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Show Page 12 The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume II, Issue I October 1999 Mrs. Halloween Jeannie Wendell & Melodie Hansen and she loves the kids. Linda Gillespie grew up in Ogden Valley and has always liked Watch for another fun spook alley Halloween. She has done some sort of creation from Linda this year at spook alley or haunted house every Snowcrest Junior High School—if you year since she was in the ninth grade, dare! whether it was for the church, school Linda has also been very active in or even the Navy. She says she enjoys supporting sports programs in the scaring people! She tells scary stories and plays practical jokes on friends and family alike. Some of her cousins won’t spend the night at her house because she has scared them so much. One of the first years she had a spook alley at their house, they lined up big freezer b o x e s throughout the house. Kids had Linda Gillespie with her sons Asa right and Alex under the cryptkeeper. to crawl from room to room to see each scary scene. Valley. Before Linda got involved with She had the kitchen all done up in the recreation baseball program, the aluminum foil and red lights. One little kids in the Valley didn’t have uniforms, boy got so frightened when he saw the very little equipment and played on the kitchen that he ran across the top of lawn. Linda was determined to change the boxes, instead of crawling, the program. Through her dedication, squishing the kids inside the boxes. she was able to get uniforms, Linda said they finally had to stop equipment, a backstop, and a wellbecause they were all laughing so hard. groomed baseball diamond. She also That was thirty years ago. That little has been the one to get labor and boy is from the Valley. She said she materials together so that there will be wished she knew his name, and that he a new scorekeepers shed (It will be probably still remembers that incident. ready for next summer.). She is the person behind the scenes, spending Her garage is half full of the endless hours getting equipment ready, Halloween paraphernalia she has ordering uniforms, keeping up on the collected over the years—everything field, finding umpires and coaches, and from fog machines and strobe lights to writing schedules. Linda is always coffins. She even has one real coffin. someone you can count on to get the Her husband doesn’t care for the job done. We all appreciate the great holiday himself, but has helped build efforts Linda puts into everything she bridges, walls that move, coffins, and does for our Valley, from putting on even a wall that a picture drops from the spook alley at Snowcrest Junior and other props for each year’s events. High, volunteering at the Balloon Fest, A lot of work and “stuff” go into assisting the coaching of boys baseball making each year’s event a success. at Snowcrest, and running a successful Some people have commented that baseball program. She has reinforced Linda must get paid but, in reality, she how important sportsmanship and doesn’t get paid at all. She has spent teamwork is to our children. thousands of dollars of her own money She truly has a love for the kids and to make the yearly events realistic and the game. fun. Why? Because the kids love it HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE DO’S AND DON’TS By Bruce Heckelman How do you know which insurance company to choose? How much life insurance will you need? What’s the difference between a PPO and an HMO health insurance policy? Confused? Most people are when it comes to selecting life and health insurance. So, here are some simple tips to help you wade through all the sales promotions and marketing hype. 1. Shop around. Shopping for insurance may not be the most exciting thing you’ll do, but it’s absolutely a must. Each time you talk to another insurance agent, you’ll pick up bits and pieces of new information that will make you a more informed buyer. So, make a point of calling at least a dozen different agencies. 2. There are two types of insurance agents—captive and independent. Captive means they represent a company. Independent means they can represent many companies. If you have a captive agent and like him/her, that’s great! But remember, s/he only represents one company so that may limit your ability to find the best policy and the most competitive rates. Captive agents are loyal to one company, and independent agents are not! This can work negatively and positively for each. Evaluate carefully! 3. When shopping for life insurance, make sure your agent asks very specific questions about your current income, assets and other financial questions that give him/her an idea of your needs. If an agent asks YOU how m u c h insurance you need, move on. An agent should have a formula that s/he uses to determine how much is needed. You don’t know the formula, so how can you know how much you need? 4. Don’t fall in love with your health insurance company! Rates go up! Benefits change and can disappear completely! Claims paying may take longer than normal! These are all key indicators that can help you be aware of the way your health insurance performs. Even if you make an application for health insurance and pay your first month’s premium you still have a ten day “free look” to change your mind about the company you have selected, and may get a complete refund of your premium if you so decide. If your signing agent doesn’t tell you this, you may wonder what’s more important to the agent, the client or the commission. 5. Remember, your insurance agent shouldn’t be a paper processor only. Their job is to review the client’s insurance needs and the policies that are in force. Has the client’s needs changed? Is their health insurance plan working for them? How does the agent know if s/he doesn’t stay in touch with you? Find an insurance agent that will make a commitment to stay in touch with you at least semiannually. If s/ he’s too busy to do this, then go find another agent. You may be doing the agent a favor by reducing his/her workload and clientele so s/he CAN contact existing clients! |