Insuring Rural Communities Scholarship initiative created

ST. LOUIS- Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), a cohesive family of more than 130 independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Illinois, recently created the Insuring Rural Communities Scholarship initiative to enhance the sustainability of rural community residents through post-secondary education opportunities.

VIAA partnered with The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis along with Travelers Foundation to achieve the grant challenge of $260,000 for the first class of students.

The renewable annual scholarship of up to $5,000 per student is based upon financial need and academic potential. This scholarship initiative, designed for rural residents of Missouri and Illinois, is for those who have a high school diploma or GED certificate and are seeking new career paths based upon the recent pandemic. The Insuring Rural Communities Scholarship is specifically for residents pursuing degrees or certificates in the fields of information technology, healthcare or risk management.

Application deadline for the grant is May 15. Details are available at http://bit.ly/InsuringRuralCommunities.

“This scholarship gives rural residents the opportunity to apply their natural skills in an industry that is perhaps better positioned to weather a recession,” said VIAA’s co-founder Henry Powers. “We are proud to be a part of the Insuring Rural Communities initiative, which truly helps those who want to find a different path to a new career where they will earn a comfortable living.”

Founded in 2006, VIAA generates more than $250 million in written premium and is the regional founding member for the Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance (SIAA), a more than $8 billion national alliance. VIAA is located at 6825 Clayton Ave. For more information call (314) 725-1414 or visit http://www.viaa4u.com.

Kevin Bull has been personally involved with this endeavor since the beginning and is a cornerstone founding member, giving $1000 plus in funding in 2019. He fully supports and endorses this program, believing that it is a great way to retain young people in rural communities, providing them higher education and good paying jobs. Bull points out that using this program, everyone should be able to obtain a college degree with no debt.

Bull is also proud to point out that Travelers Insurance, one of the carrier partners of Bull Insurance Agency, was instrumental in getting the campaign funded as they matched donations dollar for dollar, showing they truly care about the well being of the future of rural America.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the program they can also contact Bull at 682-2998 and he can help you get in touch with the right people and discuss all the opportunities that this can provide.