West Bend Charitable Trust Grants $2 Million

With its 125th anniversary approaching in 2019, West Bend Mutual Insurance today celebrated its commitment to West Bend by reinvesting $2 million back into the community through the company’s West Bend Mutual Insurance Charitable Trust.

The Charitable Trust awarded grants totaling $2 million to four local organizations: The Museum of Wisconsin Art, the Historic West Bend Theater, the West Bend Baseball Association’s Carl M. Kuss Field Project, and the City of West Bend Riverwalk. The West Bend Mutual Insurance Charitable Trust focuses its grant-making priorities on programs that support the arts, strengthen children and families, protect the environment, and enrich community life in West Bend and the surrounding region.

“We are grateful to our local community and these organizations for the beauty and joy they bring to our citizens,” said Kevin Steiner, president and CEO of West Bend Mutual Insurance. “While we support various causes throughout the region, our focus and priority is where our associates live, work, and play. West Bend is our home, loyalty is one of our values, and we believe this is a great way to celebrate them both.”

West Bend Mutual Insurance has a long history of support within the West Bend community. The local projects undertaken by these four organizations will allow for major improvements that will make a larger impact on the surrounding community.

“MOWA is delighted to have been selected as a recipient of one of the community grant awards,” said Laurie Winters, executive director and CEO of MOWA. “Kevin Steiner and his entire team believe that corporate leadership includes being a positive force within one’s community. As early as 2016, West Bend Mutual Insurance spearheaded the acquisition of land surrounding the museum for the purpose of creating a park-like setting for the community to enjoy. This gift now brings that initial vision to fruition. Kevin wholeheartedly believes in supporting projects that can be transformational to the West Bend community. We thank Kevin and West Bend Mutual Insurance for their incredible leadership and unrivaled community involvement.”

About West Bend Mutual Insurance Company

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 1,200 associates and is represented by approximately 2,300 independent insurance agencies throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Tennessee. 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.

About West Bend Mutual Insurance Charitable Trust

Since 2004, the West Bend Mutual Insurance Charitable Trust has provided more than $10.4 million to organizations in our community and across the Midwest. It also gives much-needed time, funds, and other resources to the West Bend community, including schools and other civic organizations.

About Museum of Wisconsin Art

The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) explores the art and culture of Wisconsin. Founded in 1961, MOWA is one of the top museums of regional art in the United States, with over 5,000 works of contemporary and historic art by more than 350 artists. Through rotating exhibitions and educational programs, MOWA provides an innovative forum for the culturally engaged.

In 2013, MOWA opened its new 32,000-square-foot facility in downtown West Bend. The building, the first museum commission by acclaimed architect Jim Shields of HGA, is situated along the east bank of the Milwaukee River on a triangular plot of land that inspired the facility’s modern wedge shape. An expansive wall of windows follows the curve of the river bank and minimizes the boundaries between interior and exterior. The museum houses five permanent collection galleries, three temporary exhibition spaces, and two classrooms, as well as visible art storage, a shop, and a large atrium for public events.

About West Bend Baseball Association

The West Bend Baseball Association is committed to preserving, promoting and supporting youth, high school, and adult baseball in West Bend, Wisconsin.

About Historic West Bend Theater

The mission of the Historic West Bend Theatre, Inc. (HWBT, 501(c)3) is to form a non-stock domestic charity in the State of Wisconsin for the purpose of restoring the West Bend Theater located at 125 Main Street, West Bend, Wisconsin, to a safe and functional historic building for use by both public and private entities, and to create opportunities within that space to benefit the greater Washington County community in the areas of education, entertainment, and the arts. Specifically, the Organization will procure and promote opportunities for arts education designed to facilitate cultural awareness and build creative self-confidence, to present a broad and diverse array of performing and visual arts, and to act as a gathering place and focal point for various types of cultural activity.

About City of West Bend

The City of West Bend is home to approximately 32,000 residents and is located in Washington County, Wisconsin. West Bend is conveniently located near Milwaukee and combines the best of small town and big city living. We offer a host of cultural activities, as well as all the amenities of a "big city" - with a small-town smile and sense of community.