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8/11/2014 Member News
Saginaw Bay Underwriters’ Weekly SBU Cares Donations Making a Difference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Saginaw Bay Underwriters’ Weekly SBU Cares Donations Making a Difference

Saginaw, Michigan – August 11, 2014
– Saginaw Bay Underwriters gives $150 to a different local charitable cause each week, based on nominations from the public. The program is called SBU Cares and it’s making a big difference to people in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

The way it works is simple: anyone can suggest a cause simply by emailing [email protected]. SBU then chooses from the nominations each week and makes a donation.

SBU Cares began in 2013 to celebrate the insurance agency’s 150th anniversary. By 2014, the program had become such a success that SBU decided it should continue.

“It’s been exciting to see an even bigger response this year,” said President & CEO Peter N. Ewend. “We’re pleased to give back to the communities we live and work in.”

SBU Cares has already donated to over seventy local causes since it began, including the Saginaw Area Fireworks, Family & Children’s Services of Mid-Michigan, the Bay-Arenac ISD, Saginaw’s Japanese Cultural Center, the Midland Fun Zone and Bay City’s Polish Legion of American Veterans.

“We have customers and locations in Saginaw, Bay City and Midland, so we try to donate in all three areas,” Ewend said. “We also like to support all different kinds of causes − schools, nonprofits, fundraising events, social service groups, you name it.”

Most importantly, the donations are helping.

“The SBU Cares program is awesome!” said Amy Finney of Midland, who won a contest on the Saginaw Bay Underwriters Facebook page and had a donation to the Bullock Creek High School baseball team made in her name.

“The Lancers won the Tri-Valley Conference this year, and donations like this really helped improve our field and program.”

The SBU Cares donation made to the Toni & Trish House in Auburn helped in a different way, according to Director John McKelvey.

“We’re a guest house for people in hospice care that can't stay at home. We don’t charge for this service, so the donation helped support what we consider to be very important work. We appreciated that SBU thought of us,” McKelvey said.

MLive’s Deanna Campbell won a contest at a Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce event and asked SBU to give to the Joana D. McKeoun Memorial Scholarship.

“Seeing a community come together to support small nonprofits such as ours through programs like SBU Cares is simply amazing,” said local teacher Tina Walsh, who founded the scholarship in memory of her daughter. “Generous donations like this will ensure that my daughter’s name will live on forever.”

“From a personal perspective, this program really touched me,” said Campbell. “Tina is one of my best friends and I know it meant a lot to her to have the support. SBU Cares is wonderful and we are very fortunate to have such a caring company in our community.”

“We’re just thrilled to be making a difference,” said Ewend, noting that SBU Cares will continue through 2014.

Anyone interested in making a nomination should email [email protected]. Saginaw Bay Underwriters’ Facebook page also regularly posts pictures and the recipients’ stories at www.facebook.com/sbuins.

When asked if SBU Cares might continue in 2015, Ewend smiled and said, “There are still so many worthy causes out there … we’ll see.”

About SBU
Saginaw Bay Underwriters has provided insurance solutions to the Great Lakes Bay Region for over 150 years. From offices in Saginaw and Saginaw Township, Midland and Bay City, SBU serves over 12,000 customers as one of Michigan’s largest independent insurance agencies.

Visit www.sbuins.com to learn more about The Clear Advantage™ for home, auto, life and health policies, business insurance, and employee benefits coverage.

Contact:
Matt Hill
Saginaw Bay Underwriters
(989) 752-8600
[email protected]