From the President’s Desk
Community Involvement: Howard Hanna Insurance donation with the help of Westfield Insurance to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown
Poll for Readers: “Must Watch” Holiday Movie?
Building A Home Gym
Winning 2021
Francis’ Corner: Kids Say the Darndest Things
Santa’s Little Helpers
Keep us in the Loop Too
Customer Care Centers & Extended Service Hours
What is the Client Portal?
Annie Hanna Engel
Instead of resolutions, I like to think about goals. This has been an incredibly challenging year globally. This much we all know. For years, I’ve sat at my dinner table asking my children and my husband about the highs and lows of the day for each of us. Sometimes, it was as simple as a dog not having barked at a delivery while somebody was on an important zoom classroom presentation.
I’m thinking about goals – not resolutions, right? So now, it’s time to change the dialogue for my dinner conversations, too. No longer the highs and the lows… But how we can reframe the question and our answers so that our dialogue in our heads and with our families, colleagues, and friends (and even strangers) focuses on what we can do better, how we are better, how we have become more agile and adapted – what were the real highs of our days and our years – and what’s next.
That’s the goal.
Annie Engel
Community Involvement: Howard Hanna Insurance donation with the help of Westfield Insurance to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown
by Howard Hanna Insurance Services
On September 22, Howard Hanna Insurance Services was able to secure a donation from Westfield Insurance and put it towards an apartment sponsorship for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown. Pictured above is the apartment that Howard Hanna Insurance Services sponsored.
Tara McHenry, Development Associate: Corporations and Foundations, said of the sponsorship, “There is currently a family in that room with a child receiving neonatal care. They have been with us since the start of the month. Your endless support has helped us give this family a comforting space to stay during their challenging time.”
An apartment sponsorship helps provide the expenses that apartment accumulates over the course of a year and ensures it stays in tip-top shape for all families utilizing it.
Poll for Readers: “Must Watch” Holiday Movie?
by Howard Hanna Insurance Services
Here is the run-down of our team’s favorite holiday movie picks. We’d like to hear from you on how many you have seen!
Building a Home Gym
by Howard Hanna Insurance Services
With the days being shorter in the winter, it can be hard to find time and motivation for a work out. If you have the space and financial resources, it could be a good idea to try building a home gym. Advantages include playing your own music and no commute time or wait to use equipment. Plus, sometimes a pet will keep you company. You can start slowly by picking out one or two pieces of equipment, then build from there.
Here are some of the things I have in my gym:
- Kettlebells – use for kettlebell swings and goblet squats
- Dumbbells – use for dumbbell rows, push press, and bicep curls
- Barbell – use for front squat, back squat, deadlift, and single-arm landmine presses
- Plate – use for ground-to-overheads, weighted plank holds, and weighted sit ups
- Medicine ball – use for slam balls, weighted Russian twists, and med ball cleans
- Pull up rack – use for pull-ups, chin-ups, or with a set of gymnastics rings for ring rows
- Resistance bands – help with stretching or use for face pulls and monster walks
- Ab mat – use to increase range of movement with sit-ups
- Foam roller – use on recovery days to help with sore muscles
- Yoga mat/blocks/straps
- A piece of cardio equipment like a treadmill, stationary bike, or rower
- Space for bodyweight exercises like pushups, burpees, jumping jacks. If a pushup to the floor is difficult, you can modify with an elevated push up by placing your hands on a washing machine or bench. Don’t forget to personalize your space with some inspiring artwork!
Winning 2021
by Jessica Entwistle
H. P. Lovecraft said: “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”
2020 could be labeled as the Year of the Unknown. We were unsure so often of what our days, weeks, and lives would look like, but from our fear we arose. We found strength in each other and ourselves in those unknown moments, and grew in ways it often takes a lifetime to achieve. I believe that through this growth, we won many times in 2020 and thus:
The Top 5 Victories of 2020:
1. We learned to value relationships.
Curveballs abound. As the world shifted, we were gifted the opportunity to take stock of those in our lives who have always supported us. Those we are blessed with that uplift our spirits and encourage us to carry on. It is all too easy to get caught up in the daily grind, but we were gifted a chance for gratitude. Not just once a year, but every day, for the amazing people in our lives and those relationships that held our hand in the dark and carried us back to the light.
2. We learned to value time.
It may have come in getting hours back in your day from not commuting into a physical office, or not missing a funny dinner table story, because you were there, every night. Time has always been a valuable commodity, but finding balance in life, finding the time to create that balance, has always been a struggle. Then 2020 gifted us all with more time. Whether you discovered a new hobby, reconnected with old friends, or just appreciated being present and constructive with the minutes in your day, we now know the real value of time.
3. We’ve become DIY masters.
Once we settled into the year, the only stores that may have been busier than the grocery stores were the home improvement stores. Whether you tackled that kitchen renovation you’d always dreamed of, constructed a home office in the most unlikely of spaces, or started a windowsill garden, we are all a little more self-sufficient as we blaze into this new year.
4. We learned how to cook.
Not just pasta or grilled cheese either! We always knew those 10,000 Pinterest Recipes would become a source of fun and happiness. We hosted Zoom cook offs and sharing meals no matter the physical space between us. Six feet no longer felt so far as the flavors in our mouths, that we created, bridged the distance and allowed us to savor togetherness and revel in our new chef abilities.
5. We learned we’re incredibly strong.
Finally, even in the most difficult moments of this year, a new slogan and way of thinking emerged. We are better together. We are stronger when we carry each other. We realized that even in the most isolating of times, no one is alone. We leaned on each other and through that shared experience, we grew stronger. We came together to hope.
2020, while filled with unknowns, was also a year of strength, a year of unity and a year of change. We now know what we are capable of and I look forward to 2021, and beyond, as those capabilities become actualities and shape our world for the better.
Francis’ Corner: Kids Say the Darndest Things
by Danielle Shearer
With guest appearances by Francis’ siblings Clare-Marie (7) and Iggy (5)
It was Art Linkletter, an accomplished businessman, who wrote the 1957 bestselling book, “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” He also ran that same popular segment on his television show that aired from 1952 to 1970.
In the early 2000s, I had been working at a restaurant in Hanover, PA called, “Patty and John’s.” It was there that I met Mr. Linkletter and some of his family. They were there celebrating his birthday and I was thrilled to find out that my supervisor wanted me to serve the party that night! They were some of the most pleasant people I had ever met and I remember being so excited that I had the chance to meet this broadcasting pioneer!
Well, that leads me to the present day. Just the other night I thought, why don’t I ask my kids more questions about life and sit back to enjoy their answers, just as Mr. Linkletter had done. After all, another year has passed and they are growing wiser. I want to capture these answers before their innocence is gone.
Growing up I loved watching the show “Kids say the Darndest Things” but of course couldn’t understand some of the humor until much later on. I found out that the idea to showcase children’s unrehearsed comments came to Mr. Linkletter during a conversation with his oldest child, Jack, after the boy’s first day in kindergarten. Informed by Jack that he would never go back to school, his father asked why. Jack responded: “Because I can’t read, I can’t write and they won’t let me talk.”
After reading that, I thought to myself, Iggy is in kindergarten right now and the other two in 1st and 3rd grade; I think that is the perfect age to engage with them and find out their answers to some general questions. It’s quite exciting and entertaining to find out what their little minds are thinking and how they’ve come to the conclusions they have. I feel the same as most of the fans of Mr. Linkletter back then, what a wonderful thing to just sit down and have a conversation with your children, one that is unrehearsed children just being children. So without further ado, I give you my interview with Clare-Marie, Iggy, and Francis which leads us to our version of “Kids say the Darndest Things.”
Question #1. Who was George Washington’s wife?
Clare-Marie: “Miss Washington”
Iggy: “I already know it, it’s Miss Washington”
Francis: “Martha Washington.”
Question #2. What happens to a cut when it heals?
Clare-Marie: “It turns yellow.”
Iggy: “I think it smooshes together and your skin heals and turns normal again.”
Francis: “It’s gone.”
Question #3: What is the best way to eat a hot dog?
Clare-Marie: “Oh, I know! To eat both at the same time and chew with your mouth.”
Iggy: “Same answer as ‘Sissy’.”
Francis: “put a bun on it and just stuff it in your mouth.”
Question #4: Why do we have hair?
Clare-Marie: “because some people don’t want to be bald.”
Iggy: “so when it rains it protects our head if you don’t have an umbrella.”
Francis: “cause we were made that way.”
Question #5: What would you do with $100?
Clare-Marie: “I would buy a convertible because I love convertibles.”
Iggy: “spend it on one-thousand, million toys.”
Francis: “Get Robux with it and stuff from Among Us.”
Question #6: Where is California?
Clare-Marie: “close to our state.”
Iggy: “in Disneyland.”
Francis: “in the western part of the United States and in the Pacific time zone.”
Question #7: Who wrote the Star Spangled Banner?
Clare-Marie: “his last name is Star and first name is Bangled.”
Francis: “George Washington”
Iggy: “whatever Francis said”
Question #8: What does a Principal at a school do?
Clare-Marie: “gets money for the school”
Iggy: “works to get money for the school to pay it off”
Francis: “makes kids laugh”
Question #9: How are fish born?
Clare-Marie: “In nests.”
Iggy: “The egg cracks and the fish comes out.”
Francis: “They come out of their parents’ belly.”
Question #10: Why are the Steelers called the Steelers?
Clare-Marie: “because there was a Penguin named Steeler.”
Iggy: “Steelers are a Pittsburgh name.”
Francis: “Because of the Steel Mills in Pittsburgh.”
Santa’s Little Helpers
by Howard Hanna Insurance Services
As we stayed a little closer to home this year, we had some of the best helpers around for creating holiday cheer. We decked our halls while decked out in festive apparel. Mischievous elves came from the North Pole to make sure we were being nice, not naughty. And furry friends wanted to help with everything – from frolicking in the snow to curling up by the fire. Here are some of our favorite holiday moments!
Keep Us in the Loop Too!
by Howard Hanna Insurance Services
We want to know what you’re up to as well! Kids, pets, vacations, we love it all! Drop your photos in a comment on our Facebook post by clicking the image above, and keep an eye out for your content in an upcoming newsletter!
Customer Care Centers & Extended Service Hours
by Howard Hanna Insurance Services
At Howard Hanna Insurance Services, we’re committed to delivering the very best customer experience.
That’s why we are pleased to announce an enhancement to the insurance services provided exclusively for our customers. We’ve teamed up with several of our insurance carriers to provide our clients with extended hours of operation and service when it’s convenient for you. As always, our office remains available should have you have any policy related questions. Here are the following carriers for which we are proud to offer extended hours for your service needs:
Chubb Insurance: 800-777-2131
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 8am-8pm EST, Saturday 10am-6pm
Encompass Insurance: 866-882-9513
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 8am-11pm EST, Saturday 9am-5pm
Grange Insurance: 855-293-3828
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 8am-7pm EST, Saturday 9am-12pm
Hanover Insurance: OH/MI clients: 800-782-8385, all other states: 855-255-4264
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 7am-9:30pm EST, Saturday 9am-5pm
Nationwide Insurance: 800-282-1446
Hours of operation: Monday-Friday 8am-9pm EST, emergency services available on the weekend
Progressive Auto: 877-776-2436
Hours of operation: 24/7/365
Safeco: 866-472-3326
Hours of operation: 24/7/365
Travelers: 877-872-8737
Hours of operation: 24/7/365
Westfield: personal lines: 844-948-1893, commercial business: 800-236-3884
Hours of operation: Monday-Friday 8am-6pm EST, Saturday 10am-3pm (no Saturdays for commercial). Westfield billing open 8am-8pm Monday-Friday.
What is the Client Portal?
Howard Hanna Insurance Services is pleased to offer our clients exclusive access to our Client Portal. The Client Portal is a personalized web account that provides 24/7 access to your individual policy information. You can access it at home or on the go from your desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. You can even access it via a special app, InsurLink!
InsurLink gives you full access to your insurance agency with the intuitive user interface and flexibility of a mobile app. Now you can connect to your insurance agency on your terms and your schedule. Visit the app store and download it from there.
What can I use it for?
- View a summary of your policy information.
- Request policy changes by sending a direct message to our team.
- View, download and print current auto ID cards for all vehicles on your policy.
- Manage users to allow other members of your household access to your Client Portal.
- Obtain certificates of insurance for commercial policies.
- Upload documents securely.
- Contact your Howard Hanna Insurance team!
How can I sign up? It’s easy! Email us at insurance@howardhanna.com or call us at 412-696-0310 to request an invitation. We’ll send you an email with a link to activate your account.
At Howard Hanna Insurance, we’re committed to protecting what matters most to you. Learn more today: HowardHanna.com/Insurance
412-696-0310
Thank you for sharing your stories. Great content!
I Love Francis’ Corner
My Favorite part of this newsletter
Super fantastic! Everytime I read these (when I have a moment) it inspires me to keep “trucking” along and try the actual information offered. Consistency to me is “key”. Breaking bad habits… is “key”. Walking the walk and not talking the talk is “MAJOR KEY” to me, no matter the sacrifices (mine only, mind you) they are, “worth it”! Thank you for the positivity! 🙂
A very informative and enjoyable edition of the Loop. Thank you for the smiles today.