FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FILM AND TELEVISION STAR MOLLY SHANNON CAST IN THE LEAD FOR LIFE INSURANCE AWARENESS MONTH
Washington, D.C. ‘ June 20 ‘ This September, comedian, actress and former Saturday Night Live cast member Molly Shannon will encourage millions of Americans to take stock of their personal insurance needs by sharing her family‘s story of loss and financial struggle. Molly will serve as the national spokesperson for the LIFE Foundation‘s fourth annual Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM) to help educate people about the importance of having adequate life insurance protection.
Molly was just four years old when she was in a car accident that took the lives of her 33-year old mother, her cousin and her younger sister. She survived the crash, along with her father and older sister, but her dad was badly injured in the accident and was unable to work for several years. In addition, Molly‘s mom, a school teacher, didn't have any life insurance coverage. Even today, Molly remembers how much her dad struggled to provide for his two daughters.
"The accident changed our lives dramatically. In an instant, my dad became a single parent and the only breadwinner for our family. Even at a young age, I was well aware of the financial and emotional stress he was under,‘ said Molly. ‘People don‘t like to think about bad things happening to them, but putting off the decision to deal with that possibility can have serious consequences. My personal experience led me to start thinking about life insurance when I first became pregnant. Now I can‘t imagine not having it in place as a financial safety net for my family.‘
During September, Molly will share her story with consumers through interviews with television and radio stations and print news outlets throughout the country. Molly will also help drive industry support for Life Insurance Awareness Month through a video message that will be distributed throughout the industry later this month. She will also deliver a speech on September 10, at the annual convention of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors in Washington D.C.
In addition to securing Molly‘s participation in Life Insurance Awareness Month, LIFE plans to spend millions of dollars in September educating consumers about the benefits of life insurance and the importance of seeking financial advice from qualified insurance professionals. Throughout the campaign, LIFE will conduct aggressive outreach to the consumer news media, sponsor a series of radio public service announcements and post special life-insurance features on its website and blog. LIFE‘s plans include print and online advertising, as well as the annual Newsweek realLIFEstories special section, which highlights how insurance has helped families in times of great financial and emotional need. LIFE will also announce the winners of its third annual ‘LIFE Lessons‘ Essay Contest, a college scholarship program in which students write essays and submit videos recounting the financial and emotional impact of losing a parent at a young age.
‘Molly Shannon‘s story is a prime example of how life insurance could have made a huge difference for a family had it been in place before tragedy struck,‘ said David F. Woods, CLU, ChFC, president of the LIFE Foundation. ‘We are delighted that Molly is lending her voice to our cause of reaching the millions of Americans who currently lack adequate life insurance coverage.‘
More than 100 leading insurance companies and industry trade groups participated in last year‘s Life Insurance Awareness Month campaign through a wide range of marketing communications efforts including consumer advertising, direct marketing campaigns, Web promotions, community seminars, producer incentive programs, campaign signage in field offices, and new sales and marketing resources. Many companies also used September as an opportunity to remind their own employees about the importance of having adequate life insurance coverage.
‘Every year industry support for LIAM has grown and I don‘t expect this year to be any different,‘ said Woods. ‘It‘s no small task reaching tens of millions of Americans, so I urge any company or individual producer who isn‘t on board yet to get involved.‘
Organizations or individuals wishing to learn more about the campaign can click on the LIAM tab on LIFE‘s website
About Life Insurance Awareness Month
Life Insurance Awareness Month was created by the LIFE Foundation in response to growing concern about the large number of Americans who lack adequate life insurance protection. According to LIMRA, 68 million adult Americans have no life insurance. Those who own life insurance have an average of four times their annual income in coverage, which is considerably less than most experts recommend. Held each September, Life Insurance Awareness Month is an industry-wide effort involving roughly 100 leading companies and tens of thousands of agents.
About LIFE
The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) was founded in response to the public‘s growing need for information and education on life, health, disability and long-term care insurance. LIFE also seeks to remind people of the important role insurance professionals perform in helping families, businesses and individuals find the insurance products that best fit their needs. To learn more about these topics, please visit www.life-line.org.
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