Being a member leader, also called a Branch or Regional Councillor, is one of the most rewarding benefits at Foresters Financial. It’s an experience that opens so many doors to professional and personal growth, travel opportunities, helping others and rewarding volunteer activities. Let’s look at all this unique Foresters benefit has to offer by exploring the inspiring stories of three member leaders: Sherry Lee D. from Canada, Tanis H. from the US and Rajesh M. from the UK.
Getting more than just coverage as a member leader
Rajesh M., Branch Council Vice President, comes from a family of Foresters members. His father originally purchased a Foresters life insurance plan, and from then on, he was introduced to our organisation. “I was a passive member until I started getting more actively involved in 2016,” he explained.
After attending a few more member activities in his community, Rajesh was approached by a Branch Councillor and asked if he wanted to get more involved. “I said yes, and then it all progressed from there. I was elected and the story continues,” Rajesh said with a laugh.
When talking about leading his first activities in his community, Rajesh said it can be a little intimidating, but those feelings always melted away for him once things started. “It can be a little nerve-wracking initially when you’re waiting for people to turn up. But once they are there and the activity starts, you can relax. It’s really good. Especially when you get a great feeling when attendees come up to you and thank you for setting it all up.”
Being a member leader gets you a little more involved than a regular Foresters member. You get to see more about how the granting processes work. Rajesh shed some light on this and said, “So being a Branch Councillor gives you a behind the scenes of what Foresters is about. You can get a look at the funding process; how much funds are available and how they are distributed across the regions.”
Reflecting on the start of his journey with Foresters, Rajesh spoke about how a life insurance policy, purchased for him by his father, opened him up to a whole new world. “He bought me a life insurance policy, and it turned out to be more than that.” He continued saying, “I’ve made friends that, you know, I would never have in my lifetime.”
With Foresters, it’s about more than just coverage. And Rajesh put it best by saying, “You buy something with a little bit of money, and you’ve actually bought more than just the product here, a lot more came with it.”
From helping sick kids to becoming Branch Council President
Sherry Lee D., Branch Council President, has had a policy with Foresters for about 13 years now. And like some of our members, when Sherry Lee first got insured with Foresters, she knew about the benefits she had access to, but never quite dived into them. That all changed when the opportunity to help the Montreal Children’s Hospital arose.
“I was a sick kid growing up. So, I spent a lot of time there,” she said, explaining a bit about herself. That connection inspired Sherry Lee to take the leap and support not only a place that really meant something to her, but also sick children in need of a little bit of joy. Sherry Lee explained, “It was this activity of making stuffed animals. So, I said, this could be something my daughter and I could do. I signed us up, and we did it.” This was the activity that kicked everything off for Sherry Lee.
After her experience helping the children’s hospital, Sherry Lee learned more about our Branch Councils and how they play a huge part in supporting local communities. “I started attending the meetings, and that year was a new Branch election year. So, I decided to run, and I made it onto my community’s council,” explained Sherry Lee.
It didn’t take long for her to become her Branch’s president. “After my first two years, I’m like, okay, I’m taking on president. And I’ve been doing it ever since.”
To Sherry Lee, Foresters can give people the potential to make a huge impact on causes and organisations that are meaningful to them. “I tell my friends about Foresters and the activities I can join in on, and they tell me it seems cool,” she explained. “As a member, I can apply for grants to do something locally in my community, or I can organise a volunteering activity or I can just plan something fun. It’s a wonderful opportunity to give back, and that’s what sold me originally.”
When it comes to our grants, Sherry Lee mentioned that they are for every member, not just people on Branch Councils, “They’re yours. For every member.” Not only can every member access these helpful grants, but they are also so easy to apply for and carry out. Sherry Lee said, “My goodness, they are so easy. You can just go to MyForesters, read about the grants and apply! You don’t have to be an expert in anything.”
A teacher that found a new community
As a Branch Council Vice President, mom and an educator, Tanis H. fell in love with Foresters giving and supportive foundation from the moment she first became a member. A financial advisor sold her on Foresters. “He mentioned that you can do family activities with your children, and they also give back. He said you’ll find that you’ll have security but also the opportunity to work with Foresters to make a difference,” Tanis said.
Tanis started her journey with Foresters by taking her family to fun activities. She explained, “I didn’t start doing volunteer events when I became a member. At the time, I was doing more fun activities with my family because I really enjoyed the connection it brought us.”
But when she began to explore other volunteer grants and activities, Tanis found something that hooked her: community. “I had my mom community and my teaching community. But then I started going, oh, there are these other members in my city! And I’m still connected to some of them to this day,” Tanis mentioned as she explained how she felt when she discovered giving back with Foresters.
As she started doing more Foresters Care grants and taking advantage of giving back with Foresters, Tanis was introduced to local Branches and the possibility of earning a scholarship to explore more about member leadership. “I applied and went to a couple of Branch Council meetings, and I really loved the Branch there. I learned from different generations of people and their wonderful personalities,” she explained.
Tanis did become a Branch Councillor and went to the Foresters Leadership Development Conference (LDC) in 2022. “LDC really showed me that Foresters is made up of people from all over the world. It really was just an awesome experience…it showed me this organisation is going in a direction that I can stand behind for another 20 years,” said Tanis.
The other members she has come to know are more than just a group of people. Speaking about our current International Fraternal President, Richard Hennick, and growing as a group of friends, Tanis said, “At my first LDC at one of the dinners, Richard went up to speak to us, and you know, the fact that I call him Richard, like it shows that there isn’t necessarily this hierarchy, right? We’re all just people in this for the right reasons.”
It’s so much more than just life insurance for Tanis. It’s another community. “I just find that Foresters is a place that takes care of my family and me, but it also gives me opportunities to help others that maybe I couldn’t before.”
What’s your story?
You could be the reason other members feel inspired. All you have to do is get involved! Now that you’ve got a peek into the stories of some of our member leaders, why not learn a bit more about the role?
Explore more about member leadership, its perks and rewards on MyForesters! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to engagement@foresters.com.
