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Rock Island, Ill. (Oct. 4, 2023) – Royal Neighbors of America, a women-led fraternal benefit society based in Rock Island, Ill. presented Elizabeth Pratt, Executive Director at Cornerstone Community Wellness in Sheffield, Ill. with a Nation of Neighbors℠ empowerment award and grant.

Royal Neighbors offers life insurance and annuity products to its members and is driven by its mission of supporting women and serving communities. Nation of Neighbors is Royal Neighbors’ signature women’s empowerment program and recognizes and supports women who work to empower women and girls through a nonprofit, business, or program. Nation of Neighbors recipients are influential leaders who exemplify the Royal Neighbors “neighbor-helping-neighbor” mission of community service.

Nominations for Nation of Neighbors awards and grants are submitted by Royal Neighbors members. Ms. Pratt was nominated by member and Davenport, Iowa resident, Linda Wastyn, PhD.

Cornerstone Community Wellness’s mission is to “bring physical, social, and economic health to their community.” The nonprofit offers services that complement traditional medicine, including a 24/7 fitness center, counseling, Bible studies, group fitness classes, and childcare while parents are on-site.

The newest addition to Cornerstone is the local grocery store, Royal Super Mart. “We purchased the business to give our community access to food, provide a place to socialize, and to pour into the economy of our village, which is known to impact health,” said Ms. Pratt.

The Nation of Neighbors grant from Royal Neighbors will help Cornerstone purchase the equipment necessary to run the commercial kitchen at Royal Super Mart. “Through this kitchen, we will provide fresh meal options to individuals and families and provide employment opportunities as the business grows,” said Ms. Pratt. “The kitchen will help us meet our goal of making a nutritious choice – an easy choice.”

“Elizabeth is empowering women to improve the well-being of themselves and their families,” said Royal Neighbors Senior Member Engagement Specialist Darcy Smith. “She embodies the mission of our ‘neighbor helping neighbor’ philosophy which was established by the women founders of Royal Neighbors of America nearly 130 years ago. We are inspired by Elizabeth’s drive to make a lasting and meaningful impact.”

“I am thankful for generous community members, Royal Neighbors of America, and our local Royal Neighbors chapter for helping us serve and enrich our community,” added Ms. Pratt.

To date, Royal Neighbors has awarded more than $2.5 million in Nation of Neighbors grants nationwide.

More about Royal Neighbors of America

Royal Neighbors was founded in 1895 as a membership organization by nine pioneering women who recognized the need to insure the lives of women and children. Now, with more than 250,000 members nationwide, Royal Neighbors of America offers life insurance and annuity products to its members and is driven by its mission of supporting women and serving communities. The organization’s employees, members, and chapters across the country drive the mission through localized volunteerism and philanthropy programs making social impact the cornerstone of their work. In 2020, Royal Neighbors was upgraded to “A Excellent” (3rd highest out of 13) by the AM Best Company for overall financial strength and ability to meet ongoing obligations to certificate holders. The rating was affirmed as of November 30, 2021 and once again in 2022. In 2022, Royal Neighbors delivered $24.5 million in social good, record revenue and received an all-time high score from the Great Place to Work® employee survey, achieving their sixth Great Place to Work Certification. For more information about Royal Neighbors of America, go to royalneighbors.org.