For a family that has never known abuse, CVIC donors Bruce and Renee Vaaler sure are motivated to end it.
Their daughter and CVIC Dreammaker Society Member Jennifer Marben can confirm: Not once has a Vaaler experienced violence at the hands of another person.
“That we know of,” Bruce clarified, noting how fortunate that makes them.
What they do know is that there are many “what ifs” in life and only so many simple solutions.
As the owners of Vaaler Insurance, their family spent three generations providing peace of mind to families living locally. It was never just about providing actuarial services. It was about helping people in the community navigate circumstances out of their control and providing protection when they did.
Renee and Bruce Vaaler have been dedicated to the CVIC mission for more than three decades. Now, their children are getting involved. Daughter Jennifer Marben recently became a Dreammaker Society member. Photo: Contributed by the family
A mission to plan and protect: Bruce
In his decades as an insurance leader, Bruce realized that having a plan in any catastrophe needed to do two things: reassure and actually work when things didn’t go as planned.
Bruce has known for a long time now that the same rules apply to abuse and survivorship.
“We always loved helping local people and making sure they were taken care of,” Bruce Vaaler said, which is something he appreciates in the CVIC staff, too. “At work, I was always the Chief Complaint Officer, had an open door policy, and in doing so, I learned a lot about hearing people out and helping them solve real problems.”
Now retired from the insurance business, Bruce’s philanthropic commitment to CVIC’s mission remains bold and direct.
“CVIC is fulfilling a direct need and having a direct impact right here,” Bruce emphasized. “We’ll continue to give until there’s no longer a need to give.”
A volunteer experience that changed everything: Renee
As a health care professional, Renee Vaaler saw unplanned circumstances unfold every day in her work at Altru.
But it wasn’t until she volunteered on the CVIC Crisis Hotline in the 2010s that Renee truly understood survivorship.
“Calls often came in the middle of the night, and I could hear whatever was going on in the background. Sometimes I had to go to the ER to meet them,” Renee said. “It was hard work, but it was worth it.”
Survivor conversations were traumatic at times, but Renee said she wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.
“I didn’t realize how much that stuff went on, or that people weren’t talking about it as much as they should be,” she added.
Today, Renee continues to support CVIC every chance she can get, calling CVIC a mission “you can really get into.”
Today, Renee knows that the crisis line is just one piece of CVIC’s work. All of it crucial.
“There are so many ways CVIC helps,” Renee said. “I don’t think we can talk about it enough.”
Passing the torch to the next generation: Jen
Jen Marben remembers as a child watching her parents getting ready for charity fundraising events or golf tournaments. But it goes further back than that.
“I remember my grandpa being very involved in everything from the Chamber to CVIC, and my grandma, too, and they seemed like they were at everything,” Jen said. “Just seeing the impact of that trickle down since their time is really neat.”
In 202X, the family sold Vaaler Insurance to Marsh McClennan where Jen now works as a XXXXXXX. Even though her workplace has changed, she’s taking the Vaaler commitment to supporting the community with her.
“I feel like it was kind of ingrained in me,” Jen said. “And if you have the resources, use them.”
Jen also provides financial support services to CVIC and stays engaged with the mission as much as she can in her free time. As a monthly sustaining donor, she’s also glad that she’s in the position to provide financial relief to CVIC where it’s needed.
“I couldn’t always do it financially, but now that I can, I see that I was kind of built for carrying it on,” Jen added. “To make things easier for people.”
Thank you, Vaaler family, for your dedication to CVIC, and for inspiring a stronger, healthier, safer Grand Forks community.
Discover how you can become a part of the CVIC giving community.
Story by Lonna Whiting