West Bend Names Spirit of the Silver Lining Award Recipients

CHICAGO, IL – West Bend Mutual Insurance recently presented the Spirit of the Silver Lining Award to two of its agents in Illinois. 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 Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota recipients of the 2020 Spirit of the Silver Lining Award are Tim Barker for his work with Trinity Services and Bill Brandt for his work with the Northwest Community Healthcare Animal-Assisted Therapy Program.

Barker was presented with the Spirit of the Silver Lining Award for his work with Trinity Services in New Lenox. Trinity Services provides the tools necessary with helping people with disabilities and mental illness. The services provided include residential living options, employment programs, community day services and behavioral health programs to help support more than 3,500 people who are involved with Trinity Services. The $10,000 grant will be used to help individuals that are involved in the community day services program and to provide supplies and materials, new technology equipment and further education for staff.

Brandt was presented with the Spirit of the Silver Lining Award for his work with the Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH) Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) Program in Arlington Heights. AAT helps improve patients’ physical and emotional well-being. NCH’s dog therapy teams visit more than 1,000 patients per month. Brandt has been volunteering with his Golden Retriever for more than five years. The $5,000 grant will help fund one of the largest expenses of NCH’s AAT program, twice-per-year lab tests for the dogs to ensure they are healthy.

“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.