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Following Walk the Mississippi Challenge

Mesa, Arizona (Oct. 6, 2023) – Royal Neighbors of America, a fraternal benefit society based in Rock Island, Ill. has announced a generous donation of $2,000 to Guerrero Elementary, an under resourced school near their Mesa, Ariz. office location. This donation signifies Royal Neighbors’ unwavering commitment to community support, made possible by the outstanding success of the organization’s Walk the Mississippi Challenge.

Royal Neighbors’ all-employee initiative aimed to walk the length of the Mississippi River, covering 3,000 miles in 74 days. If employees reached this goal within the time frame, a donation would be made to the school. Royal Neighbors surpassed this goal by walking more than 5,000 miles in record time, making it possible to provide crucial support for the 2023/2024 school year to Guerrero Elementary, which is closely located to the company’s Mesa, Ariz. office.

Royal Neighbors Sales Analyst Melbourne Williams, the driving force behind the Royal Neighbors Walk the Mississippi Challenge, expressed his pride in the accomplishment, saying, “This generous contribution to Guerrero Elementary is a testament to Royal Neighbors’ commitment to education and community support. I am incredibly proud of the Royal Neighbors community for coming together to achieve our goal. The dedication and passion of our employees, who averaged 126 miles per day collectively, is what pushed us to exceed our goal in the first 23 days."

This challenge promoted fitness and well-being for employees and also showcased the desire of 64 participants within the organization to make a positive impact on their local communities. Their dedication led to raising $2,000 for the under resourced school.

Notably, participants in the Royal Neighbors Walk the Mississippi Challenge demonstrated persistence and commitment to the goal, with an average of 48 miles covered per person. Impressively, 41% of participants maintained or exceeded the average miles per day. Individually, each participant covered an average of 1.96 miles daily, totaling 84 miles per participant.

Royal Neighbor of America’s CEO and President, Zarifa Reynolds, led by example by actively participating in the challenge and encouraging her colleagues to join. Her involvement set an inspiring example and underscored her commitment to fostering a culture of health and philanthropy within the organization.

“I am so proud of our organization’s effort, which allowed us to raise $2,000 for a cause close to our hearts,” Ms. Reynolds emphasized. “The donation to Guerrero Elementary School exemplifies Royal Neighbors’ dedication to supporting education and making a positive impact on the communities it serves. We walked over 5,000 miles a full month ahead of the original challenge end date of August 24th. We also saw all five of our Royal Neighbors values in live action: faith, courage, unselfishness, endurance, and humility."

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.