BURLINGTON, Vt. - Vermont Mutual Insurance Group® recently donated $15,000 to Spectrum Youth and Family Services as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins program, a multi-year, community-based collaboration between Vermont Mutual Insurance Group and the University of Vermont.

RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV: 2021 Beneficiary Announced 

The Cats Win, Community Wins initiative was created by Vermont Mutual and UVM Athletics to give back to local charitable organizations. As part of their arrangement, Vermont Mutual donates $100 for every Catamount win to a selected charity. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that surfaced in early 2020, most Catamount games had to be cancelled. As a result, Vermont Mutual wanted to ensure that the excellent work Spectrum does for their community was still recognized. To that end, Vermont Mutual decided to increase their usual contribution to address the lack of games played and won by UVM.
 
Speaking on behalf of the initiative, Dan Bridge, President and CEO of Vermont Mutual, noted "When we began to see the impact the pandemic was having on our communities in Vermont, including the cancelling of most UVM athletic events in 2020, we decided to move forward with a donation to Spectrum and go a step further by rounding up to a $15,000 donation. We know Spectrum will put it to great use." Bridge added "It was our employees who chose Spectrum Youth and Family Services of Burlington, Vermont and we are proud that through the hard work of Vermont Mutual employees and the great results their efforts have produced, Vermont Mutual was able to contribute more than $1 Million in COVID-19 relief across Vermont, including Spectrum Youth and Family Services."
 
Spectrum Executive Director, Mark Redmond, stated "We at Spectrum are so grateful to Vermont Mutual for their support of Spectrum Youth and Family Services through the Cats Win program.  $15,000 is a much-welcome gift, especially during this year when COVID has disrupted so much of our state and country. We will use this gift to support our Basic Needs programs which provide food, clothing and a place to live for homeless teens and young adults."
 
The Cats Win, Community Wins program will continue throughout the upcoming year; with 2021's charitable beneficiary being Vermont Foodbank.
 
Mark McDonnell, Executive Vice President and COO at Vermont Mutual, remarked "We are pleased to name the Vermont Foodbank as this year's Cats Win, Community Wins charity. Vermont's communities have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and with so many struggling at this time, the Vermont Foodbank continues to play a significant role by providing healthy meals to Vermont families."
 
Vermont Foodbank CEO, John Sayles, stated "I want to say thank you so much to UVM and Vermont Mutual, a long-time supporter of the Foodbank, for using the Vermont Foodbank as the beneficiary of 2021's Cats Win, Community Wins. This is truly a win for the community supporting our neighbors who might otherwise not be able to afford nourishing food."

Vermont Mutual Insurance Group® is a trade name of Vermont Mutual Insurance Company, Northern Security Insurance Company, Inc. and Granite Mutual Insurance Company. 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. Through 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 twelve consecutive years.