imagine those activities when they ride the Gleaner Getaway Tour bus trip Oct. 12-15, 2020, to Indiana and Kentucky. The trip’s transportation, admission tickets, most meals and resort accommodations for three nights will total only $400 per person (based on hotel double occupancy). The Belterra Casino Resort, where travelers will spend each of the trip’s three nights in Florence, Indiana, also will host Gleaner Life’s 60th Biennial Convention in 2021. The resort includes a golf course, spa, dining and entertainment in addition to its casino. The Ark Encounter trip is scheduled to depart at 7 a.m. Oct. 12 from Gleaner Life’s Home Office in Adrian, Michigan. 14
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Arrival is expected around noon at the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. The museum is operated by the Christian group Answers in Genesis, and supports literal accounts from the Bible about creation of the universe and mankind. Millions of visitors have attended since the museum opened in 2007. The Creation Museum features more than 140 exhibits, including a planetarium, an allosaurus skeleton, a special effects theater, botanical gardens, the Eden Animal Experience zoo, a collection of insects, educational programs and restaurant areas. Tours are self-guided. Wheelchairs and electric convenience vehicles are available for a fee on a firstcome, first-served basis. The following day’s trip is to the Ark Encounter, a theme park Answers in Genesis opened in 2016 in Williamstown, Kentucky. The park’s centerpiece is a full-size representation of Noah’s Ark, built according to descriptions from the Bible. It measures 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high. The threedeck structure contains models depicting a variety of creatures that Noah and his family could have sheltered to save them from flood waters.
www.gleanerlife.org
In addition to the ark, the Ark Encounter offers exhibits based on biblical accounts of the pre-flood world and Noah’s family, plus camel rides at the Ararat Ridge Zoo & Petting Area, family dining and more. The website www.RoadsideAmerica.com gave the Ark Encounter its best rating, saying it should be visited “if only because it’s unlikely that you’ll ever visit anything else like it.” The third day of the trip will particularly appeal to baseball fans as they tour the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Visitors can see the record, 120-foot tall wooden bat, learn about the changing ways bats have been made, and view special exhibits, including bats used by Babe Ruth and hundreds of other legendary players. They can even hold bats used by the greats, take swings in batting cages or shop in the museum store. Following the baseball museum, the tour will cross the Ohio River for dinner and entertainment at the Derby Dinner Playhouse in Clarksville, Indiana. The playhouse has served up food and entertainment since 1974 and is well known for its professional lineup of lighthearted comedies and Broadway musicals. Following another night at the Belterra Casino Resort, guests enjoy a breakfast buffet before boarding the motor coach for the return trip to Michigan. Please be mindful that sites on this trip do involve a good bit of walking. Most of the attractions are selfguided, so feel free to take your time. Past Gleaner motor coach tours have filled up quickly, so members will want to join the front of the line and register at www.gleanerlife.org/arkencounter. Oct. 12-15 | Ark Encounter and more! $400 per person based on double occupancy ($595 for single) | Registration ends Sept. 1, 2020
October 12-15, 2020 www.gleanerlife.org
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Do you have a financial plan for the other side of the mountain? ho was the fi rst person to climb Mount Everest? Most people would say it was New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary and Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay in 1953. However, it’s entirely possible that neither was the fi rst to ascend Everest. Hillary and Tenzing were the fi rst to successfully reach the summit and then climb back down the mountain and share their story and photographs. Scores of earlier climbers attempted to climb Everest. In 1924, two members of a British climbing expedition, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, were spotted within 800 vertical feet of the summit. Clouds enveloped the two climbers, and neither was ever seen alive again. Irvine’s ice axe was found nine years later, and Mallory’s body was discovered in 1999, but the mystery remained unsolved. Neither climber had enough protective clothing or bottled oxygen to survive more than a day in the freezing high altitude. Experts can only speculate whether either man ever reached the top. Mallory’s son, John, who was only 3 when his father died on Mount Everest, later expressed this view of who should be credited: “To me, the only way you achieve a summit is to come back alive. The job is only half done if you don’t get down again.” 16
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Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953, after they climbed Mount Everest and returned to camp. (Credit: Tenzing Norgay photo, via Wikimedia Commons)
Reaching personal goals without accounting for the rest of the journey can be a pitfall for anyone, not just mountain climbers. Chances are, you are saving for retirement in some capacity. It might be through an employer-sponsored 401(k). It might be through investments or mutual funds. Or maybe you have an individual Roth IRA. Many of you have Gleaner annuity solutions. There is a myriad of ways you can plan for the future. But that’s only half of the hike. Like George Mallory, you need to survive the trip back down. Once you’ve made it through the accumulation stage, you need to have a plan for the distribution stage. We’re going to walk you through some of the ways you can maximize distribution and make your way safely back to basecamp. www.gleanerlife.org
Laddering annuities for income Climbers often leave themselves a series of ladders to bridge crevasses or other obstacles they know await them on their way back. A series of fi xed annuities at competitive interest rates work the same way by bridging typical retirement challenges with several sources of guaranteed retirement income. Consider an example of a person who accumulates a $500,000 nest egg by age 55. By placing the funds into three separate annuities, and annuitizing each at different points in their future, a person can meet age-specific challenges such as those shown in the box at right.
Annuity #1 $250,000
Annuity #2 $150,000
Annuity #3 $100,000
Age 60
Age 70
Age 80
Lifetime Income $1,405.16/mo
Lifetime Income $1,453.72/mo
Lifetime Income $1,970.73/mo
Total Income $1,405.16/mo
Total Income $2,858.88/mo
Total Income $4,829.61/mo
Conditions for different ages in retirement: 60 – Initial retirement income for fixed expenses 70 – Building additional retirement income to offset inflation 80 – Costs of aging care and other expenses related to restricted ability. For illustration purposes only; ask your agent for more information on what your lifetime income could look like.
Each annuity will keep growing in value until the owner converts them into guaranteed lifetime income. By waiting until the right time to annuitize, their growth can be maximized as shown by the difference in lifetime income between the first two annuities and the third. Although the third annuity is the smallest, it produces the largest monthly income.
Replacing Social Security income A journey usually involves other people, and a couple frequently depends on two Social Security checks. In addition to the pain of losing their spouse, death may bring a catastrophic loss of income to the survivor. Generally, the surviving spouse will receive whichever monthly Social Security payment was larger. Their monthly expenses, however, may remain near the same level. The survivor might even be pushed into a higher single tax bracket after two years when their widow(er) exemption ends. For example, a couple might receive $3,200 per month from Social Security with one spouse receiving $2,100 and the other $1,100. The death of either one could reduce the survivor’s monthly income to $2,100 – a loss of $1,100 per month. Life insurance provides ways to offset a surviving spouse’s loss of Social Security income. Permanent life insurance (whole and universal life) provides a www.gleanerlife.org
Hypothetical example of Social Security income for one couple:
Spouse 1 Spouse 2
$2,100 $1,100
Monthly total
$3,200
Loss of one spouse’s Social Security:
Spouse 1 Spouse 2
$0 $2,100
Monthly total
$2,200
Loss of $1,100 per month of Social Security income
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death benefit. Th is is usually paid in the form of a lump sum that the spouse can use to help fund the rest of the retirement. Today, even clients at older ages are purchasing permanent life insurance to offset the loss of a Social Security check. To make up the lost income in the example above, a survivor at age 65 would need a lump sum of about $199,000. At age 80, the lump sum needed would drop to a little less than $124,000.
Helping yourselves now, and others later People who have reached the peak may want to lend a hand to others but, fi rst, they need to safeguard their own way back. How do you use your money to secure your retirement while also leaving some of it behind? One fi nancial solution consists of combining a joint life annuity with a universal life insurance policy. With a joint life annuity, a couple can create a stream of lifetime income. Here is an example of how a 75-year-old couple, the Millers, could utilize $250,000. They might put it in a bank account. With annual interest rates near 3%, they would receive about $625 per month in interest. Or, by putting the $250,000 lump into a single premium immediate annuity, they could generate $1,439 every month with joint life expectancy and a 10-year period certain. If one spouse dies before the other, payments will continue for the full lifetime of
80
$123,736
75
$151,361
70
$177,331
65 Age of surviving spouse
$198,738
Lump sum needed to generate lifetime $1,100/month
How to replace $1,100 / month of income the second spouse. If both annuitants pass on prior to the 10-year period, payments will continue to beneficiaries until the 10-year period has expired. At the same time, the Millers could divide their income with $933 per month toward “live on” expenses, while using $506 per month to fund a life insurance policy on the spouse likeliest to live longer. This would enable them to do several things: •
Purchase a policy with a death benefit of approximately $125,000 (based on the age and health of the insured spouse).
•
Build cash value over time that could be used if needed.
•
Pass along life insurance policy proceeds that will be tax-free.
This two-solution strategy ensures the Millers will never outlive their income. They will pass along their remaining wealth tax-free and guaranteed, while they
Joint Life Annuity This provides a steady stream of income for a couple. It also guarantees that, when one spouse dies, the other will receive lifetime payments.
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enjoy the additional income for life. Completing our journey calls for planning beyond our summit. Insurance and annuity strategies help prepare us for more certain returns, and for our fellow hikers’ success as well as our own.
Update insurance to your life’s situation By Mark Lenz, Forum Magazine staff writer You can climb mountains and live to tell the stories, yet still fall into a costly financial miscalculation.
because his term life insurance policy matured when he reached his late-90s. The maturity benefit was less than $8,000 — basically, the premiums that he and my mother had paid over the decades, without earning any interest. When he started out with a young family, term life insurance was useful, but it lacked whole life insurance’s permanence. No one loved my dad any less for the oversight. It was one of his regrets, though, and one that he wanted other people to avoid.
I know because my dad experienced all three, and this is a cautionary tale. My dad was a wonderful guy and he lived a full life. He remained sharp and active until he passed away last February at age 101. From his teens through his 30s, he climbed most of the big mountains in California. After serving in World War II, he climbed three of the eight highest peaks in North America. He became a securities broker, and he helped make some of his clients wealthy. He personally believed in term life insurance for his own insurance needs, however, and never re-evaluated that. It proved costly
“To me, the only way you achieve a summit is to come back alive. The job is only half done if you don’t get down again.” John Mallory, son of British mountain climber George Mallory
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To our Gleaner Life Insurance Society friends, We are giving thanks with grateful hearts for all you do for us members. The convention was beautiful and well-receptive to our needs. We are ever happy to say we are the Gleaners who make everything happen with sunshine. You all are very hard workers and you bring sunshine to us.
Dear Gleaner Life Insurance Society, Thank you, Gleaner Life Insurance Mid Michigan Arbor (the arbor sponsored the middle school’s bus trip to The Henry Ford Museum).
Thank you. We appreciate you. Ed and Louise Martin
“Thank you for getting us out of school and the field trip.” – Sydney
Dear Gleaner Life Insurance, Thank you for buying my 2019 single fryer rabbit at the Wood County Fair.
“Thank you for sitting there and not complaining about the noise.” – Luke
I am a member of the Otsego FFA and the president of Haskins Clover Crew 4-H Club. This is my fourth year taking rabbits. There was many competitors in rabbit showmanship and this year I was able to be in the top 10! It was a pleasure to be able to meet you at the fair and walk you to the small animal sale! It is because of businesses like Gleaner Life Insurance that support 4-H and FFA that make it possible to keep doing these projects. I am grateful for all that you do for these programs! Thanks again! Maggie Lehsten
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“Thank you so much. I might never get to see these things.” – Andrew “The trip was amazing!” – Blake
“Thank you for letting us on the bus ride to The Henry Ford Museum.” – Aiden “Thank you for the great time.” – Lilly “Thank you for an amazing field trip.” – Alayna “Thank you so much for showing us stuff we probably never have seen and heard of.” – Rylee “Thank you for the great memories from the field trip.” – Elliot “Thank you for all that you did.” – Andrew K.
Did findBaythe wheat Faith you Lutheran City’s Middlestalk? School In this issue of Forum Magazine, the wheat stalk is hidden on Page 30, in the Community Arbor photo.
www.gleanerlife.org
CONGRATS 50 yr.
www.gleanerlife.org
Illinois
50
Sarah J. Gann, Oregon
Cherry L. Olson, Minooka Michigan
Alvin J. Brainerd, Flint
Glenda R. Dawson, Port Sanilac Jeannie M. Miskosky, Hart
Richard J. O’Dell, Bridgeport Delore D. Salsbury, Lapeer Ohio
yr.
Randy L. Reeve, Jefferson Texas
Judith Gugel, Plano
Arizona
Lorna R. Ehlert, Orleans
Betty J. Noaker, Chandler
Donna J. Hansen Edwards, Stanton
Patrick A. Govert, Florence Ronald Robson, Tucson California
Guy E. Hoey, Ventura Florida
Patrece Colburn, Gulfport
Clifford L. Spiller, Floral City Illinois
Sharon G. Bolerjack, Homer Glen Bennie D. Carmain, Bourbonnais Donald Gillespie, Ashkum Joyce A. Nolen, Elgin
Patricia A. Orr, Watseka Indiana
Bonna B. Lloyd, Beech Grove Stuart T. Pratt, Knox
Jay Brian Wort, LaPorte Michigan
Loma L. Aye, Kalamazoo Margaret Bender, Akron
Myrtle E. Diedrich, Galien
Louis Fear, Dowagiac
Nancy Heffelbower, Sears Anita L. Jarboe, Adrian
Constance McPhall, Buckley Sayre F. Nichol, Saginaw
Bernadine E. Pullum, Ionia
Howard Quackenbush, Blanchard Susan J. Scheffler, National City James R. Sheets, Benzonia Montana
Karen L. Kraft, Ramsey New Jersey
Carol L. Mutch, Ramsey Ohio
Larry F. Allen, Oregon
Dannis Blanchard, Findlay
Darlene Heinemann, Monclova Harold E. Pittman Jr., Ashley Eileen Schlagheck, Toledo Tennessee
Thomas E. Snyder, Crossville
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Arbors in Action Adrian Arbor (MI) hosted a recognition dinner for four local charities Nov. 7, and awarded each of the groups $1,000 to assist their ongoing work. The following groups were honored: Hospice of Lenawee, Housing Help of Lenawee, the Lenawee County Historical Society and the YMCA of Lenawee County. Shown are (from left) Jessica Vasher (Adrian Arbor President), Susan Turner (Hospice of Lenawee), Elizabeth Salerno (Housing Help of Lenawee), Travis Havens (Hospice of Lenawee), Bruce Neal (Lenawee Historical Society), Leandra Diedrich (Adrian Arbor Secretary), Chuck Chase (YMCA of Lenawee) and Jason Trame (YMCA of Lenawee).
Bay Area Arbor (FL) worked on several projects including supporting and participating in Oct. 26’s annual Trunk & Treat with the Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation Department at Ruskin Park. The arbor also made a big donation at its Oct. 17 meeting. President Hiller introduced Mr Lebron-Bravo, Wimauma Elementary Schools’ principal, and presented him with a check for $1,500. She explained the money was raised by arbor members contributing to the education fund monthly, plus $500 the Arbor matched. Arbor members had also collected and delivered humanitarian supplies Sept. 26 to assist in the Bahamas after those islands were hit by Hurricane Dorian. 22
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Champion Arbor (MI) worked with Message of Hope Prison Ministry to encourage people in prison through an Oct. 10 arbor project. Six arbor members and 15 guests folded, stamped, sealed and addressed birthday cards and prison ministry newsletters for the ministry group. Community Arbor (IN) hosted a Just For Kids® family fun night July 26 at Riverside park in Logansport, Indiana. The park includes the Denzel Carousel, a fully operational historical landmark. The local arbor bought tickets for the public to ride the carousel as well as a train that the park also owns. Arbor members also passed out Just For Kids® applications to families who showed up for the rides, and provided explanations about Just For Kids®. A total of 181 people participated. The arbor also took cans of food that were donated and brought them to the local food pantry. Covenant Helpers Arbor (MI) spent a full day in Detroit supporting Central Detroit Christian. Five Gleaner Life members and 10 non-members car pooled from Covenant Financial Group to Detroit. They heard about Central Detroit Christian, which recently celebrated 25 years of ministry to one of Detroit’s most impoverished neighborhoods. Arbor team members worked from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. painting a house that is being rehabilitated. Some members also worked to package a soup mix for sale at area retail stores. Entrican Arbor (MI) served supper for up to 200 people at the Old Iron Antique Tractor Club weekend. Many thanks were received from those participating. Arbor members wore their blue or gray T-shirts which identified them to the crowd, and helped to create awareness to many who had never heard of Entrican Arbor of Gleaner Life Insurance Society. www.gleanerlife.org
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Floyd Arbor (MI) cut, sewed and assembled 80 lap blankets and wheelchair blankets for veterans. The fleece blankets were surged, and a patch pocket was embroidered onto each blanket. The Aug. 17 project brought in 15 guests to work together with five arbor members. The 80 finished blankets were scheduled to be distributed at the annual Christmas party.
Gulf Coast Arbor (FL) coordinated loading of food and other supplies packed and donated during Gleaner Life Insurance Society’s 59th Biennial Convention, which took place Oct. 11-13 in Sandusky, Ohio. The supplies were donated along with a check to Community Action Commission of Erie, Huron & Richland Counties, based in Sandusky. Fernando Rivera (center) of Gulf Coast Arbor was pictured with Donna Drummond (left) of CAC’s Head Start and Sonja Nuby (right) of CAC during the Oct. 13 loading and transportation work.
Heritage Arbor (MI) members got ahead of winter’s bad weather by finishing their final roadside cleanup of the year on Sept. 29. They made sure that the M-15 highway from Willard Road to M-57 north of Otisville looked nice prior to the end of fall, and they met for lunch to discuss October’s activity. 24
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Hawthorne Arbor (IN) entertained about 200 people with an outdoor showing of the film “A Dog’s Way Home” on Aug. 17 in Lowell, Indiana. The group, which included 20 members, enjoyed good weather as they sat on a hill and snacked on bags of popcorn and snow cones handed out by the Venture group. “We’re sure we’ll do it again,” Hawthorne’s secretary reported. “We had many people come up to us when it was over and thanked us for the evening.” www.gleanerlife.org
Holland Arbor (OH) members provided a catered dinner for Toledo Blind Ministry at its new location, Trinity Lutheran Church on Glendale Avenue in Toledo, Ohio. Approximately 40 people attended the dinner. A guest, Seth, told of his determination to succeed in spite of losing his sight in 2006. His brother was an Eagle Scout and encouraged him to participate, which provided Seth new direction. He founded IMAIS for the youth group that his brother chairs. Arbor members presented a fundraising check of $600 to further their studies.
Madison Arbor (MI) had a total of 834 people attend its annual Trunk or Treat activity. Good pre-event publicity and much better weather than last year contributed to success of the Oct. 27 event. There were 12 decorated vehicle trunks plus vehicles from the Lenawee County Sheriff ’s Office, Michigan State Police and Madison Township Fire Department. One trunk handed out books along with candy. The arbor worked with the South Michigan Food Bank to be able to provide a fresh food initiative at the event. Families were able to take home pumpkins, winter squash, apples, split peas, potatoes and assorted bakery items.
Mid-Michigan Arbor (MI) donated two 8-foot rectangular tables to the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum’s dock grounds for the USS Edson, a destroyer that became a museum ship after her 1988 decommissioning. The tables cost $1,538 and replaced two wooden tables ruined by harsh weather. www.gleanerlife.org
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Mt. Pleasant Arbor (MI) in remembrance of 9/11 and to thank them for their service, worked with the owners of Cops & Doughnuts to invite first responders from Isabella County to stop in from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a free doughnut and drink. Members from the county’s EMTs, Mt. Pleasant Police Department, Central Michigan University Police Department, Saginaw/Chippewa Tribal Police Department and the Isabella County Sheriff ’s Department stopped in. North Baltimore Arbor (OH) tried a new event called Haircuts and Blankets for those in need at City Mission in Findlay, Ohio. The arbor provided 26 knotted fleece blankets, made by North Baltimore Cub Scout Pack #372, to those in need at the Mission. The blankets were received with gratitude by people happy to have them before winter. The other part of the collaboration involved free haircuts given to anyone interested. Two stylists from Findlay’s Great Clips, Krista Ducat and Jessica Beagle, donated two hours of their time to provide 16 haircuts and one beard trim. They were even inspected afterward by the arbor president, Russ Cunningham. Every one of them met Cunningham’s approval. Even the younger arbor members took their time to sweep up all the loose hair after each cut. Oakwood Arbor (OH) presented Community Volunteer Awards to Clint Vance and Susanne Bauer at the arbor’s Oct. 28 meeting. It was one of several activities at the arbor meeting. It also featured three speaker presentations: Judge Suzanne Shuman Rister of the Paulding County Municipal Court, which handles a variety of cases, Jennifer Martin of Cats Enough which traps and neuters feral cats, and Dr. Katherine Roose, a chiropractor who the arbor helped send to Haiti with her equipment to assist babies, mothers and workers there.
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Portage Center Arbor (OH) supported several events. As part of Elmwood Local Schools’ Fall Festival on Sept. 27, the arbor purchased and served cider and donuts to Grades 3 and 4 and read fall-related stories. Maxine Hagemeyer started each class with an explanation of what Gleaner is and does. Janis Kleine and Liesie Traister also read. Benny the Lion bookmarks were handed out. The event featured seven members plus 183 guests. Another project the arbor supported was the annual Wood County Living History Day, giving $250 toward advertising for the event.
Tecumseh Arbor (MI) donated $1,000 to Tecumseh Fresh Food Initiative. The charity group’s Jan Jones and Anne Walker gave a presentation at the Oct. 21 meeting about how volunteers distribute a semi-load of fresh food the third Saturday of each month at Tecumseh’s United Methodist Church. Shown are Fresh Food Initiative members receiving their donation of $1,000.
Apply now for a Gleaner scholarship! Since 1980, The Gleaner Life Insurance Society Scholarship Foundation has awarded more than $3 million in scholarships on a competitive basis to Gleaner members and their families. To apply, a student must meet certain guidelines: 1. Be a Gleaner benefit member. 2. Be a high school senior or high school graduate. 3. Must plan to or currently attend an accredited vocational/technical school, college, university or graduate school within the United States. 4. Must enroll as a full-time student taking 12 or more semester credit hours. 5. Have a minimum grade point average of 2.5. To learn more or to apply for scholarships visit www.gleanerlife.org/scholarships, email scholarships@gleanerlife.org or call the Community Engagement Department at 800.992.1894. Gleaner Life Insurance Society is domiciled in Adrian, Michigan, and licensed in AZ, FL, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, NE, OH, PA, TN, VA, WI and WV.
Vulcaneer Arbor (MI) members carpooled to 14 local farms where they delivered care packages to express thanks for the work that farmers do. The packages included cookies, chips, granola bars, gum, water and Gleaner Life chapstick and sewing kits. The group of eight members and 33 guests had a chance to tour a dairy farm, roadside produce stand and some large barns. Several farmers made comments about how they have never had anyone thank them for providing food for the table, and they were very thankful. Packages included a card with the slogan, “Thanking our farmers who work in Acres, not in Hours.” Among other projects, the arbor also passed out water Oct. 20 at the Vassar Pumpkin Roll’s 25th anniversary event, where 640 people attended. West Lockport Arbor (IL) hosted a Sept. 2 golf tournament with 65 golfers. The event began with a continental breakfast, a couple of donated raffle baskets, 18 holes of golf and ended with a delicious steak dinner. The event was co-chaired by Chief Gleaner Jeff Price and member Tom Moretti. Arbor members Natalie MeyerIcenogle, Sandy Moretti and Sandy Price helped set up and sold raffle tickets.
Simply Giving Arbor (MI) expanded a trunk-or-treat idea into a fall festival that benefited local charity Literacy and Beyond and the people who utilize the organization. Literacy and Beyond is a 501(c)3 that provides education to women who didn’t graduate from high school. Classes are provided Tuesday through Friday, either in the morning or at night, providing education needed to receive a GED. Free daycare also is provided at the facility since many of the women attending classes there are young mothers. Simply Giving Arbor geared the festival toward children of the mothers. It set up games in the Literacy and Beyond gym, conducted a raffle, handed out prizes and candy, and served lunch. It also gave pencils, bookmarks and other items to children. Overall, it was a great turnout and the staff and women of Literacy and Beyond were extremely grateful. 28
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Rolling Prairie Arbor (IN) organized a game event with students in the South County Special Education Co-op. Jackie Thompson, Jeff Thompson and June Lenig provided games for the event. Mason Phillips is a member of the group and helped with the event. Five students from one of the regular classes came to assist Gleaner members in leading each game location. Prizes were awarded to every child for each game. Benny coloring sheets were given to each teacher for the youth to color and turn in. Also, a new box of crayons was provided for each student. After playing games, President Thompson presented the group with a check for $750. There was a total of 76 people including 34 students, plus all the teachers and helpers, nurses, etc. Harmony Arbor (MI) members manned the registration table and passed out cancer information and Relay for Life programs Aug. 9 at the Gratiot-Isabella Counties Relay for Life event at the St. Louis athletic field. A group of 18 members plus eight guests passed out cancer survivor T-shirts, committee shirts and packets for teams. The arbor sponsored all the items for decorating the luminaria bags and manned its own booth, which became the collection location for the luminaria bags and items for the live auction. Members brought desserts for the survivors’ dinner, manned the first aid station, gave away free bottles of water and helped tear down the relay after dark at 10 p.m. The arbor ended up contributing $807 to the relay’s cause. Plank Road Arbor (MI) aided several events, including the Breckenridge Elementary School’s fifth graders’ camp. Some of the other projects the arbor assisted with included the Huskie Hustle race, the Heart’s Content Harvest Meal the arbor prepared and served Oct. 9, a Cub Scout event and the Mission for Life project at the Breckenridge Congregational Church. Tri County Arbor (MI) donated to the Taymouth Trotters 4-H group to purchase turkeys and some of their food to raise for the Saginaw County Fair. The 4-H group gave seven of the eight turkeys back to the community for dinner for those in need. The eighth turkey won the fair.
2019 Samaritan Totals Impact to Communities
5 102 34,883
$331,000 927 35,822
Arbors started
donated to local communities
outstanding community members recognized
activities and meetings held by arbors
member volunteer hours
guests impacted by Arbor activities
Korinne’s Korner “ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU; ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY.” John F. Kennedy Life usually appears less complicated and less stressful when we look at it through the rearview mirror. I guess time smooths out the rough edges and challenges we have faced. As I reflect on our early years of marriage and starting our family, it was difficult for me to say, “No, I am sorry, but I am too busy to help,” to anything when asked. Volunteers were needed everywhere (just like today) — at church, in community organizations, at the kids’ schools, professional clubs, outreach, etc. After years of over-committing myself, I finally turned a corner and found the inner courage to just say “NO”! Fast forward to my life today. As our oldest son commonly shares with everyone, I’m basically “retired.” That’s true where my professional career is concerned — I am retired! We decided after our last move to Adrian, Michigan, that I was hanging up my professional hat — and I’m good with that. However, after getting situated in our community, the requests for “service” started popping up. After much consideration and thought, though, over time I’ve accepted several volunteer opportunities and happily go about my duties. I serve on two county boards in Lenawee County (our home county); I’m a deacon at our church; and I make every effort to attend the Daughters of the American Revolution meetings at the 30
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Adrian, chapter house. My mother and grandmother both were active DAR members. About 15 years ago, I realized if I didn’t step forward and get my application in (quite a process to document our ancestry back to the American Revolution), the opportunity to be part of DAR could be lost to future generations of our family. The November DAR meeting I attended had a female speaker who served during the Vietnam War as a “Donut Dolly.” It was a fascinating presentation that was all new information to me, discussing her year of service in the war through a program under the American Red Cross. We never should stop learning, am I right? I encourage you all to look for volunteer programs (especially with your Gleaner arbors) that serve and support those in need in your community. Every pair of helping hands is appreciated! Fraternally, yours
Korinne Marti, Wife of Gleaner President and CEO Kevin Marti
www.gleanerlife.org
My recipe below is a favorite of my mother’s older sister, who is an amazing cook.
Spinach Salad (very light and refreshing option)
16 oz. spinach 6 green onions, chopped 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped 8 slices of bacon, crushed
Dressing: 1 garlic clove, crushed 1/2 c. Vegetable oil 1/2 t. Salt 1/2 t. Dry mustard 3 T. Lemon juice 1/4 c. White wine vinegar Dash pepper
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M
BENNY’s PAGE
W
A
I
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Hi, Kids! I love celebrating milestones and want to help celebrate your birthday! Have you heard about my birthday club? If you’re a Gleaner benefit member between the age of 0-11, it’s easy to join. Simply ask your mom or dad to fill out the form below and mail it in or visit www.gleanerlife.org/birthdayclub and fill out an online form. Then, during the month of your birthday, I’ll send you a special surprise to celebrate your big day!
K
E
A
H
BENNY
Take care!
BENNY The Benevolent Lion
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Benny’s Birthday Club registration Mail to: Gleaner Life Insurance Society, Attn: Community Engagement, P.O. Box 1894, Adrian, MI 49221 Child’s name: ________________________________________ Certificate number: _________________ Parent’s name(s): ______________________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________________ City/state: ____________________________________________________ Zip: ____________________ Phone: _______________________________ Email: __________________________________________ 32
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Today you’re carrying her into day care. Before you know it, you’ll be walking her down the aisle. A lot can happen in between. For just $125, you can purchase Gleaner’s Just For Kids® life insurance plan online to provide your children or grandchildren with $10,000 of term life insurance coverage. Start our online application now at www.gleanerlife.org/jfk or talk to your Gleaner agent listed on the back of this publication.
Just For Kids® www.gleanerlife.org
Gleaner Life Insurance Society is domiciled in Adrian, Michigan, and licensed in AZ, FL, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, NE, OH, PA, TN, VA, WI and WV. Certificate form: ICC14-JFK and state-specific variation
Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID BOLINGBROOK, IL PERMIT NO. 594 5200 West U.S. Highway 223, P.O. Box 1894 Adrian, Michigan 49221-7894
Welcome a new decade with renewed spirit and anticipation The start of 2020 marks a new decade as well as a new year. Each decade carries tremendous changes, and the ’20s will be no different. Anticipating those changes – some good, some bad, some predictable, some unforeseen – is the way to prepare. Life insurance is a time-tested solution to enable a family to carry on after an unexpected loss, and an annuity can provide needed income as members move through life’s natural stages. Take the first step to protect yourself and your family now as 2020 begins. Call your Gleaner agent (listed above) or visit www.gleanerlife.org to make an appointment with a Gleaner agent. We wish you a year — and a decade — filled with health, happiness and prosperity for 2020 and beyond.