West Bend Names Spirit of the Silver Lining Award Recipients

WEST BEND, WI – West Bend Mutual Insurance recently presented the Spirit of the Silver Lining Award to two of its agents in Wisconsin. West Bend also donated grant funding to the nonprofit organizations the recipients of the Spirit of the Silver Lining Award support.

The Spirit of the Silver Lining Award honors West Bend agents and the nonprofit organizations they support for their dedication to delivering a silver lining to those in need.

The Wisconsin recipients of the 2020 Spirit of the Silver Lining Award are Joanne Lukas Szymaszek for her work with Junior Achievement® of Wisconsin and Mary Starr for her work with the American Heart Walk®.

Szymaszek was presented the Spirit of the Silver Lining Award for her support of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, where she serves as a board member. Dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to achieve economic success, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin offers a number of youth programs on topics like work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy, reaching approximately 154,000 students per year.

Starr was presented with the Spirit of the Silver Lining Award for her work with the American Heart Walk. An annual event held by the American Heart Association, the American Heart Walk is the ideal environment to promote health and well-being and raise funds and for heart disease and strokes, two of the largest killers in America. This year, the Southeastern Wisconsin Heart Walk intends on raising $2 million for lifesaving science innovations that can save lives and lead to a healthier country.

Junior Achievement of Wisconsin and The American Heart Walk each received a $10,000 grant from West Bend Mutual Insurance’s Independent Agents Fund.

"At West Bend, we have a proud tradition of giving back to the communities in which we do business," said Kevin Steiner, president and CEO of West Bend Mutual Insurance. "The Spirit of the Silver Lining Award is a unique program that allows us to express our gratitude to our agent partners on whom we rely to identify the causes that matter most in our communities."

Since 2006, West Bend has awarded more than $1.5 million in grants for sustaining support, special projects, or capital projects to nonprofit organizations representing a broad field of interests, including, but not limited to, arts and culture; education; the environment; family, youth, and elderly; health and human services; medical research; and community development. Grants are made to organizations in several states in which West Bend operates.

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About West Bend Mutual Insurance

Founded in 1894, West Bend Mutual Insurance Company is headquartered in West Bend, Wisconsin, and provides property/casualty insurance products throughout the Midwest. The company offers a broad personal lines coverage package, a full range of commercial products and services, insurance for specialty lines, and a surety division. West Bend employs more than 1,300 associates and is represented by approximately 2,300 independent insurance agencies throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. The company has been rated A (Excellent) or better by A.M. Best since 1971. West Bend also consistently ranks higher than its competitors in an agency loyalty survey.