Basketball Champion and Reality TV Star Lamar Odom to Serve as Spokesperson for Life Insurance Awareness Month

Basketball Champion and Reality TV Star Lamar Odom to Serve as Spokesperson for Life Insurance Awareness Month

Odom Will Share How Life Insurance Benefited His Family

ARLINGTON, Va., June 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This September, Los Angeles Lakers forward and star of the hit show Khloe & Lamar, will serve as the national spokesperson for Life Insurance Awareness Month. The nonprofit LIFE Foundation, which secured Odom's participation, coordinates the industry-wide campaign in response to concern about the growing number of Americans who lack life insurance protection. Today, 30 percent of US households have no life insurance, according to the industry research group LIMRA.

Lamar Odom's Life Insurance Story

Odom was raised in Queens, New York in a single-parent household. Even though Odom's mother, Cathy, earned a modest income working as a corrections officer, she sent him to Catholic school because of concerns about the public schools in the South Jamaica neighborhood where they lived. When Odom was 12, his mother died of colon cancer. Because she had life insurance, Odom was able to continue his Catholic school education.

When Odom graduated high school at 18, life insurance again made a difference in his life. Odom was considered to be one of the best young basketball players in the country, but knew it would be best for his career if he did not pursue a professional career right away. Because he and his grandmother, who raised him through high school, were financially stable, Odom did not need to immediately earn a paycheck and attended college for several years prior to turning pro.

"I'm sure my mom didn't think she would die at age 35, but that didn't stop her from doing the responsible thing and buying life insurance," said Odom. "Her wise decision gave me the foundation to move on in my life, and played a big role in making me the person I am today. When I began my pro career, one of the first things I did was buy life insurance to make sure that my loved ones would always be taken care of. I'm proud to be working with the LIFE Foundation to share my story and to hopefully get more Americans to do the kind of smart planning that my mom did."

Odom's Story to be Shared in Public Service Announcements

Beginning in August, Odom's story will be broadcast nationally in TV and radio public service announcements (PSAs). The PSAs will also be available on LIFE's website during the September campaign at www.lifehappens.org.

"Lamar is living proof of the amazing impact that life insurance can have on a person's life, and we're thrilled that he has agreed to share his story so publicly by serving as the spokesperson for Life Insurance Awareness Month," says Marvin H. Feldman, CLU, ChFC, RFC, president and CEO of the LIFE Foundation. "If loved ones depend on you and would suffer financially when you die, life insurance is a topic that must be addressed and hopefully Lamar's involvement in our awareness efforts will result in more Americans taking a serious look at their personal need for coverage."

About Life Insurance Awareness Month

Life Insurance Awareness Month was created by the LIFE Foundation in 2004 in response to growing concern about the large number of Americans who lack adequate life insurance protection. According to the industry research group LIMRA, nearly 70 million adult Americans have no life insurance, and most with coverage have far less than most experts recommend. Held each September, Life Insurance Awareness Month is an industry-wide effort involving hundreds of leading companies and thousands of insurance advisors. For more information about Life Insurance Awareness Month and LIFE's plans for the September campaign, contact Jon Dressner at jdressner@lifehappens.org.

About LIFE

The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) was founded in 1994 in response to the public's growing need for information and education on life, health, disability and long-term care insurance. LIFE also seeks to remind people of the important role insurance professionals perform in helping families, businesses and individuals find the insurance products that best fit their needs. To learn more about these topics, please visit www.lifehappens.org.

CONTACT: Katharine Carver
212-445-8210
-or-
Pinar Posluk
212-445-8242

SOURCE The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE)

The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE)

Web Site: http://www.lifehappens.org

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