Bankers Life and Casualty Raises Funds, Awareness Through “Forget Me Not Days”

Over Mother’s Day weekend, volunteers from the Bankers Life and Casualty Company raised more than $70,000 in 75 communities across the country to benefit the Alzheimer's Association in the company's annual “Forget Me Not Days”® event.  Hundreds of Bankers volunteers handed out thousands of packets of Forget-Me-Not seeds on street corners in downtown and suburban Chicago and collected nearly $9,000.  They also encouraged passersby to plant the seeds in honor of the estimated 4.5 million Americans with the disease, their family members and caregivers.

“One hundred percent of the money collected here stays here to help the 210,000 Illinoisans with Alzheimer’s who live in our area, as well as their family members and caregivers,” said Kent Barnheiser, president and CEO of the Greater Illinois Chapter.  “Proceeds will be used for education, information, support, programs, services and research for those affected by the disease.”
“Seniors name Alzheimer's disease as their number one fear of aging,” said Suzanne Schmitt, communications manager at Bankers, who organized this year’s event.		Kent Barnheiser, president and CEO of the Greater Illinois Chapter, and Dan Veto, chief marketing officer and senior vice president at Bankers Life and Casualty Company, are interviewed about "Forget Me Not Days" for the NBC-TV Early Show on the NBC Plaza in Chicago, with Bankers staff and volunteers looking on.

  “We are a company that puts seniors first so “Forget Me Not Days” is a cause very close to our hearts.  Every year our volunteers seem more excited to participate than the previous year.  It’s not just about raising money; it’s also about raising awareness of the disease.”

Bankers, a provider of life and health insurance products for seniors established “Forget Me Not Days” to increase giving and participation from its employees, who say the event has special meaning for them.