Family Time Is All the Time for WoodmenLife Member

Family time for Iesha Kelley looks like that of many mothers across America.

“We’re always at a game,” said the 33-year-old WoodmenLife member¹ from Mayfield, KY.

Her 12-year-old son plays football and basketball and is the apple of his mother’s eye. He also inherited her speed — Kelley ran track in high school and was so successful that she was recognized in the local newspaper.

Family time for Kelley — like it does for many others throughout the country — also means staying connected to her extended family. She’s very close to her older brother, also a standout athlete, and her mom. Plus, Kelley helps care for her grandmother, who’s battling cancer.

Tornado Reshapes Focus on Family Time

When a tornado hit her hometown, Kelley had one thing in mind: her loved ones and how she would look differently at the future from then on.

For starters, her views on life insurance — which had seemed like a purchase she’d make sometime much later in life — shifted.

“It wasn’t a priority at all,” she said. “You don’t really think about it until something bad happens.”

For Kelley, “bad” was a four-state tornado outbreak in December 2021 with numerous fatalities. A tornado lifted her home from its foundation, and rain poured in. Because of the damage, light bulbs in the house would randomly burst, and wind would blow through as if the windows were open.

WoodmenLife member Iesha Kelley said she and her 12-year-old son, who plays football and basketball, are “always at a game.” But she cherishes the family time.

Looking Toward Tomorrow

Casual conversations she had with Sales Representative Ashley Wyatt, also of Mayfield, came back to her.

The two knew one another because their sons played basketball together. Wyatt and Kelley were friendly, and Wyatt had been emphasizing the importance of life insurance for some time.

“Ashley had been talking to me about it,” Kelley said. “She’d text, ‘Hey, girl, you need to think about this.’”

But it wasn’t a high-pressure sales pitch, which Kelley appreciated.

“You can tell when people do things just because it’s their job, and when they really care,” she said. “Ashley really cares.”

Wyatt cared about Kelley and her son’s financial future. Kelley is a single parent, so Wyatt was sure to discuss the unfortunate what-ifs of life.

“I said, ‘God forbid if something happened to you.’” Wyatt said, “‘If your mom had to take care of your son, you wouldn’t want her to be burdened financially.’”

Plus, Wyatt advised, Kelley could provide some financial security to her son with life insurance if she passed away.

The tornado made it all clear to Kelley.

“After that devastating event, I saw how families struggled to cover costs after losing loved ones,” she said. “I wanted to spare my family that hardship, so I prepared for the unexpected.”

Filling A Need

Kelley’s hesitation to purchase life insurance is something Wyatt often sees among young adults. Many carry debt. Many are single parents. And many don’t see life insurance as a monthly expense they need right now.

Their minds begin to change, Wyatt said, because of family time. They see how life insurance can help protect their loved ones from unexpected financial hardship. Plus, Wyatt shows them that life insurance is not as expensive as they think. They’re further convinced when they see how common misfortune can be, and how it affects the unprepared.

“Anything can happen at any time,” Kelley said. “Ashley found the right solution for me. It’s the best decision that I’ve ever made.”

Kelley and her son are now happily in a home where they can’t hear the wind blowing through. That, plus the protection she has with life insurance, brings her peace of mind.

In fact, she’s so sure of the value of life insurance that she plans to push her brother to purchase coverage for himself.

“He works in Alaska,” she laughed. “He’s around bears. I told him that he needs to have life insurance.”

WoodmenLife Can Help

Visit WoodmenLife.org/Life-Insurance to see how different life insurance options can help protect your family’s financial future.

You can talk to your local Representative about which solution is best for your unique needs. Go to WoodmenLife.org/Find/Rep to locate a Representative in your area.

1. An individual becomes a member by joining our shared commitment to family, community and country, and by purchasing a WoodmenLife product.

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