BURLINGTON, V.T. - In 2019, Make-A-Wish Vermont received a donation from Vermont Mutual Insurance Group of $11,200 as part of the "Cats Win, Community Wins" initiative.
 
The "Cats Win, Community Wins" program was formed by Vermont Mutual and the University of Vermont as a way to give back to local charitable organizations. As part of the multi-year agreement, Vermont Mutual donates $100 for every Catamount win to a local charity. For 2019, Catamount teams enjoyed 112 wins which resulted in the $11,200 donation to Make-A-Wish Vermont. This brings the 2019 total donations awarded through Vermont Mutual's Charitable Giving Fund to $370,000 presented to over 170 worthy organizations.
 
The check was presented at UVM's Patrick Gymnasium during the January 8^th Men's Basketball game against Stony Brook. Dan Bridge, Vermont Mutual CEO, and Mark McDonnell, COO, presented the check to Jamie Hathaway, the President & CEO of Make-A-Wish Vermont.
 
"Make-A-Wish Vermont and all the families in our program could not be more grateful to Vermont Mutual and UVM for making this gift possible," said Hathaway. "Because of the Cats Win, Community Wins program, a boy with cancer got to have his wish come true to meet with sneaker designers at Nike in Oregon. Vermont Mutual gave that boy something to look forward to and gave his family memories they will cherish forever."
 
The 2020 beneficiary of the "Cats Win, Community Wins" program will be Spectrum Youth and Family Services. Spectrum empowers teenagers, young adults, and their families to make and sustain positive changes through prevention, intervention, and life skills services. Each year, they serve 1,500 teenagers and young adults in Vermont.
 
Vermont Mutual Insurance Group is a trade name of Vermont Mutual Insurance Company, Northern Security Insurance Company Inc. and Granite Mutual Insurance Chartered in 1828, Vermont Mutual is one of the ten oldest mutual property/casualty insurers in the United States and provides coverage throughout New England and upstate New York. Though more than 400 independent agencies, the group insures over 315,000 policyholders with a direct written premium of more than $500,000,000. The group is rated "A+ superior" by A.M. Best and a Ward's Top 50 performing property/casualty insurer in the U.S. for the past eleven consecutive years.