Casey Prince
Going Beyond 2024: Casey Prince
Casey Prince, AVP and marketing communications manager, named the employee winner of the 2024 Scotty McIntyre Jr. Go Beyond Award.
This award honors the legacy of former UFG leader (and son of our company’s founder) Scotty McIntyre Jr., who engrained within our corporate culture the importance of giving back. In that spirit, UFG is honored to make a $5,000 contribution to the Patrons of the Performing Arts in recognition of Casey’s commitment to community service.
Hear nominator Matt Evans, principal and practice leader at TrueNorth, share why he was so passionate about nominating Casey and watch the moment Casey learned received won the award.
Finding the right lane
When it comes to serving his Cedar Rapids, Iowa, community, Casey Prince isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves — especially when it comes to his alma mater, George Washington High School, nicknamed “Wash” by those who know it best, and the Patrons of the Performing Arts (PPA) nonprofit.
The PPA primarily supports the fine arts at Wash, providing much-needed volunteers, funding and preventing financial barriers for students. Casey consistently supports the PPA by volunteering for events, including an 18-hour day at the MoShow Show Choir Invitational, chairing the Hall of Fame, which requires the upkeep and organization of digital and physical archives, and chairing the Special Project initiatives, which focuses on special fundraising efforts.
“Casey organized the PPA’s grant writing and helped build a special fundraising effort around a long-term need. The ‘In the Spotlight’ lighting project included updating theatrical lights with current technology,” says Matt Evans, principal and practice leader with TrueNorth, and nominator of Casey’s award. “His goal was to lessen maintenance and utility costs, increase STEM education and literally shine more vibrant light on the arts.”
Leaving a legacy
And he’s not just raising money, his templates, spreadsheets, shared documents and repeatable processes are laying the foundation for years to come. Moreover, Casey has single-handedly led the effort to gain more than $32,000 of earmarked funds to kick off a second phase of the In the Spotlight project as well.
“It was as simple as hearing students joke about old lighting maintenance, seeing teachers with a glimmer in their eye talking about things they might someday do,” says Casey. “I thought, how do we get the hurdles out of the way to make the opportunities easier and this was one way to contribute to that.”
The PPA also regularly asks him to act as a spokesperson, delivering messages to crowds before student performances and even emceeing events. He also stepped up in a big way at McKinley middle school by helping direct a production of “Disney’s Moana Junior”, which required more than 100 hours of his time.
“On the surface it may feel like it’s just a musical instrument, or a song or a performance, but grace under pressure, stepping into the spotlight, collaborating with your peers — there’s a ton of lessons to be learned,” says Casey. “That gets me fired up to give back and this particular school and organization have a really neat, symbiotic way of pulling off great things and getting kids involved in big ways that maybe otherwise wouldn’t be possible and it’s exciting to be part of it.”
UFG's 2024 Go Beyond Award employee recipient, Casey Prince.
From left: 2024 Go Beyond recipient Casey Prince stands next to Matt Evans, nominator and UFG agent partner at TrueNorth.
How UFG supports volunteerism
Whether it’s the UFG Insurance mission to strengthen communities where we live and work or the community service hours that UFG gives employees, Casey feels supported at work and motivated by his colleagues to keep doing what he’s doing – that it’s become part of his normal.
“Casey very much embodies UFG’s SPIRIT values,” explains Matt. “To evoke his own words when inducted into the PPA’s Performing Arts Hall of Fame more than 13 years ago, he wrote that he ‘sincerely hopes he can someday repay his alma mater for the rich and rewarding experiences he was afforded here,’ as a student. Now, all these years later, he’s doing exactly that.”
Do you know a UFG agent or employee to nominate?
Nominations are accepted from January 1 through June 30 each calendar year.