‘This is the answer to a prayer!’

Royal Neighbors of America, Rock Island, IL, is a life insurance company with a difference. It recently surprised Kimberly Furness, Davenport, IA, with a check for $7,500 from its Nation of Neighbors Program to help her keep her theater company up and running. One of her many acting programs at the Curtainbox Theatre Company are classes for autistic students. These unique classes were slated to change because of a necessary restructure of the company she founded in 2006. She wasn't sure she would be able to keep doing what she loves. "This gift from Royal Neighbors is really an answer to a prayer."

Kimberly is just one of the hundreds of women who have been awarded financial support from the Nation of Neighbors Program since it was launched in 2007. Demonstrating the neighbor-helping-neighbor philosophy on which Royal Neighbors was founded in 1895, the program is designed to empower determined women of strength and courage with financial assistance to achieve their full potential, realize a sense of renewed personal growth, and give back to their communities.

Each year, Royal Neighbors members and sales agents across the country are asked to nominate individuals they know who want to change their lives, and the lives of those around them, for the better. A panel reviews each nomination and determines the recipients and the monetary amounts awarded. To date, more than $1 million has helped these individuals reach their dreams. Kelly Kennedy, Ventura, CA, now has the opportunity to give back because of the Nation of Neighbors Program. Homeless and pregnant 20 years ago, she turned to Tender Life, an organization that serves women in crisis, for assistance. With its support, she turned her life around and now is the proud mother of three children and Program Manager for the agency that gave her a new start. She received a $7,500 check from Royal Neighbors that she will use to help her continue her work at Tender Life.

"Tender Life helped me get my life back on track," she said. "It was my oasis. When you walk through its gates, you walk out of all the drama and stress you're carrying and start to make new and better choices."

A breast cancer survivor, Sarah Ellery, Gilbert, AZ, founded My Hope Bags, an organization which creates and delivers bags of hope to breast cancer patients. The bags are filled with items to give cancer patients hope, including survivor stories, a journal, a recipe book, brochures, and a heart pillow. With a $7,500 check from the Nation of Neighbors Program, she can now expand her mission of hope. "I can't believe my good fortune in receiving financial assistance from the program. I can now increase the number of women's lives I can touch and empower with hope and comfort as they fight their cancer battle."

Royal Neighbors of America, one of the nation's largest women-led life insurance companies, exists for the benefit of its members. It offers insurance products to fulfill financial needs of growth, savings, and protection. Members receive valuable benefits and can participate in volunteer activities through the organization's local chapters to help make a difference in their communities. The organization's philanthropic efforts are dedicated to changing women's lives through its national programs, including the Nation of Neighbors Program, and through the Royal Neighbors Foundation, a 501©(3) public charity.

Headquartered in Rock Island, IL, with branch offices in Mesa, AZ, and Austin, TX, Royal Neighbors serves more than 215,000 members and is licensed to do business in 42 states and the District of Columbia.

For more information about Royal Neighbors of America, call (800) 627-4762, or visit www.royalneighbors.org.