Teaching Tueaday: Results from Food Drive and Mini Market We were able to collect 401 food items for the Dodge County Food Pantry and get Wally 4 cheat meals! If you don't know about the cheat meals, check out the video a few posts down. A huge thank you to everyone who donated and Kristi at BMO bank for being a drop off location and helping deliver the food! Mini Market was so much fun! We were able to raise $875 for the Good Karma Brands John Moser Children's Radiothon through the raffle baskets and Pizza Ranch Community Imact event! The kids selling their items did a great job! They were all smiles with the amout of customers that came through! I can't say enough about how talented those kids are. We can't wait to host another Mini Market!

Teaching Tueaday: Beaver Dam Pizza Ranch Community Impact Event - Mini Market What is the Mini Market? Kids are having their very own vendor & craft fair! The event is 11am-2pm on Saturday, March 22nd! We would love for you to come support our little entrepreneurs! The kids are working hard to make their items to sell! The Beaver Dam Pizza Ranch is a HUGE supporter of our community! They host Community Impact events for our local non-profits all the time! What do they do exactly? They donate 10% of ALL sales during that time to the non-profit! For the Mini Market, all money raised from the sales and raffle table will be donated to the John Moser Children's Radiothon! What does the radiothon do and where does that money go? It was started by Craig Karmazin in 1998. The Children’s Radiothon raises funds for local non-profit organizations that benefit children in the Dodge County area. Funds are raised throughout the year, and their signature event is the iconic 27-hour on-air auction. With the help of the generous community, the Children’s Radiothon has raised over $2.7 million dollars since 1998. The next radiothon is June 26th & 27th! We would love to see you on the 22nd!

Teaching Tuesday: Modern Woodmen Scholarships Tom T. Bear has been working hard his high school career! He applied and has been granted a scholarship! Wait, what? Modern Woodmen has scholarships?!? Yes! Current high school seniors can compete for 198 scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. An independent panel of judges selects 33 winners from each of six geographic regions. A total of $450,000 is awarded each year! How does someone qualify? You must be a beneficial member, covered by Modern Woodmen life insurance or an annuity for at least one year as of Jan. 1 of the applicant's senior year.* Have at least 40 hours of volunteer experience in the previous two years. Have a minimum 3.5 GPA (for Track 1) or 2.5 GPA (for Track 2). Plan to attend an accredited two- or four-year college/university or a trade/vocational/technical school for the upcoming fall term. Reach out for more information or to become a Modern Woodmen member today! :) *Note: The life insurance certificate must be on a premium-paying basis or must be paid-up according to the terms of the certificate, other than through use of the nonforfeiture option. The annuity must be a Modern Woodmen fixed or variable annuity.

Teaching Tuesday - Birthday's to Remember! First, yes, it is VERY important to remember your significant others birthday! :) Do you try to remember things like, "What age can I start taking money out of my retirement?" or "What age can I start collecting social security?" Here are some birthdays to remember! 50 - You can make additional "catch-up" contributions to your retirement accounts. 59 1/2 - You can take distributions from eligible retirement plans without a 10% early withdrawal penalty. 60 - Social Security survivor benefits may begin for eligible widows/widowers. 62 - Social Security retirement benefits may begin. If you start at 62, your benefit will be reduced compared to if you wait until a later age. 65 - You are eligible to enroll in Medicare starting 3 months before your 65th birthday. 66-67 - Full retirement age for social security retirement benefits. The age will vary based on the year you were born. 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67. 70 - Social Security retirement benefits are at the maximum you can receive. 73 - You are required to take your RMD (required minimum distribution) from your tax-deferred retirement accounts. You must take your first RMD by April 1 of the year after you turn 73 and subsequent RMDs must be taken annually by December 31st. Remember to work with your financial representative and tax professional when it comes to any of these important birthday questions!