The Connection Magazine The Connection Magazine | Page 29

Sebastian Grasso, CEO of Windham
Group, and others to form a hands-
on board of directors. Grasso chaired
the state organization before passing
responsibilities to Stacey Foote, who
is MEMIC’s Director of Claims Shared
Services. Grasso continues to serve as
Treasurer.
New Hampshire board members also
include Donna Daneke, Esq., from Summit
Packaging Systems, and Marian Mitchell
from The Lawson Group.
Also critical to launching New
Hampshire’s chapter was Michael Stango,
A.I.M. Mutual’s IT Manager, who built the
Kids’ Chance of New Hampshire website
in his off-hours.
In the Granite State and nationwide,
it’s #MoreMoneyForMoreKids, a word-
of-mouth campaign to expand and
sustain
scholarship
opportunities.
Active discussions are under way to
form chapters in Connecticut and Maine,
according to National Membership
Director Cheryl Doucette. Meantime,
donations are welcome for established
chapters in Massachusetts, Vermont,
and now New Hampshire—other states
where A.I.M. Mutual writes business—as
well as in other parts of the country.
“We’re happy to support this amazing
and critically important initiative,”
said Michael Standing, A.I.M. Mutual’s
CEO and President. “In this business,
we work hard to prevent workplace
accidents, but when they do occur, they
can be devastating and impact so many
lives.” A.I.M. Mutual has made a start-
up contribution to the New Hampshire
chapter as early fund-raising efforts get
under way.
Brokers and other members of the
workers’ compensation community can
make online donations directly to their
state chapter. Those funds stay local,
used for applicants who are current
residents or had a parent who worked in
that state at the time of injury.
How to Apply for Kids’ Chance
Scholarships
Applying for scholarships is easy.
Families can fill out a Contact Us form on
any state website at any time.
“Families don’t need to wait until senior
year of high school to apply,” explains
Dan Landers. “That’s really important
to remember. We have a Planning for
the Future database at kidschance.org/
planning-for-the-future where a parent
or guardian can register a three-year-
old child, if that’s when the workplace
accident or death took place. At college
time, the local chapter of Kids’ Chance
will reach out.”
Dan encourages brokers to let their
employer-clients know about Kids’
Chance so they, in turn, can share the
information with families of severely
injured workers. While Kids’ Chance is
already helping hundreds of students,
keeping the mission front and center is
crucial. Their ultimate goal is ambitious:
“We envision a time when all children
affected by a parent’s work-related injury
or death can pursue their educational
dreams without financial burden.”
For Tyler Stull, the young man whose
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Dad was injured at a construction
site, Kids’ Chance came through. He is
currently at Philadelphia University
studying architecture, in part, through a
scholarship provided by the Pennsylvania
chapter.
For more information on Tyler’s story and the
stories of other scholarship recipients, visit:
kidschance.org/faces-of-kids-chance/.com