Smith & Eddy donates to Scottville Optimist Park project. 

From left: Dean Raven, Smith & Eddy; Rich Koth, Scottville Clown Band; Matt Johnson, Smith & Eddy; Patti Smith, Smith & Eddy; Joe Knowles, Smith & Eddy; Mitch Lawens, regional vice president, Auto-Owners; Matt Wiberg, marketing representative, Auto-Owners; Scott Smith, president, Smith & Eddy.

Smith & Eddy donates to Scottville Optimist Park project. 

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

SCOTTVILLE — Smith & Eddy Insurance recently announced its support of the Scottville Optimist Park and Sculpture project with a $50,000 donation. The financial commitment comes from three sources, Smith & Eddy Insurance principal Patricia Smith, Smith & Eddy Insurance, and corporate partnership Auto-Owners Insurance. 

A contribution of $30,000 has already been made to the Community Foundation for Mason County with another $20,000 committed over the next four years. In exchange for the donation, the Scottville Clown Band Shell will include signage acknowledging Smith & Eddy and Auto-Owners as sponsors of the venue. 

The Optimist Park and Sculpture project includes plans to renovate the former Optimist building, now owned by the Scottville Downtown Development Authority, along with the Charles Thompson Memorial Green and the Scottville Clown Band Shell. It also includes plans to place a sculpture on the property that will pay homage to the Clown Band and the town’s agricultural roots. The project is estimated to cost about $450,000. To date, about $250,000 has been pledged or collected. 

“We approached Auto-Owners Insurance a few months ago and explained the project to them, they couldn’t have been more supportive, they offered to help us make a big impact on our community through this donation and pledge,” said Joe Knowles, vice president of Smith & Eddy. “They have a tag line in many of their advertising billboards and signs that says ‘we care about your community, because it’s our community too.’ I think that is a wonderful way to say it, Auto-Owners is a wonderful company and their support of this project is one of the reasons we have so much respect for them and why we like to work with them so much. Obviously this project is close to home for us and we know it is a huge step in the continued revitalization of our Scottville downtown, we have so much momentum right now, its going to be exciting here in Scottville over the next few years.

“Smith & Eddy Insurance has never made a contribution of support this large to any project, it shows our commitment to all the communities that we work in and the families and people that support us,” Knowles said. 

Contributions to the project can be sent to Community Foundation for Mason County, PO Box 10, Ludington, MI 49431 or online here. 

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