Insurance manager named Kiwanis citizen of the year

Carma Brown, personal lines manager at Home Loan Insurance, has been selected by the Grand Junction Kiwanis Club as its Citizen of the Year.

Brown was honored for her role in the Challenger Baseball Program, a division of Little League Baseball that offers children with special needs a venue in which to participate in the sport.

The Challenger Program is open to special needs children ages 8 to 21, including those with Down syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy. Those participants are paired with “buddies,” role models that include players on varsity baseball teams at local high schools as baseball and softball players from Mesa State College. Players from teams that qualify for the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction also join in the final Challenger game of the season.

The nonprofit Challenger Program operates primarily on donations that help pay for equipment, trophies and a picnic held as part of the final game of the season.

Brown also leads religious instruction at her church and teaches insurance classes to local high school students.