Category: Brandpoint

2025-11-24T08:01:00

(BPT) – For children facing critical illnesses and their families, the experience of having a cherished wish fulfilled can make a huge impact on their lives. Thanks to the ongoing partnership between Make-A-Wish^® and Subaru through the Share the Love^® Event, even more wishes are being granted for these children every year.

A Hollywood-worthy wish

During the summer before he was about to enter fifth grade, 11-year-old Christian was diagnosed with lymphoma, but his determination and strength remained admirable, along with his positive, happy-go-lucky attitude. Despite undergoing treatment throughout the school year, he continued to shine on his town’s travel soccer and baseball teams, and received A’s on all his math tests.

When he learned he was eligible for a wish through his local Make-A-Wish chapter, Make-A-Wish Connecticut, Christian knew exactly what to choose. His love for films and the way film characters can be or do anything they want inspired his choice: to play a role in a movie production.

While Christian waited for his wish to come true, Bertera Subaru of Hartford hosted a celebration fit for a movie star. Christian walked the red carpet, with his family and the entire staff loudly cheering him on and waving foam stars in the air. Sitting in a personalized director’s chair, he confidently shared his wish with the group, describing what the experience would mean to him. Christian was then surprised by a director informing him that filming for his role in a movie would begin in the summer!

“Being at Subaru was such an amazing and fun experience that made me ready for the red carpet,” Christian said.

The excitement shared by everyone in the room was incredible, and the line to get Christian’s headshot and autograph was almost out the door.

“Christian received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in a movie, which has had a tremendous impact on our whole family,” said his mom, Christine. “The experience of being on a movie set, rehearsing lines with other actors and filming multiple takes of scenes was such a special experience that he will remember for the rest of his life.”

Even better, Christian’s wish experience gave him the confidence to try out for (and get) one of the leading roles in his school play, which will be performed next spring.

“Thanks to this experience through Make-A-Wish, his special talent was fostered, and we can’t wait to see what he does next,” Christine said. “This was an incredible experience for Christian, and it brought joy to our entire family.”

Christian and his family are grateful to Subaru and its retailers for making his wish come true, and for granting many more wishes for kids through their generous support. Christian said that the hope of his wish helped him get through his toughest days, and he firmly believes it’s the same for many other wish kids.

“When Subaru helped make Christian’s wish come true, it was about so much more than one incredible day,” added Christine. “Their support and enthusiasm made him feel genuinely celebrated and gave him a sense of confidence that will last a lifetime. We’ll always be grateful for the joy and encouragement they brought to our family.”

Bertera Subaru of Hartford’s unwavering partnership with Make-A-Wish Connecticut has continued to make wishes come true year after year for children with critical illnesses.

The need for continued support

When families are dealing with unplanned hospital stays and uncomfortable treatments, a wish can give children a chance to reclaim a piece of their childhood and a sense of control. Most wish kids go on to overcome their illness and lead healthy lives, and they often credit their wish as a turning point in their medical journey, giving them the strength to fight their critical illness. Research shows that many doctors believe a wish is a necessary part of a child’s medical treatment, because it can lead to better health outcomes and increased chances of survival.

Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted over 390,000 wishes for children with critical illnesses in the U.S. and its territories, making a huge impact over the past 45 years. With help from donors, volunteers, and partners like Subaru, many more wishes will come true for children this coming year.

Together with generous donors, corporate partners, supporters, staff, and over 20,000 volunteers across the country, Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. To help further this vital mission, over the last 17 years, the Subaru Share the Love Event, taking place this year from Nov. 20, 2025, through Jan. 2, 2026, has raised over $38 million for Make-A-Wish, helping to grant more than 3,900 wishes to date.

Approximately 27,000 children are diagnosed with a critical illness that makes them eligible for a wish each year. But because of limited resources, it is simply not possible to be able to grant them all. Make-A-Wish is committed to ensuring that children don’t have to wait even one unnecessary day for their wish to come true.

How you can help

Every donation, large or small, helps make it possible for even more kids to see their wishes come true. Learn how you can make a difference at Wish.org/Subaru.

2025-11-21T10:17:00

(BPT) – Long-term care (LTC) isn’t just about nursing homes or medical treatment, it’s about maintaining your independence and quality of life as you age. Many Americans will need some form of long-term care, which can include help with daily activities, in-home medical support, meal preparation, housework, pet care, and money management. Because most people receiving care live at home or in their community, not in facilities, understanding what LTC covers and planning early can reduce future costs, preserve your independence, and give your family peace of mind.

2025-11-20T12:01:00

(BPT) – By Steffen Schreier, SVP Product and Portfolio, at Telesign, a Proximus Global company

The holiday season is a crucial time for brands. It’s also the busy season for scammers.

This year, consumers will face an unprecedented surge in fraud attempts — from phishing scams to stolen identities, to fake bank calls, deepfake voices, account takeovers and more. Thanks to scammers leveraging AI to supercharge their schemes, fraud attempts have become more prevalent and sophisticated, leaving consumers overwhelmed, afraid and unsure how to protect themselves.

While no brand can eliminate the threat of fraud entirely, yours can take steps to prevent fraud and protect the customer experience this holiday. By doing so, you can build and safeguard trust in your organization’s digital experiences, which has become a critical element of competitive advantage in today’s digital economy.

Why your brand should invest in consumer fraud protection

Trust is the cornerstone of the modern customer experience. Our 2024 Telesign Trust Index report found that consumers, uncertain about how to protect themselves, are increasingly holding brands responsible for ensuring greater protection against fraud. In fact, nine out of 10 people now hold brands responsible for protecting their digital lives, and four out of 10 will abandon brands after security breaches.

This isn’t surprising given the financial repercussions. In fact, our report found that 30% of consumers surveyed were victims of fraud in the past three years. Of those fraud victims, 61% reported financial losses and one-third of victims reported losses of more than $1,000. Because of the prevalence of fraud, 64% of consumers reduced their use of payment services and 56% decreased their e-commerce activities.

To stay competitive, you need to be proactive, not reactive, when it comes to holiday scams. Here are three essential strategies every brand needs to consider to protect consumers this holiday season and build brand trust for the future.

1. Educate consumers on fraud

Knowledge is power. Awareness is the first defense.

A direct and practical step your brand can take to protect consumers is to educate them on fraud when it matters most — like during checkout, when there is an opportunity to place a bulletin alerting consumers of prevalent fraud schemes. Not only does this help users distinguish authentic interactions from potential scams, but it also builds trust in a brand’s overall digital experience.

Leading up to the holiday season, make it a point to communicate to your customers the very real threat of fraud and common schemes to avoid. For example, some of the most common holiday scams include:

• Package delivery scams
• Gift card fraud
• Online shopping scams
• Social media scams
• Charity scams
• Fake accounts
• Payment fraud
• Identity thefts
• Deepfakes
• AI bots
• Impersonation fraud

It’s not only important to educate consumers on the common types and channels for fraud but also to provide insights on the advanced social engineering tactics fraudsters are employing to exploit personal information, like bank impersonations, SIM-swap fraud, synthetic identities and even deepfake ploys.

Communicating these holiday scams requires a multipronged approach. In addition to traditional digital channels, like email newsletters and social media posts, in-app and push notifications provide a trusted source to communicate the dangers of fraud.

It’s also important to cultivate two-way communications, and consumers benefit from easy mechanisms to report suspicious or fraudulent behavior.

It’s important, too, not to underestimate the importance of ongoing education. Vanguard organizations are increasingly communicating security-consciousness into their communications so that when a scam does occur, it is so outside the brand’s promise and experience, the fraud becomes easier to spot.

For those brands starting out on this journey, consider, for instance, educating consumers about fraud prevention during their initial interactions, such as when they create an account or during high-volume events, like the holidays. This reinforces a commitment to ensuring trust as core to its brand promise from day one of a customer’s journey with the brand.

2. Improve the user verification process without frustration

Identity verification is another indispensable tool in protecting your consumers and your company from fraud. The challenge of user verification is establishing protective steps without causing undue friction for consumers.

Friction in and of itself isn’t bad. In fact, our research shows that where once enhanced security measures were seen as a nuisance, now eight in 10 people welcome them and the friction necessary to safeguard their digital assets.

You likely already have safeguards like multifactor authentication (MFA) in place, including biometrics, silent verification and push notifications. While this may seem like a basic user verification tool, it can be an incredibly powerful deterrent. According to data from Microsoft, MFA was inactive in 99% of successful digital intrusions.

The real challenge becomes how to prompt consumers to use MFA when interacting with your brand’s accounts. Because MFA is often an option, not a requirement, many consumers leave themselves vulnerable to attacks. Consider making MFA a default option for consumer-verified accounts. This simple change makes it easier for consumers to engage in protecting their own identity and build a narrative of trust in your brand.

Improving the user verification process without compromising their experience is just the first step. Because fraud is evolving, your brand’s processes should evolve, too, and that includes implementing AI.

3. Fight AI with AI

As mentioned above, fraud has been supercharged by the advent of and proliferation of generative AI. Deepfake scams, in particular, have been on the rise, with 1 in 3 people and 1 in 3 businesses reporting encountering deepfake scams or attacks in the past year, according to the 2024 Telesign Trust Index survey.

Brands can directly address AI-enabled fraud by leveraging AI. While traditional cybersecurity focused on reacting to threats, AI enables a proactive approach. It works to anticipate, detect and disrupt attacks before they cause harm. Experience-wise, it also helps to limit the friction people experience. The end result is a better and safer experience and a more confident consumer, free to engage with the platforms they love without fear or disruption.

Leveraging AI, too, doesn’t require a complete overhaul. Instead, you can build a stronger defense for your consumers by combining basic security measures like MFA with cutting-edge AI and machine learning systems that can spot and stop attacks more effectively.

Investment in AI-driven security measures can have a significant impact on a brand’s image. Our data shows that 34% of U.S. respondents are more likely to trust a company that uses AI to protect them from fraud attacks. Globally, 43% are more likely.

Trust matters

There isn’t one answer to how to protect your current and potential consumers from fraud. However, these three strategies, individually and together, are great examples of where to start.

To learn more about how your business can protect your customers this holiday season, visit Telesign.com.

2025-11-20T08:01:00

(BPT) – You use your eyes every day, but when was your last comprehensive eye exam? More than 16 million Americans are living with undiagnosed or untreated vision problems that could be detected and treated with a simple visit to a local optometrist. As our population ages, experts predict that rates of vision loss and blindness could double by 2050. The good news? You can protect your sight and catch potential problems early with annual, comprehensive eye exams from a doctor of optometry.

A comprehensive eye exam does a lot more than check how clearly you can see. Beyond detecting vision and eye conditions that benefit from early treatment, optometrists can spot initial signs of more than 270 serious health issues — including diabetes, high blood pressure, autoimmune diseases, and even certain cancers. It’s one of the simplest ways to get a deeper look at your overall health.

As the year winds down, Americans are busy with holiday travel plans and end-of-year to-dos — from scheduling flu shots to squeezing in final doctor visits. But there’s one important appointment that often gets overlooked: the annual in-person eye exam. Taking that one simple step could make a big difference in protecting your vision and overall health.

Here are facts about eye health that doctors of optometry nationwide want people to know:

Your eyes may say ‘bah, humbug’ during the holidays

Winter might bring holiday celebrations and cozy vibes, but it can be tough on your eyes. Dry, heated indoor air and the season’s low humidity can make moisture in your eyes evaporate quicker, aggravating dry eye symptoms. Combine that with cold winds and the intense glare of UV rays reflecting off snow, and you’ve got the perfect storm for irritated, uncomfortable eyes.

Regular, in-person eye exams can help patients address their eye health concerns, including dry eyes and early signs of eye damage from UV rays. You can also take proactive steps like adding a humidifier to your home and wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes outdoors.

Tech can take a toll on your vision

It’s no secret that we’re all spending more time in front of screens — and it’s taking a toll on our eyes. This year, tech gifts like gaming devices, TVs, and smartwatches are topping wish lists everywhere. But as technology use continues to rise at home and at work, our eye health can pay the price.

A report from Deloitte in partnership with the AOA found that 31.8 million people — about 31% of those surveyed who are exposed to excessive screen time — did not see an optometrist in the last year. Over half of that group (55%) reported the presence of vision-related symptoms that may be improved or resolved from regular visits to an optometrist.

Getting a comprehensive eye exam annually is key, but there are also simple steps you can take every day to protect your eyes. Try looking away from your screen periodically — get up for a drink of water, stretch, or step outside for a quick break. The American Optometric Association (AOA) advises the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Don’t wait until symptoms appear

Blurry vision, eye pain, or irritation are all signs it’s time to see your optometrist, but you don’t have to wait until you’re uncomfortable to take care of your eyes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 93 million U.S. adults are at high risk for serious vision loss, yet only half visited an optometrist in the past 12 months. Many serious eye and vision conditions have no obvious signs or symptoms, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, but when detected early, vision loss can often be prevented or significantly delayed.

In fact, nearly 5 million Americans live with diabetic eye complications, yet 90% of diabetes-related blindness is preventable with early detection and timely treatment. In 2019 alone, doctors of optometry identified signs of diabetic retinopathy in over 431,000 patients who had no history of diabetes.

For many conditions, early detection can make the difference when it comes to protecting eye health and vision.

Not wearing corrective lenses? You still need eye exams

Even if you don’t currently need glasses or contacts to correct your vision, your eye health can change over time and can be impacted by a number of health conditions.

Remember: A quick vision screening, such as those offered at schools, pediatrician offices, or even online, can detect some vision problems, but it often misses more than it finds. A comprehensive eye exam, on the other hand, includes a full range of tests that thoroughly evaluate the health of your eyes and provide valuable insights into your overall well-being.

This holiday season, give yourself the gift of healthy vision by scheduling an in-person eye exam with an optometrist. To find an AOA doctor near you, visit AOA.org.

2025-11-20T09:15:00

(BPT) – Hosting a holiday meal for friends and family is one of the most meaningful parts of the season — a chance to share good food and memories around the table. Yet all the cooking, serving and clean-up can easily pull the host away from the holiday gathering, leaving little time to relax and connect with guests.

With a little planning, you can spend less time preparing a holiday meal and more time around the table savoring the taste of the season. These tips and recipes can help to simplify your holiday meal prep without sacrificing flavor.

Take an inventory of your pantry

Creating a spread of classic and creative holiday meals requires a full pantry of ingredients. Before you go shopping, and especially before you start cooking, take stock of what you already have on hand, what’s expired and what you’ll need to pull off a memorable holiday meal.

Not only will this streamline your grocery shopping and food prep but knowing what you do and don’t have can help you avoid a harried, last-minute trip to the store during one of the busiest seasons.

Ditch the porcelain for disposable cutlery and plates

Ceramic dinnerware can be beautiful and add a touch of luxury to holiday gatherings, but it often requires handwashing. To simplify cleanup without sacrificing style, consider using disposable cutlery, plates and bowls — many come in festive designs that are a perfect fit for the season. Keep a trash can nearby so guests can tidy up after themselves, and you’ll be free to enjoy the after-dinner drinks and conversation, too.

Pick easy-to-prepare holiday dishes

Cooking a tasty holiday spread doesn’t mean you have to spend hours in the kitchen. Bob Evans dinner sides allow you to serve everyone’s favorite comfort foods without the stress. Choose ready-to-heat favorites like Macaroni & Cheese, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Sliced Glazed Apples. They’re ready in minutes and help keep your holiday meal comforting, delicious and full of flavor. Serve them as-is or incorporate them into seasonal recipes like the three below.

Creamy Comfort with a Twist

Classic macaroni & cheese gets elevated with tart cranberries and the rich, creamy flavor of brie, creating a comforting and flavorful dish.

Cranberry and Brie Macaroni and Cheese

Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 30 minutes; Servings: 6

Ingredients

12 ounces Bob Evans Macaroni & Cheese

1 cup cubed brie

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Combine macaroni and cheese, cubed brie and thyme in a bowl.
3. Spoon half of mixture into a lightly greased 1 and 1/2-quart baking dish.
4. Add half of cranberry sauce. Repeat layers.
5. Bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
6. Optional: Garnish with fresh thyme, if on hand.

Warm, Wholesome and Sweet

Sweet potatoes and apples combined with a crunchy pecan streusel for a dish that’s as comforting as it is festive.

Mashed Sweet Potato and Apple Bake

Prep time: 25 minutes; Cook time: 45 minutes; Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

3 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and chopped

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

20 ounces Bob Evans Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add apples, 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until apples are tender.
5. Spread both packages of sweet potatoes in bottom of an 11×7-inch baking dish.
6. Top with apple mixture.
7. Stir together remaining brown sugar, flour and 1/4 cup melted butter in a bowl. Stir in pecans.
8. Sprinkle streusel over apple mixture.
9. Bake 30-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
10. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Sweet and Savory Lunch

Tangy and sweet apples paired with classic sandwich flavors on a butter croissant make for a delicious and easy bite.

Turkey and Glazed Apple Croissant

Prep time: 15 minutes; Servings: 6

Ingredients

6 slices white cheddar cheese

6 croissants, split

2 cups baby arugula

1 pound sliced smoked deli turkey

14 ounces Bob Evans Sliced Glazed Apples

Instructions

1. Layer cheese slices over bottom halves of croissants.
2. Top with arugula, turkey and glazed apples.
3. Cover with croissant tops to make sandwiches.

Find these Bob Evans products to stock your holiday kitchen plus more recipe inspiration at BobEvansGrocery.com.