Service above self

The Richards Group in Brattleboro, Vermont has always been operated by people who feel that it’s important to give back to their community however possible. For this reason, the agency got connected with the Rotary Club of Deerfield Valley, a small, local organization that has consistently done big things for the people of southern Vermont.

Stephanie Staib and Haleigh Corbosiero from The Richards Group work with Tony Hemmelgarn from the Rotary Club of Deerfield Valley to raffle off prizes and serve food from a local restaurant at the 2022 Putt and Pour fundraiser.

Providing service to the community

The Rotary Club of Deerfield Valley uses an assortment of strategies to support their community, ensuring that all the funds raised by the club are poured back into a broad variety of grants, scholarships and more. They provide winter coats for students and handmake soft hats for patients undergoing chemotherapy. They work with the Lions Club to provide food gift baskets during the holidays. They provide student support to help understand the concept and implementation of philanthropy. They offer support to organizations as varied as the local Humane Society to adaptive sports programs.

The organization is dedicated to providing service above self, combining the efforts of local business, professional and community leaders to promote integrity and advance goodwill and peace throughout the area. The Richards Group has supported them for years, with multiple members of the agency volunteering and working as active members of the club.

A hole-in-one fundraiser

One example of a major partnership between The Richards Group and the Rotary Club of Deerfield Valley was a golf-putting contest called the Putt and Pour fundraiser. Staff members were given time off for the day to volunteer and play at the event, where they raffled off prizes and provided useful information about the causes supported by the club.

Regina Werner, commercial lines service manager at The Richards Group, marches with other Rotary Club of Deerfield Valley members in their Fourth of July parade.

“The commitment to the event from our agency really helped make it a success.”

—Jessica Kain, personal lines account manager of The Richards Group

“The commitment to the event from our agency really helped make it a success,” said Jessica Kain, personal lines account manager at The Richards Group and chair on the club’s Insurance Committee.

Supporting many causes

Each year, different causes receive support from the Rotary Club of Deerfield Valley. There are annual commitments made to provide food baskets for community members, scholarships for area residents in college and winter coats to adults and children. Collectively, the organization contributes over $30,000 annually to local charities and organizations, and there are always new ideas for ways to give back.

“With the pandemic, the Rotary Club’s usual fundraising style of in-person events needed to shift and the club is gaining speed with these new ideas.”

—Stephanie Staib, personal lines agent of The Richards Group

“With the pandemic, the Rotary Club’s usual fundraising style of in-person events needed to shift and the club is gaining speed with these new ideas,” said Stephanie Staib, of The Richards Group’s personal lines new business team. “Any additional funds for these annual commitments will allow the club to provide more support for all the other causes there are in our area.”

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