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Be aware of Facebook job scam

West Bend Mutual Insurance Company was made aware of a situation in which a scammer, going by the name of John Bryan (johnbryan037@gmail.com), posted a job for a personal assistant on Facebook. People who applied for the job received checks that appear to be issued by West Bend Mutual Insurance Company. Like the job posting, the checks are fraudulent.

We are working diligently to resolve this issue as soon as possible. In the meantime, we advise you to refrain from answering this fraudulent Facebook post.

Dealing with allergies

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in the U.S. and more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies each year. People can experience allergic reactions to a wide variety of substances, including pollen, dust, food, insect stings, animal dander, mold, and medication.

While many people look forward to spring for warmer temperatures and renewed flower and tree life, it’s less anticipated by those who suffer from seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever. Common symptoms include sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, congestion, and a runny nose. While the pollen and other allergens in the air are inevitable, there are things you can do to help minimize the impacts.

The Mayo Clinic offers these strategies to help control seasonal allergies.

If you think your child may have allergies to pollen, or other environmental factors like dust or pet dander, check out these tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

To learn more about the prevalence of allergies in the U.S., take a look at this interesting list of statistics and facts compiled by WebMD.

National Library Week

April 7 – 13 is National Library Week (NLW). Sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and observed annually since 1958, NLW celebrates the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and promotes the use and support of libraries. This year’s theme, “Libraries = Strong Communities,” highlights the positive impacts libraries have on our communities.

The inaugural campaign, “Wake Up and Read,” was in response to polls regarding reading. A 1955 Gallup poll found that almost two-thirds of adults had not read a book, other than the Bible, in the previous year. Another survey in 1957 found only 17% of Americans were currently reading a book. Organizers launched the campaign to encourage people to read more, believing this would motivate them to use and support libraries.

In conjunction with the 50^th anniversary of NLW in 2008, ALA added actress Julie Andrews as the honorary chair. Since then, celebrities including, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Grisham, Caroline Kennedy, and Judy Blume have served as honorary chairpersons. This year’s honorary chair is Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest charitable organization. Over the last 20 years, the organization has invested more than one billion dollars to enhance the power of libraries to improve lives.

Join the celebration by visiting your local library, thanking a librarian, or showing your support of libraries on social media.

To learn more about the history of National Library Week, click here.