‘No gesture is too small’
Donna Rentmeister knows the most dangerous time for a domestic abuse survivor is when they’re leaving their house or shortly thereafter. She knows a safe shelter for that survivor and their family is essential. And that counseling for everyone involved can help ease the stigma and pain associated with the experience.
She knows these facts, not only because of her hundreds of hours of volunteer work with South Valley Services (shelter for survivors of domestic violence), but also because she lived this reality growing up.
“What I find when you do talk about it is how many people have been impacted with difficulties in their lives, and when you’re open about it, it’s part of the healing process,” says Donna, an American Family agency owner in Riverton, Utah. “We made it through, but there are still people out there every day, struggling. Honestly, this is what drives me.”
Donna’s extensive charitable efforts also include participating in an ornament exchange event with friends in December, to raise money for People Helping People, a nonprofit that supports low-income women and single moms transition from state assistance to gainful employment. It’s an organization she first volunteered with 25 years ago, and she says it helped mold her desire to be a strong role model for other women.
“I have a passion for charities and community involvement,” she says. “Every time I’m involved in a social club or networking event I think, ‘what can we do collectively to help others?’ Because no gesture is too small.”
We’re here. We’re doing it. We’re making a difference.
This mindset helped her raise more than $260,000 in donations the past two years for charities she and her friends are passionate about.
Donna’s philanthropic service has been recognized by her community in addition to American Family Insurance, which named her one of its Community Impact Award winners in 2023.
“Donations from Donna’s contributions of time, treasures and talent all helped support survivors of domestic abuse, adults and children, women and men,” says Lindsey Boyer, executive director of South Valley Services. “Donna has helped save lives, quite literally. She has helped shine light on this issue. Donna is truly part of the solution.”
There was a moment this spring when Donna learned she was would win the Community Impact Award. It was a moment that stands out because her brother, Allen Johnson, won Utah’s new agency owner of the year award.
“The whole evening was very profound that we were sharing this experience together,” she says. “There’s a picture of the two of us, it’s hysterical, just high-fiving with these silly expressions of excitement. It means more to us than people may realize because of the journey that we’ve been on. We’re here. We’re doing it. We’re making a difference.
“I recognize completely that I’m in the right profession so I can align my community involvement with what I do for a living.”
At American Family Insurance, we believe that social impact doesn’t start or end with a check. So we focus on bringing our mission — to inspire, protect and restore dreams — to life in our communities. When our local agency owners and their teams give of their time and dollars, they often do so in the company of others — part of a support network of volunteers and donors. But those they benefit notice their impact.
