Legal & General America Awards $10,000 Life Lessons Scholarship to SUNY Morrisville Senior
Life Happens' Scholarship Program offers financial support for college-bound students in the wake of family tragedies
FREDERICK, MD / ACCESSWIRE / October 1, 2018 / Legal & General America (LGA), a top 10 U.S. life insurer, announced today that it has awarded a $10,000 Life Lessons Scholarship to Carrie Shuman, a SUNY Morrisville senior studying dairy management. This scholarship, part of non-profit organization Life Happens' annual program, recognizes students like Shuman for their perseverance in the face of adversity following the loss of a parent or guardian with little to no life insurance coverage.
In 2012, following a farming accident that resulted in the death of her father and injured her brother, Shuman's family relied on a small life insurance policy that covered only some funeral and medical costs, leaving them in a challenging financial position. Determined to realize her family's dream of Shuman attending college, she began working at local farms and at her university, SUNY Morrisville, to support her family's monthly expenses and tuition costs while attending classes full time.
"It's never easy for families to anticipate how much life insurance coverage they need, let alone to think about the events that would precipitate such a need," said Mark Holweger, President and CEO of Legal & General America's insurance division. "At Legal & General America, one of our goals is to educate people on financial wellness at every stage in life, and that includes preparing for unforeseen events like those that took place in Carrie's family. In recognition of the courage and perseverance it takes for Carrie to keep forging ahead to fulfill her goal of graduating with her bachelor's degree next spring, we are proud to award her with a 2018 Life Lessons Scholarship."
"Even in the darkest of moments, hopes and dreams still shine bright and can lead the way," Shuman said. "This scholarship provided through Life Happens and Legal & General America will be used to lower my college expenses allowing me to get to my dream faster, which is to build a dairy barn with an on-farm creamery to take my family farm into the future."
Through its annual Life Lessons Scholarship Program, Life Happens recognizes students through scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, which help pay for their college education. The program started in 2005 and has awarded roughly $1,790,000 to nearly 580 students. LGA has been working with Life Happens for over 10 years, and 2018 marks the first year of LGA's involvement specifically in the Life Lessons Scholarship Program.
"The Life Lessons Scholarship Program has been helping students achieve their educational goals for over 13 years," said Andrea Englert, Manager, Consumer & Industry Programs at Life Happens. "At Life Happens, we feel it is an honor to play a small part of their future. With the help of companies like Legal & General America, we can continue this important work and continue to assist students in their time of need."
To learn more about the value of life insurance, as well as other financial wellness tips for families, visit LGA's newly launched blog: blog.lgamerica.com. For more on the Life Lessons Scholarship Program, visit: lifehappens.org.
About Legal & General America
Legal & General America (LGA) is part of the worldwide Legal & General Group. For nearly 70 years, the Legal & General America companies have been in the business of providing financial protection through life insurance for American families. The Legal & General America companies are Banner Life Insurance Company and William Penn Life Insurance Company of New York. With more than $53 billion in new coverage issued in 2017, LGA is ranked in the top 10 of U.S. life insurers and ended 2017 with in excess of $703 billion of coverage in force with 1.3 million U.S. customers. LGA shares Legal & General's independent financial strength ratings: A+ Superior from A. M. Best and AA- Very Strong from Standard and Poor's and Fitch. To learn more, visit lgamerica.com. 18-251
About Life Happens
Life Happens is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping consumers take personal financial responsibility through the ownership of life insurance and related products. The organization does not endorse any product, company or insurance advisor. Since its inception in 1994, Life Happens has provided the highest quality, independent and objective information for people seeking help with their insurance buying decisions. The organization supports the insurance industry by providing marketing tools and resources and convening the industry each September for Life Insurance Awareness Month. Life Happens is supported by more than 140 of the nation's leading insurance company and financial services organizations. To learn more, visit lifehappens.org.
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SOURCE: Legal & General America
