Marley and Me

Roberta remembers getting the call. She was at work when her phone lit up with a number from Peru. She just smiled and shook her head.

“I thought, ‘Those silly girls – what kind of trouble have they gotten into this time?’” says Roberta Ellis-Stevens, a member from Rapid City, South Dakota.

“That’s when they told me there had been an accident.”

Roberta’s daughter, Whitney, and her best friend were on a five-day trek to the ancient Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. A former National Guard member who’d served in Iraq and Kuwait, Whitney saw life as an adventure. She had dreams of traveling the world.

Those dreams ended on March 1, 2017, when the trail beneath Whitney’s feet suddenly collapsed. The ground gave way, and she plummeted to the river below. Whitney’s friend ran for help, but it was too late.

Whitney Stevens was just 24 years old when she died, and she left a lot behind. Unfulfilled dreams, grieving family and friends – and a little girl named Marley. At just 4 years old, Marley was now an orphan.

“Whitney had a will, and she’d named me as Marley’s guardian,” says Roberta. That was six years ago. Today, Roberta and Marley are looking to the future. Thanks in part to Modern Woodmen’s Orphan Support Benefit, it’s looking pretty bright.

Modern Woodmen: How did you learn about the Orphan Support Benefit?

Roberta: I was talking to my representative [Andrew Bartling] one day, and I noticed a booklet lying on his desk. The word “orphan” caught my eye, so I mentioned it to him. After some checking, we found out that Marley did qualify.

It’s not something you want to qualify for. But, in the same breath, it definitely has helped us.

MW: How have you used the Orphan Support Benefit’s monthly support payments?

R: I set up a college fund for Marley. Every month, the money goes right back into that Modern Woodmen account. She’ll be able to use the money to go to college or a trade school or do whatever she decides. And this will be in addition to the education grant Modern Woodmen will give Marley for college through the Orphan Support Benefit.

MW: What are your thoughts about life insurance for kids and young adults?

R: The reason Marley qualifies for the Orphan Support Benefit is because Whitney was a Modern Woodmen member. My parents purchased coverage for all of their grandchildren when they were young.

I decided to do the same thing for my grandkids. I bought single-premium life insurance for Marley and my three step-grandsons about five years ago. I thought it would be nice if they were members of Modern Woodmen, too.

What is the Orphan Support Benefit?

You don’t want to think about the unthinkable – leaving your kids without parents – but it could happen.

And if it does, Modern Woodmen’s Orphan Support Benefit is here to help.

This fraternal member program offers financial support for the care and education of children who lose both parents. Modern Woodmen provides the new legal guardian a monthly allowance for each child in the family. Payments continue until the child does one of the following:

• Becomes self-supporting.
• Marries.
• Reaches age 19.
• Enrolls in college under the program’s education grant.