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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

"Quotes for Good" benefits local organizations

David Colburn
Posted 1/23/21

COOK- State Farm Insurance refreshed its marketing focus several years ago, retiring a catchphrase that was synonymous with the nation’s leading insurer for decades, but there’s little …

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"Quotes for Good" benefits local organizations

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COOK- State Farm Insurance refreshed its marketing focus several years ago, retiring a catchphrase that was synonymous with the nation’s leading insurer for decades, but there’s little doubt that the phrase “good neighbor” should be dusted off, shined up, and attached firmly to local State Farm agent Tim Johnson of Cook.
Thanks to Johnson’s participation in a relatively new community-focused endeavor called “Quotes for Good,” Volunteers in Education (VinE), a program that provides volunteer math and reading tutors primarily for elementary school students, has $1,200 more to put toward its efforts.
VinE Executive Director Cassandra Hainey and longtime educator and VinE contributor Bailey Conger, from Cook and an actual neighbor of Johnson, were at the State Farm office on Thursday to receive the donation. In a year when even tutoring has had to embrace online connections due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the money will be put to good use.
“This year the need has not decreased, it’s increased,” Hainey said. “We have costs associated with each tutor that uses Zoom, for example – that’s a new cost. Every one of our tutors has to go through a background check, and that’s an additional cost either from us or the volunteer. The coordinators are doing more this year because they have to set up every tutoring session, making sure it’s being recorded and communicating with teachers and students to make sure everybody has the correct information.”
From its humble beginnings in 2009 serving schools in Cook, Tower, and Babbitt, VinE is now in all of the Rock Ridge, Mt. Iron-Buhl, and St. Louis County district schools. And while this year’s COVID juggling has been difficult and left VinE with more volunteer tutors than students, a new collaboration with St. Louis County Social Services will connect VinE tutors with foster children who need extra support.
Hainey said that while an immediate use for the funds would be subsidizing background checks; it will be used to support other aspects of VinE’s operations, also.
This is the second organization Johnson has helped through the “Quotes for Good” program, the first being the Cook Food Shelf.
Johnson makes the choice of an organization to raise funds for, and he gives $10 for every insurance quote he gives during a period of two months. While the State Farm corporate office provides a small subsidy to agents who participate, the lion’s share of the money donated comes from Johnson’s own business income.
“It’s based on quotes, not on business written,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t obligate people. Most agents do one group a month, but I just felt that with the local organizations I’d do two months to give them time to promote it more. It’s been fun, and I’m glad that people like it and appreciate it.”
Before moving to Cook in 2009, Johnson said he knew he wanted to become part of the fabric of the community and find ways to give back.
“I think we have an obligation as businesses to give back, because I wouldn’t survive without the people of this region,” Johnson said. “That’s how my business has been built. But it’s especially important now, because with COVID-19, it’s been more difficult for groups to do fundraisers.”
Johnson’s current “Quotes for Good” organization is Friends of the Lake Vermilion Trail. Johnson has been involved with the trail project for about 10 years, and the Friends group is just starting to gain some good traction in fundraising. Johnson hopes the upcoming “Quotes for Good” donation will give them a good boost.
And who comes after that? Johnson said he hasn’t decided yet, but he’ll be looking for another charitable organization to support.
“It’s been fun and I look forward to working with the next group,” Johnson said.