The West Florence High School Wishmakers On Campus® presentation ceremony was extra-special because the wish child, four-year-old Grace, and her family were there. Trusted Choice® matched the efforts of students for a total of $8,000 so that Grace could enjoy a trip to Walt Disney World with her family. G
Branding Opportunities I had the pleasure of attending the very first opportunity to award a Trusted Choice® / MakeA-Wish matching grant in Mauldin, SC. We turned $3,000 into $6,000! Curtis Taylor and I attended with Russell [Russell Smith, President & CEO] and Chelsea [Chelsea Ochylski, Development Intern] from Make-A-Wish South Carolina. Russell spoke for a moment, introduced Curtis and me as special guests to make a VERY SPECIAL announcement. We explained Trusted Choice®, our involvement as a state association, congratulated them on their achievement, and in honor of their efforts we wanted to double their money through a matching grant program. The roof almost came down they were so excited! The presentation was done at a school pep rally, with 1,200 students in attendance. Teachers, coaches and the principal all came up to us to thank us. It was VERY moving and really validated our decision to be a part of this charity. There is a list of participating schools on the Make-A-Wish South Carolina website, www.sc.wish.org. If there is one in your area, then I urge you to contact your regional Trusted Choice® Committee member and let them know you are willing to be a local Trusted Choice® agency representative. There are many other ways that your agency can contribute to the Trusted Choice® / Make-A-Wish partnership, but most importantly I hope that your agency will become a long-term friend of some form of corporate giving that helps make independent agents stand out from the rest. 12
South Carolina Agent & Broker • Spring 2012
D At the West Florence High School Wishmakers On Campus® presentation event, local Trusted Choice® representatives Richard Walker of Cormell Street & Patterson in Florence, Ashley Brady of First Charter in Marion and IIABSC President Frank Sheppard talk with students about the planning and implementation of their fundraising project.
D Local Trusted Choice® agent representatives John Braddy of Braddy Insurance in Dillon and Ashley Brady of First Charter in Marion talk with four-year-old wish kid Grace about her favorite Disney characters at the West Florence High School presentation event.