Texas member rebuilds after flood

How organized are you?

Weathering the storm

Where's my stuff?

McKara Caldwell: one purple dress leads

to a legacy of giving

IN LEADERSHIPWomen

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO

With each new season comes thoughts of what lies ahead. For many of us, spring is the time to leave the cold weather behind and enjoy the first sightings of tulips and daffodils. For some it signifies the time to re-evaluate our goals for the year. For others it means making travel plans for summer vacations. For our many volunteer-minded, caring members, it offers new opportunities to make a difference.

Meet McKara Caldwell, a young college student from a small town in Illinois. With a heart for giving, she has embraced her membership in Royal Neighbors to the fullest. From using our Difference Maker Fund, to earning one of our scholarships, she demonstrates all the principles on which we were founded. She has taken her passion for giving and melded it with her passion for sewing and created Stitching a Legacy, a non-profit that makes dresses for young girls in need across the country and many continents. Her thoughts on giving back are a testament to her strong character.

Our Member Relief Fund is another example of how Royal Neighbors helps bring people together. Karen Walker of Houston shares her story of neighbor-helping-neighbor and her long-time relationship with her Royal Neighbors sales agent who helped her rebound from a natural disaster.

You will also get to know Nadia Ruffin, urban farmer, in this issue. As the recipient of the 2017 Know Your Worth® grant from the Royal Neighbors Foundation, she is expanding her business to help her community gain better access to healthier foods.

We are pleased to announce the Nation of NeighborsSM program for 2018. The program awards grants to support initiatives that advance the interests of women and girls. I encourage members to nominate someone who exemplifies our legacy of empowerment and community outreach.

For our founders, the first day of spring, March 20, 1895, was full of anticipation. It was on March 21 of that year that Royal Neighbors was chartered as a fraternal benefit society in the State of Illinois…an amazing achievement for women in the 19th century. Nine pioneering women began with a dream and a cause and launched what has become one of the largest women-led life insurers in the nation.

Happy 123rd birthday to Royal Neighbors. An inspiring story of financial protection and philanthropy continues to thrive!

Cynthia A. Tidwell

Home Office: 230 16th Street, Rock Island, IL 61201-8645Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Central TimePhone: (800) 627-4762 | (309) 788-4561

contact@royalneighbors.org | www.royalneighbors.org

CONTENTS

The Royal Neighbor (ISSN 0035-905X), Issue 1, March 2018, is an official publication of Royal Neighbors of America. Published quarterly. Office of publication at 230 16th Street, Rock Island, IL 61201-8645. Periodicals postage paid at Rock Island, IL, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Royal Neighbor, 230 16th Street, Rock Island, IL 61201-8645. Members: Send former and new address to CertificateServices@royalneighbors.org.

It is not intended that articles express views held by Royal Neighbors of America or its financial representatives, nor is it legal or tax advice.

Outside DirectorsEstella Vallejo, ChairDr. Veronica Jordan, Vice Chair Julie BauerMarla GlabePatricia JonesRuth McGregorSuzanne Riesterer

Inside DirectorsCynthia Tidwell, President/CEOChris Seistrup, Executive Vice President

The Royal NeighborSusan Kenney Cotter, Editor in ChiefRita Toalson, FLMI, ACS, Managing Editor Linda Earnest, Graphic Designer

Financial Solutions Where's my 'stuff'?

On the CoverMcKara Caldwell's legacy of giving

Philanthropy Corner Weathering the storm

Nation of NeighborsSM

Royal Neighbors Foundation

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McKara Caldwell photos by Madeline Fox, Viola, Illinois

The Royal Neighbor provides useful information to our members and offers them a forum to connect across the country.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORSHelp is available to members affected by weather disastersWe are here to help members who have been affected by flooding in Indiana and storms in Ohio. If you need more time to make your insurance payments, file a claim or complete a reinstatement, please contact the Home Office at (800) 627-4762. We will work to accommodate you during this timeof need. Beneficial members may also qualify for our MemberRelief program that grants financial help to those who haveexperienced extreme financial hardship as a result of illness,accident or natural disaster. For details, visit our website orcall (800) 627-4762.

Financial Solutions

Where’s my

When you buy a home, start a file right away that includes all of the paperwork involved with the purchase. Keep an inventory of items such as TVs, refrigerators, lawn mowers, etc., with purchase prices, model numbers and warranties.

To protect your investment, keep records of the improvements you make, and when, to your home such as siding, roof and windows.

YOUR HOME

YOUR CURRENT BILLS

YOUR TAX DOCUMENTS

YOUR BANK RECORDS

You don’t want to forget to pay a bill because you misplaced it. Have a file for all current bills until they are paid. Then transfer them to a more permanent area for future review if necessary. Or consider online automatic bill payment.

To make life easier at tax time, keep everything you’ll need to prepare your next tax return, including: • W-2's and 1099 forms • Charitable donation receipts • Receipts and cancelled checks that support allowable deductions • Investment, medical and mortgage information

File checking and saving statements separately. Go through your checks each year and keep those related to:

Visit IRS.gov to learn more about document retention.

• Allowable tax deductions • Business expenses

• Home improvements • Mortgage payments

‘stuff  ’?When tax season rolls around, many of us

realize how organized we are…or how

UNorganized we are! If you tend to have more

paper than you can manage, it’s the perfect

time to re-evaluate your filing system.

Whether you’re storing information in a box or on a computer, it’s

important to know what you have and where it is.

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Follow these guidelines to organize your records:

Discard • Most cancelled checks more than a year old • Outdated insurance policies • Information about items you no longer own • Paycheck stubs after one year (after you’ve matched them

with your W-2 form) • Credit card bills more than a year old (or up to seven years

if tax-related expenses are documented)

Move to storage • Tax returns for at least seven years • Military records • Records for non-deductible IRA contributions • Information on former employers’ pension plans • Death certificates after the estate has been settled

Keep in a safe deposit box • Birth, adoption, marriage, citizenship, divorce and death

certificates • Your signed, original will • Your Social Security card • Contracts and other legal papers • Stock and bond certificates • Deeds and records of ownership • Pictures of furniture and other valuables

to assess the value of the contents of your home

• Valuables (coins, stamps, jewelry, etc.) • Passport

INSURANCE POLICIES

RETIREMENT PLANS

MAINTAINING RECORDS

Maintain copies of all current insurance policies, including companies, policy numbers and amount of coverage, beneficiaries and agents’ names (and be sure your beneficiary information is up-to-date). You and your family will appreciate your organization if a claim has to be filed.

Keep a file of information about your Individual Retirement Accounts, 401(k) plans, employee pension and benefit plans.

After you have your important information organized, it should be easy to maintain. However, it also can easily get out of hand if you don’t review your paperwork regularly! Make a “date” with yourself periodically to assess your situation.

Because your files contain valuable information about your personal, financial and medical history and general identity, it is important to keep them safe. Maintain a notebook explaining your recordkeeping system in an extremely secure place. Give a copy of the notebook to a relative, trusted friend or attorney in case of emergency, or share the location of the information.

Royal Neighbors offers a Personal Record Book that can help you organize your important information including medical history, tax records and financial assets. Not only will you have information readily available when you need it, your loved ones will appreciate your thoughtfulness if they need records and documents in an emergency.

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McKara Caldwell, Viola, Illinois, is a young woman with a passion for giving back. An 18-year-old student at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, she enjoys making a difference, and Royal Neighbors has been helping her do just that. One of our scholarship recipients, she is excited to start a campus chapter with her like-minded friends to volunteer in their college community. Using the Royal Neighbors’ Difference Maker Fund, she also increased the outreach of Stitching a Legacy, a charitable program that began with one purple dress.

Why did you start Stitching a Legacy? It all started with a purple dress. When I was 13 years old, I was the youngest

contestant in the Miss Blackhawk Valley Outstanding Teen pageant. One of the pageant requirements was to have our own personal platform. I had been thinking about what I wanted mine to be but I wasn’t sure. One day in church, a video was shown about the orphanages in the Philippines and the needs of the children including clothing for the girls. I took that piece of information and stuck it in my pocket. Closer to pageant time my mom and I went dress shopping for the big day and we picked out a handful of dresses that we thought would be good options. When I tried on a purple dress with silver sequins and beads, I knew right away that was the dress I needed to wear for the pageant…until we saw the price tag. We left without any of the dresses.

The next week was my birthday and my present was that purple dress. When I tried it on again and modeled it for my family, I felt so beautiful and empowered. I had a new-found confidence in myself. That’s when I knew I wanted that same feeling for the children in the orphanages I saw in the video. So I decided to have my mom teach me how to sew (she’s an amazing seamstress) and I started making dresses for the orphan girls in the Philippines in the hope that their dresses would have the same impact on them as my purple dress did on me. And that became my pageant platform. Through lots of love and donations, I was able to take 36 dresses to the Philippines on a mission trip in 2014. That was the beginning of Stitching a Legacy.

McKARA CALDWELLOne purple dress

leads to a legacy of giving

Meet

What was the reaction to the dresses? Some of the girls didn’t know what to do at first. One of them, about 4 years old, didn’t even want to touch the dresses. But when I told her she could pick some out she warmed up to the idea. She even put four dresses on at one time! All the girls’ faces lit up. They especially loved trying them on and modeling them for each other. One of the best things about it was that they all thought everyone else was so beautiful.

How many dresses have you made? We’ve made more than 1,000 dresses for girls ages 4-12 with the help of many, many volunteers from all over. We’ve sent them out in the United States, Haiti, Peru, Mexico and the Philippines.

Who has been your biggest influence? In addition to the women I’ve met through the Miss America organization who have such incredible hearts and set such a good example for me, my mom has had the biggest influence on me. She never failed to encourage me by painting pictures in my mind of what Stitching a Legacy could be. She’s the one who helped me with the idea and very patiently taught me how to sew. She has put in countless hours making dresses, helping to organize events and keeping up with our volunteers. She’s Stitching a Legacy’s number-one fan.

What are your thoughts about strong leaders? Confidence, approachability and rationality are important. Confidence is so critical in a leader position. People tend to trust people who are absolutely sure of themselves and the decisions they make. I think that’s what draws people in, which is why approachability is really important. You can be the most confident leader but if you’re closed off and

not welcoming to others, that turns people off right away. We all desire connections and relationships with one another. Talking to people like a friend and treating them with respect will always get you where you need to be. And you need to be really rational. My mom would describe that character trait as being a team player – thinking in favor of everyone, not just a few.

What is your biggest accomplishment so far? I’m proud of myself for being a full-time college student AND a student athlete. People aren’t lying when they say it’s not easy! With my current classes and the thought of a Master’s degree in mental health and counseling in my future, I’m busy. When I add cheerleading to the list, that's even more time and energy. The past year has been trying but so incredibly rewarding. I’ve learned how to be independent. In addition to my personal accomplishments, I’m super proud of Stitching a Legacy. We just recently officially became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, for which I’m now the president and CEO. We’ve

been doing this work since 2014 so this is definitely exciting.

What does your Royal Neighbors membership mean to you? It’s hard for me to find the words to express how grateful I am to Royal Neighbors for all it’s done for me and Stitching a Legacy. The Nation of NeighborsSM grant I received will help with the costs of more sewing machines and fabric, and the Royal Neighbors scholarship has certainly made a difference for my family. I appreciate the connections we’ve made through the people at Royal Neighbors, too. But more than anything, Royal Neighbors gave us hope. It was able to see the potential in Stitching a Legacy and encouraged me to realize dreams I never thought were possible.

I’m also excited to start a Royal Neighbors chapter at my school. My friends are interested in being a part of it because there are so many volunteer opportunities and places in our area that can benefit from our help.

What message would you like to share with our readers? Giving back can provide a feeling that you truly cannot get anywhere else. It’s about sharing your skills, your time and love with others. It’s not always convenient but by making it a priority it gets easier as time goes by. After a while, you’ll crave it. I think the term "making a difference" can be a little cliché to some people, but it is so real. Making a difference in one person’s life is making a difference in the world. Small actions that influence someone else have a ripple effect. I would encourage everyone to give back and to strive to change a life.

7Pageant photo courtesy of Ericandi Photo and Image Design.

Miss Blackhawk Valley Outstanding Teen, 2013

McKara Caldwell, a member of Chapter 20025 Viola, Illinois, since 2016, owns a Royal Neighbors whole life insurance certificate.

Philanthropy Corner

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Royal Neighbors member and Houston native, Karen Walker, 57, won’t soon forget August 25, 2017. “It had been raining all day,” recalled Karen, who lives with her son, Danny, in a Houston neighborhood on the floodplain. “We had never had high water in the house, but when my street began to look like a lake, I started moving furniture

and lifting my belongings to higher places.” Weather forecasters were predicting a deluge – and Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane, delivered – dumping two feet of rain on the city and its environs in the first 24 hours. At the hurricane’s peak, one third of Houston was underwater, forcing 39,000 people from their homes and into shelters.

Karen was among those who would eventually need to be rescued. “I have lived in my house for 38 years, and we have never seen flooding like this. The water flowed under my front door and up to my outlets. I lost power and my furniture was getting soaked.”

Royal Neighbors Stands by our Members During Troubled Waters

Karen's entire household belongings were piled curbside after Hurricane Harvey’s devastating floods.

Hilditch Financial Services, Crosby, Texas, is a family agency that helped its Royal Neighbors clients apply for Member Relief funds. Standing from left to right are: Ryan Hilditch, Brett Hilditch, and Jason Hilditch. Seated is agency founder, David Hilditch.

Weathering the Storm

Royal Neighbors agent Jason Hilditch and member Karen Walker

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Desperate, at 3 a.m. she called her long-time friend and Royal Neighbors of America life insurance agent, Jason Hilditch. “Karen told me the water was coming in, and she was stranded, and that her brother would be coming to get her. I told her as soon as the streets were passable, I would be over to see her and help her file for Royal Neighbors Member Relief funds that were available since she owns a Royal Neighbors life insurance certificate.”

“Twenty-four hours later, when my brother and sister rescued us,” said Karen, “the water was up to our waist. Our whole neighborhood was under water, and a family down the street had drowned. It was heartbreaking.” Karen and her son spent more than a week with her siblings, and as the water subsided, the second disaster emerged. “I walked into my home and lost everything. Mold was everywhere.” Houston streets that were once lakes became mini-landfills as residents piled furniture, appliances, carpets and heirlooms on the curb.

In the aftermath, Hilditch Financial Services, an independent agency that sells Royal Neighbors insurance products, sprang into action. “Our agency is a family business,” Jason explained with pride. “My father founded it, and I, along with my two brothers work here. We maintain close relationships with our Royal Neighbors clients. We value the neighbor-helping-neighbor philosophy. Few financial organizations provide such support and value for its members, especially in times of profound need.”

Karen, her son, Danny, along with her sisters were all eligible for Member Relief to help cope with the disaster. The funds cover non-insurable expenses such as staying in a motel or buying much-needed items for their home. Jason made sure each of the agency’s eligible clients applied for aid that he reported came swiftly as promised.

For Karen, it took the remainder of 2017 for her to return her home to a livable condition that included replacing drywall, insulation, bedroom and living room furniture and appliances. The expenses are significant. “We lost everything. It will take time, but Jason was a Godsend. I’ve referred a lot of people to him, and despite the circumstances, I’m grateful for my home and wouldn’t change it for the world.”

"Few financial organizations provide such support and value for its members."

Become a Royal Neighbors member or learn more about our MEMBER RELIEF FUND.

Visit us at royalneighbors.org or call (800) 627-4762

Royal Neighbors California Convoy of Caring

Heads to Houston

When Nadine Scott (center), Oakland, California, watched Hurricane Harvey’s devastating flooding unfold, she and her fellow chapter members sprang into action. “There was a command post in Oakland for Houston churches, so our chapter came on board to mobilize,” Nadine explained. As a chapter leader, Nadine rallied Chapter 2037 to provide new clothing and shoes for children and adults who lost everything. Volunteers worked in an assembly line, loading up boxes that were bound for Texas. Nadine’s parents, Royal Neighbors members from Bakersfield, California, also donated boxes of food. “In the end, we filled several semi-trailers full and sent them on their way!”

Let’s Roll!

Karen Walker, Chapter 7826 Rosenberg, Texas, has been a member since 2013, and owns whole life insurance products with Royal Neighbors.

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The 2018 Nation of NeighborsSM Program is now open for nominations! Members of Royal Neighbors have the opportunity to help someone they know make a difference in their community. The 2018 nomination period runs March 1-June 15.

Nation of Neighbors is a Royal Neighbors philanthropy program that awards grants to support initiatives that advance the interests of women and girls. In its first decade, we have distributed nearly $2 million to empower women across the country. Royal Neighbors members nominate women leaders who have dreams of improving their lives and their communities. A panel including past recipients and community leaders reviews each nomination and selects the recipients and the award amounts.

Cindy and Katie Koll were awarded a $12,000 Nation of Neighbors grant in 2017. The mother-daughter team operates “Something for You,” a quilt shop in Atlantic, Iowa. A successful business that not only offers supplies for quilting enthusiasts, it provides space for volunteer projects that help the community.

“Sometimes we sew, but sometimes we just talk about what’s going on in our lives. This gives women a safe place to talk it out and gives them confidence. When you help other people build confidence, you build your own. It’s a comfortable group where we can expand friendships,” shared Cindy.

“The 4-H group comes in to help as part of service projects and the confirmation class makes homeless quilts. I don’t often think about the impact we’re making, but when I do, I’m grateful that we can help.”

Other examples of Royal Neighbors’ Nation of Neighbors recipients include women who:•Created a mobile “closet” to provide fashionable clothes for teens

unable to afford them•Opened a transitional home for women released from incarceration•Established a women’s entrepreneurship program•Developed a video to bring awareness to human trafficking

This is only a short list of what our remarkable recipients have accomplished to empower women and build their communities. If you know someone with a dream to empower women, demonstrate your confidence in her by completing a nomination form before the June 15 deadline. A panel will review all nominations and determine the recipients by September 1, 2018.

PROGRAM GUIDELINES•Nominations will be accepted only from

members of Royal Neighbors.•Self-nominations are accepted.•Nominations must include a detailed

explanation of how funds will help empower women.

•Nominator and Nominee must be 18 years old or older.

• Information provided must be detailed, thorough, accurate and complete.

•Royal Neighbors reserves the right to verify background and information provided.

•Recipients are responsible for any public aid or tax implications.

•Previous recipients are not eligible.•Nomination deadline is June 15, 2018.

Complete guidelines appear here.

Nation of Neighborsomen’s

empo ermentW IS SYNONYMOUS WITH

2018 NOMINATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED

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The Royal Neighbors Foundation has awarded Nadia Ruffin, Cincinnati, Ohio, a $10,000 Know Your Worth® grant to help grow her business, Quiwi Produce. Nadia founded the company to combat food deserts in the Cincinnati area. In addition to growing food for the community using hydroponics, Nadia offers classes and workshops on organic urban farming, gardening, beekeeping, mushroom production and food safety.

“This grant will definitely help me expand my business and outreach,” said Nadia. “Many people don’t know how to grow their own food, but with hydroponics, you can grow foods like tomatoes, lettuce and peppers right in your own home. Depending on the space you have, the sky’s the limit.”

The Know Your Worth grant is designed to assist women who have an existing small business or have a plan to create a start-up business with less than five employees where access to traditional sources of capital and lending are limited or non-existent. Learn more about the 2018 program.

$500 Chapter 378 – Effingham, IL

$218.14 Chapter 1129 – Bradley, IL

$200 Chapter 378 – Effingham, IL

$200 Chapter 2845 – Sioux Falls, SD

$200 Chapter 8778 – Selby, SD

$200 Chapter 8778 – Selby, SD

$200 Chapter 20081 – Blue Grass, IA

$122.15 Imagine Nation Books

$100 Chapter 2184 – Rapid City, SD

$100 Chapter 8753 – Hillsboro, OR

$100 Chapter 9673 – Hettinger, ND

$75 Chapter 10748 –

Sweet Home, OR

$75 Tracy Kotecki

$50 Chapter 30 – Sterling, IL In memory of Nancy Fried

$50 Chapter 1228 – Rexford, KS

$50 Chapter 1228 – Rexford, KS

$50 Chapter 1329 – Oakland, MN

$50 Chapter 1329 – Oakland, MN

$50 Chapter 1491 – New Bedford, IL

$25 Human Resources Department

$10 Lena Holland

Thank you for your donations!September 4, 2017 - February 1, 2018

Urban farmer Nadia Ruffin

ABOUT THE ROYAL NEIGHBORS FOUNDATIONThe Royal Neighbors Foundation is the independent philanthropic foundation of Royal Neighbors of America. It was established in 2002 as a 501(c)(3) public charity to provide financial education and support causes that empower women and their families. Its mission is Building Women’s Futures Through Financial EducationSM. For more information, call (800) 537-1396 or visit www.royalneighborsfoundation.org.

The Royal Neighbors Foundation reserves the right to review the conditions and procedures of all Foundation programs; to make changes at any time, including termination of the programs; and to determine whether any or all of the program funds will be awarded.

Interested in learning about some

investing basics? Register for our

webinar, April 19, 2018

7:00 P.M. Eastern Time 6:00 P.M. Central Time5:00 P.M. Pacific Time

Special Foundation scholarships available for women! Applications are now being accepted for the Foundation’s Build Your WorthSM scholarships worth $1,000 each. The program is open to women who are pursuing a career in finance or insurance.

Build Your Worth Grant Guidelines*• Must be a woman 18 years or older at

the close of the application period• Open to Royal Neighbors members

and the general public• Must be pursuing an Associate’s,

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an insurance or finance-related field

• Awarded on the basis of academic merit and philanthropic commitment and activity

Check out the details and apply before April 1, 2018!

receives $10,000 from the

www.royalneighbors.org/insuring-lives

Certificates and riders are not available in all states. Contractual provisions and limitations may vary by state.

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ROYAL NEIGHBORS Board of Directors Election

According to the bylaws of Royal Neighbors of America, an election will be held each year for the members of its board of directors whose terms are expiring. The terms of Estella Vallejo, Peoria Heights, Illinois; Dr. Veronica Jordan, Boston, Massachusetts; and Ruth McGregor, Phoenix, Arizona, expire in 2018. Ms. Vallejo serves as chairman of the board and also is a member of the investment and audit committees. Dr. Jordan is the vice chair of the board and serves on the governance and compensation committees. Ms. McGregor is chair of the governance committee and serves on the investment committee. Read more about the election.

Your summer issue of The Royal Neighbor magazine will be in your mailbox in early

June. If you are not already on our mailing list, or if you have a new address, please let

us know so you will be sure to receive our member publication.

Send your address to editor@royalneighbors.org

RNA 03-18A

Do you need term life insurance to help meet the needs of a growing family?

Term insurance may be right for you if you:· Are young and just getting started in life· Area a parent looking at college expenses in the future· Have a mortgage or own a business· Are interested in coverage that offers a fixed payment

for a set period of time

Royal Neighbors Sells Life Insurance and Annuities We offer financial protection products for every stage of your life.

Certificates and riders are not available in all states.Contractual provisions and limitations may vary by state.

Call your Royal Neighbors agent or (866) 845-6665 today to learn more about our term life insurance product.

The Royal Neighbor