logo
  • Solutions for Life
    • Find your solution:
    • Single
    • Married
    • Family
    • Empty-nesters/Retirees
    • Business Owners
    • Life Insurance Calculator

    You may think that if you’re single, you don’t need life insurance. But do you have aging parents who may need to rely on you someday for financial support? How about major co-signed debt? Have you thought about setting something aside for your own future?

    Learn more about how you can protect your loved ones with life insurance and fixed annuities.

    Married life brings with it a world of joy. It also brings a world of challenges and responsibilities. Whether you're just starting out or you're approaching a major milestone in your marriage, chances are, you have something worth protecting.

    Learn more about protecting your spouse with life insurance and planning for the future with fixed annuities.

    Your family relies on all of your contributions, whether financial or emotional. You may be a breadwinner, but bread isn't the only thing you bring to the table. If the worst should happen, life insurance can help you protect your family even after you're gone.

    Learn more about safeguarding your family's dreams with life insurance.

    You've spent a lifetime building your family alongside your dreams. Now, let us help you embark on another set of dreams. In addition to protecting your loved ones now, life insurance and fixed annuities can also guarantee an estate for your heirs.

    As they say, the best is yet to come. Learn more about protecting whatever comes next in your life.

    Your business is your legacy. You've built it, nurtured it and poured your life into it. Life insurance can help keep your business going if you're gone, providing coverage for buy-sell agreements and in some cases build a cash value that you can borrow against if things get tough.

    Learn how you can protect your great American dream with life insurance.

    If you aren't sure about the amount of life insurance coverage you need, use the life insurance calculator to help get you started.

    This calculator will give you an idea of how much coverage you will want to look into getting to help meet your financial security goals.

  • Products
    • Life
    • Term Life Insurance
    • Universal Life Insurance
    • Gleaner’s Blueprint Whole Life Series™
    • Just For Kids®
    • Annuities
    • Flexible Premium Annuities
    • Indexed Annuities
    • Single Premium Deferred Annuities
    • Single Premium Immediate Annuities

    Gleaner provides life insurance and fixed annuity solutions to meet your needs. Learn more about how our products can help you protect all of the important things in your life.

    Consult an agent

  • Giving Back
    Give and Grow
    Faith In Action
    Arbors

    Make a difference in your community. Give and Grow with Gleaner Life.

    As a faith-based not-for-profit organization, Gleaner helps to better our members' communities by providing the funding to complete volunteer projects. Explore how our members help us to be a major force for good.

    Funded entirely by Gleaner, our arbors or service clubs allow members to get involved in their communities by volunteering and making donations to charitable causes without the hassle of fundraising.

  • Choose Gleaner
    About Us
    Our History
    Member Benefits

    Gleaner Life Insurance Society provides both financial security and volunteer opportunities to members. Our competitive life insurance and annuity products help members to safeguard their dreams now and in the future.

    Much of what makes Gleaner what it is today was set in motion more than 128 years ago when Grant Slocum, a farmer's son, had a vision for a fraternal society that would protect farmers and their families.

    In addition to life insurance and annuity products, Gleaner members and their families enjoy a variety of member benefits, including shopping discounts, scholarship opportunities and family-friendly events.

  • My Account

800.992.1894

  • Careers
  • Forms
  • Publications
  • Contact Us
  • Secure File Transfer

Growing fraternally strong families

August 04, 2022

Arbor outreach has helped Louise Martin and her family build new Gleaner generations.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” — Proverbs 22:6

One generation shows the next how to propose a project to a school board, or how to make quilts for the elderly, or how to bring together extended families for fun at a zoo.

That’s the sort of family growth that Louise Martin’s family enjoys. It began with Louise and her daughter, Julie Bartels, and includes her granddaughter, Sarah Block. In a sense, it’s been a passing of the gavel.

“My mom was a parliamentarian,” Julie explains.

“My cup of tea,” Louise adds.

“Our kids grew up knowing about parliamentary order,” Julie recalls, “and going to conventions helped them because they met other kids who did the same thing. They saw how things got done.”

Louise adds, “That gave them confidence because they saw how it worked for their parents and grandparents, so they’re sold on it.”

In Sarah’s case, she became a Gleaner at age 5. When 2019 rolled around, she was in college with a Gleaner scholarship, pursuing her teacher’s degree, and serving as Chair of the Good of the Order Committee at the 59th Biennial Convention. “Growing up in Gleaner allowed my family tons of fun vacations and to create lifelong friends,” Sarah points out. “Now, being married, I’m excited to volunteer and help in my new community.”

At a time of growing rates of depression1, debt and despair, the strength of Gleaner to support families offers a tried-and-true template. It started by thinking about the family’s financial future and consulting with independent Gleaner agent Mike Stuart.

“My dad retired,” Julie said, “and you have to look at your investments. [Mike] mentioned Just for Kids® and the different opportunities, and each of the nine grandchildren got that because it was a very good policy. Then it turned into ‘Hey, would you like to do an arbor?’”

That invitation has led to the family’s involvement in three arbors so far, plus the Michigan Thumb Area Association (MTAA). Louise became a founding member of Bavarian Arbor (MI) and later Birch Run Arbor (MI), no longer active. She also was Secretary for MTAA from 2014-2021.

Julie’s deep involvement (Vulcaneer Arbor Secretary/Treasurer since 2012, MTAA Chaplain 2015-2017, MTAA President 2017-2021) focused on education and activities. Gleaner provided help with funding and support.

“When your kids come home from school there’s always meetings and fundraisers,” Julie explains. “I went to the other parents and they didn’t like fundraisers either. We said, ‘You know what? Let’s create a Gleaner group.’” The Central Elementary School’s principal was a Gleaner. “He wasn’t part of an arbor but he had a policy. So when we went in and said this group is Gleaner, he was like ‘Oh my goodness, yes!’ Now people there know what Gleaner is.”

Vassar’s school nickname is the Vulcans, so they became Vulcaneer Arbor. Key leadership has come from other parents including Laura and Steve Walker and Chad and Mindy Fabbro. With youth in mind, some meetings occur at an ice cream shop. Guest speakers speak about animals, distracted driving, and similar topics. Arbor youth members help propose and plan projects such as park clean ups, a macho volleyball match, a mock accident, etc.

Making those connections enables healthy growth for family individuals as well as for arbors. As Americans face what experts call “an epidemic of loneliness” with significant health risks2, Gleaner connects people in both directions. Julie noted that arbors can obtain a list of members who are in their nearby zip codes. “They might be able to help with an activity,” Julie said. Vulcaneer Arbor also was able to use the list to give local shut-in residents a wreath with a card, “so they know they are not forgotten.”

Other family activities that bring generations together have included:

  • Birch Run Arbor worked with students — one way was by making quilts — to help people in assisted living homes. “These people really enjoyed snuggling in with the quilts,” Louise said. “We had some fun until COVID cut it off.”
  • Fond memories of Bavarian Arbor activities that included children with disabilities. “They had pizza and prizes and they really liked it,” Louise said.
  • Gleaner Family Days, the Safari to Kalahari, and Gleaner conventions.

“Gleaner makes it easy getting your kids involved because of all the Family Fun Days,” Julie says. “And with grandparents, you can say, ‘Plan this day on your calendar because we’re doing this and, if you want your Christmas gift, show up.’ It made it affordable.” “And,” Louise adds, “if they’d want other tickets for their friends, we’d say, ‘We might be able to do that.’”

“My husband and I don’t go on big vacations, but we could do Kalahari or the conventions because it was so affordable,” Julie points out. For a small extra cost, children could come along and enjoy their own activities. “You knew your kids were safe.”

Safety also played a role in one of Sarah’s favorite projects with Vulcaneer Arbor. Arbor teens asked the school board to allow a mock car crash project to educate students prior to prom. “The event was so realistic, and made a true impact on all students,” Sarah recalls.

“When we did the mock accident, the Vulcaneer members walked youth members through the steps, teaching them how to make a telephone request to the hospital, to the funeral home, to the towing company to get a vehicle,” Julie notes. “All those things were needed to come up with a plan. The kids loved it. The board loved it.”

Arbor parents in their 30s, 40s, and 50s have a broad spectrum of job skills. “They can teach kids how to do these things, and how to be a leader. Mike Stuart and [Vice President] Jaimie Linden came out from the Home Office and said ‘This is incredible. Every arbor should do this because arbors should teach leadership. You should teach the next generation.’”

Passing along skills, knowledge and values gives the next generation the tools to maintain growth. “Most of our youth now are in college and when it’s the weekend they come home. We pick activities they’re interested in,” Julie said. “It’s not about my activity or your activity. It’s about being a family. … When you know someone is hurting, you’ll be there. You’ll pick up a meal or make a visit.”

1 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/23/health/mental-health-crisis-teens.html

2 https://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20180504/loneliness-rivals-obesity-smoking-as-health-risk

Previous Back to News & Events Next

Solutions for Life

  • Single
  • Married
  • Family
  • Empty-nesters / Retirees
  • Business Owners

Products

  • Life Insurance
  • Annuities
  • Consult an agent

Choose Gleaner

  • About Us
  • Member Benefits
  • Our History
  • News & Events

Giving Back

  • Arbors
  • Faith in Action
  • Find an Arbor

Receive Gleaner news & updates

Contact Us
gleaner@gleanerlife.org
p 800.992.1894 | f 517.265.7745

Privacy Notice

Gleaner Life Insurance Society is domiciled in Adrian, Michigan, and licensed in AZ, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, NC, NE, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WI and WV. 

©2016 Gleaner Life Insurance Society