Reed-Williams Insurance Agency and MAX Insurance Donate to the Boys & Girls Club of Leflore County

(POTEAU, OK) – Poteau area youth have a safe place to learn and grow after school through the Boys & Girls Club of Leflore County.  The Boys & Girls Club is new to the area– in fact in opened its doors just last November.  Thanks to a generous grant from Reed-Williams Insurance Agency and their partner MutualAid eXchange (“MAX”), supplies needed for fun activities and snacks will be provided to the club’s attendees in the weeks ahead.

“This club provides a safe, active, educational and fun environment for the youth in the community to go to versus them being out in the streets,” said Reed Williams of Reed-Williams Insurance Agency.  “Since this club just opened its doors just three months ago, a total of 30+ youth have already attended the club on a regular basis.  We would love for this club to keep its doors open for our youth and this grant will help the club stay on its path to continue to grow and flourish.”

Williams is an independent insurance agent representing MAX Insurance in Poteau and surrounding areas.  MAX Insurance is a fair, faithful and socially responsible provider of home, farm, auto, business and related insurance.  The company’s Mutual Aid Ministries program offers Community Grants to its network of independent agencies to support worthwhile programs.

“MAX is more than an insurance company.  We truly care beyond the contract,” said David Wine, President and Chief Executive Officer.  “That’s why we are excited to partner with Reed-Williams Insurance Agency on this important organization for youth in the Poteau community.  We think that’s the way insurance should be.”

For more information:

Reed-Williams Insurance Agency, email info@reedwilliamsins.com, phone 918-647-2291, website www.reedwillliamsins.com.

MAX Insurance and Mutual Aid Ministries, visit www.MAXInsurance.com.

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This is Us – Lessons Learned on Fire Safety

By Karen Morrone, Marketing & Communications Manager

Several MAX team members watch the popular television show “This is Us” and after watching the last few episodes (spoiler alert – don’t read if you aren’t caught up on season 2), we couldn’t help but think of fire safety tips for our MAX members after learning how our most beloved character on the show, Jack, dies.

Here we go:

  1. Smoke alarms with batteries are life-saving!  Immediately when the camera panned to the ceiling and Rebecca was telling Jack she knows she forgot to buy something at the mall but couldn’t remember what, we knew the smoke alarm would play a part in the fire.  Not only must a smoke alarm have batteries, but they must be working batteries.  Test your smoke alarms at least twice a year (Daylight Saving Time is a great reminder) to check the batteries.  And, if you have wired smoke alarms, check the dates on them.  Both battery and wired smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years.  For more information, check out the NFPA’s smoke alarm tips here.Did you know there’s a smart alarm that can connect to your smoke detectors via Wi-Fi?  Of course this technology did not exist in the 90s when Jack lost his life, but it’s available to us now. The alarm will send notifications to your phone when the batteries run low or if your smoke alarms sounds and you’re not home.
  2. Unplug your electrical appliances. It’s not the Crock-Pot’s fault!  There have been several articles about slow cookers and this one provides fire safety tips about using a Crock-Pot.  The main takeaways are to unplug your electrical appliances when you are not using them and do not use appliances that are so old they would not pass safety regulations.  If this Crock-Pot was unplugged, it would not have sparked and caught the kitchen towel on fire.  Also, the Crock-Pot was given to the Pearsons seventeen years ago as a gift from a neighbor who had previously used it for probably several years before that – plus it had a known faulty switch.  We saw Rebecca tinkering with the switch in fact when she was preparing the Super Bowl feast.
  3. Let emergency responders save your pets. Jack being the ultimate father to his little girl would do anything to not disappoint her.  After the Pearsons escape from the upstairs bedroom window and make it safely to the ground, Kate hears her dog barking and screams his name trying to get the dog to escape.  Jack goes back into the house.  And for a minute I think he has perished in the fire as more things in the house blow up and the fire intensifies.  Then the front door opens and Jack walks out with the dog (and a bag of Pearson family treasures) in his arms.  Jack didn’t die in the home.  And neither did the dog.  However, Jack suffers from severe smoke inhalation and eventually does die from its effects on his lungs and heart.  Let emergency responders save your pets.  Your life is ever so more important than the pet, and your pet will need you alive to take care of him or her in the years to come.  You can read some pet fire safety tips here.

As we now prepare to see the Pearson family mourn the loss of Jack in the weeks ahead, it’s a good reminder to us all to remember these life-saving fire safety tips.  Be safe.

KarenKaren Morrone

Karen is the Marketing & Communications Manager for MAX where she manages content marketing and social media.  When she’s not at the office, Karen can be found transporting her children to soccer and other after-school activities.  In her “spare time”, you can find her volunteering at scouts, tending to her garden, or baking treats.

 

Happy Heart of MAX Month

February is known for many things – Valentine’s Day, Heart Health Month, President’s Day and at MAX we dedicate February as the Heart of MAX Month.  What are we referring to?  Our Mutual Aid Ministries program!

Our Mutual Aid Ministries program is the Heart of MAX.  It’s what makes MAX different from other insurance companies.  By giving back to our agents’ communities, we help organizations that are doing good locally.  We call this our Agent Community Grant program.  In addition to these grants, Mutual Aid Ministries operates a non-profit which provides grants to individuals facing extreme hardships caused by job loss, health problems and other significant challenges.

So, on behalf of the MAX team, Happy Heart of MAX month!  If you want to learn more about Mutual Aid Ministries, click here or call us at 877-971-6300.

Ways to Prevent Frozen Pipes in Your Home

By Karen Morrone, Marketing & Communications Manager

Frozen pipes.  What are they and why should I be concerned about them?  Those are the questions that came to my mind this week after learning frozen pipes have been occurring across the country and affecting some of our MAX membership.  We had losses with damages in excess of $100,000 due to water pipes bursting due to these freezing temperatures.

According to the American Red Cross, when water freezes, it expands and that expansion causes pressure on the pipes and can essentially break the pipe regardless of how strong the pipe may be, whether it’s metal or plastic.  Simply put, water can freeze, put a tremendous amount of pressure on the pipe and then the pipe busts open and can cause water damage, possibly a lot of water damage to not just your home, but your contents as well.

Which pipes freeze the most often?  Houselogic.com shares the following:

  • Pipes that are exposed in unheated areas of your home. Think crawl spaces, basements, attics, garages or kitchen cabinets.
  • Pipes that are located on your home’s exterior walls. These pipes probably have little to no insulation around them.
  • Pipes that are on the exterior of your home. Garden hoses come to mind.

So, how can I prevent a pipe from freezing in each of these scenarios?  Check out these tips from both the American Red Cross and Houselogic.com websites:

  • For pipes in unheated areas of your home or pipes located on the exterior walls, add extra insulation or heat tape. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.  You can also open your cabinet doors in your kitchen or bathroom to allow warmer air onto the pipes.  Let water drip from your faucets.  Even a trickle could help prevent a pipe from freezing.
  • For garden hoses, remove, drain and store them outside before the first freeze. This tip would have been more helpful to readers in the fall, but is still good to know even in winter months.
  • Lastly, if you are going out of town for an extended period of time, set your thermostat for no lower than 55 degrees and consider shutting off the main water valve or get one of these, opening your faucets and flushing the toilets to drain the system. Coming back from a vacation and finding water damage in your home is not a welcome surprise for anyone.  We recently had losses with damages in excess of $100,000 due to water pipes bursting due to freezing temperatures while members were away.  Water ran for a few days before discovery, resulting in extensive damage to drywall, kitchen cabinets, hardwood floors, carpet, etc.  It is always a good idea to have someone check on your home when you are away, especially in winter months.

Here’s hoping the remainder of the winter season that the Groundhog predicted earlier this month is favorable to you and that your pipes do not freeze.

KarenKaren Morrone

Karen is the Marketing & Communications Manager for MAX where she manages content marketing and social media.  When she’s not at the office, Karen can be found transporting her children to soccer and other after-school activities.  In her “spare time”, you can find her volunteering at scouts, tending to her garden, or baking treats.

MAX Mindfulness: Taking Responsibility

By Dave Wine, President & CEO

One of the most difficult lessons for us to learn as human beings is that joy comes from taking full responsibility for ourselves.  Ouch!  That is not something we do well.   We usually look for people, situations, and events to blame for our lack of joy.  If only….If we just had….if that person would….  That is called projection – we project blame and responsibility away from ourselves and look for other things/people/situations to make us happy.  Yet true joy and happiness can only come from within ourselves; and from our own beliefs, attitudes, and acceptance.   When we fight against ‘what is’, we create depression, anxiety and fear.  When we fully accept life as it comes to us, and accept full responsibility for our own feelings, beliefs and situations, that is really when we are in alignment and that alignment creates joy.  It is a state of allowing or we could say, grace, or forgiveness.  All of the great spiritual teachings point to this state of allowing as being “the God state” – that is, when our spirits are most aligned with God/Spirit, when we don’t look for happiness as coming from outside ourselves, but within ourselves which is when we are most aligned with God/Spirit/Higher Power – whatever words are most helpful for you to use.  For me, personally, I call it Christ Consciousness – when I am most able to allow, forgive, express joy, and be loving and lovable.

We love our myths – Santa Claus, Fairy tales, the Easter Bunny.  They are all attempts by us to find fulfillment away from ourselves and hope that “somebody” or “something” will shower gifts on us, give us what we want, reward us for behavior, make us happy, etc.  The thing that really matters, however, is total self-responsibility that understands that it is our own state of mind (mindfulness) that leads to peace and joy.  So we alone control our feelings, our thoughts, and our joy – somebody, something, or some situation does not control us or need to cause us to feel a certain way.  Full responsibility is really freedom (because we own the control for how we feel) and so freedom is joy, but it is again the hardest lesson for us to learn.  I am still learning it!!

Photo of Dave WineDavid Wine

David is the President and CEO of the MAX enterprise, having served in that capacity since its formation in 2001.   He has forty plus years of  leadership experience in the business and faith-based worlds, being an ordained minister, having been elected to the highest position in his denomination,  and receiving numerous awards and recognition for his leadership in the insurance industry. He currently serves on numerous boards in the church and insurance sectors.  His hobbies include hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing as well as being an avid reader.  David and his wife, Sharon, have three daughters, a son, and four grandchildren.