Special Report: The Industry Industry Gives Back

December 14, 2018

Safety National

Safety National proudly supports Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis, an organization that has been helping children with physical and developmental disabilities for more than 80 years. In 2018, Safety National donated more than $10,000 to support the organization’s various programs, including Variety’s Adventure Camp and theater production as well as other events. In November, Safety National employees participated in Variety’s Annual Bike Build Event, which brings people together to build bicycles for children with disabilities.

ITC

Once a quarter, volunteers from ITC cook lunch or dinner for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Dallas. The Ronald McDonald House relies 100 percent on donations to operate its facilities and on volunteers to serve three meals per day to the residents. Volunteers decide the menu, buy ingredients, prepare and serve the food, and clean up.

The Higginbotham

The Higginbotham Community Fund started in 2011 with a mission to engage employees in philanthropy. To date, employees have pledged more than $2 million, $1.39 million of which has been granted to local nonprofits. At the end of each quarter, the board asks employees to nominate nonprofits they support. This year, when leukemia book the life of commercial supervisor Tracy Jackson, employees chose to donate $110,000 to the Higginbotham Community Fund to support her favorite charities.

South & Western General

South & Western is in its second year of supporting Texas Little Cuties, a 501(3)(c) non-profit dog and cat rescue located in Dallas, Texas. Employees enjoy creating and attending several fundraising events throughout the year. More events are scheduled to bring much needed supplies and funds to this small, all-volunteer charity that brings a second chance at life for shelter animals.

Ramsburg Insurance Agency

Ramsburg Insurance Agency celebrated its 2nd Annual First Responders lunch this year. Agency owners Chris and Tim Ramsburg wanted to support first responders in their community with the event, which officers a BBQ food truck and corn-hole games. Local volunteer fire, police, maintenance crews and local leaders are invited. Last year, the agency donated $10 per person to a police officer that had been shot in the line of duty. This year, it gave donations to a service company that supports local fire fighters at the scene of a fire or catastrophe.

Ansay & Associates LLC

Ansay & Associates has a passion for giving back to the communities it serves. In addition to sponsoring and supporting community events, Ansay also provides all employees the opportunity to volunteer their time. Each year, associates receive four paid volunteer days to use as they choose. Ansay & Associates commits time and
donations to the following charities and community groups: The Humane Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Junior Achievement, Toys for Tots, Portal Inc. and other local community organizations.

Sick Children’s Trust

Father and son Paul and Harry Jardine talk to Deborah Leonard the manager of Stevenson House, located at The Royal London Hospital – east of the City, one of The Sick Children’s Trust’s 10 ‘Homes from Home’ across the UK. Paul Jardine is chairman of The Sick Children’s Trust, and he and his son Harry, associate director at Capsicum DA, have worked tirelessly every year to raise money for the charity that provides free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation to families with seriously ill children in hospitals.

Bouchard Insurance

Bouchard’s Be Involved committee coordinates activities with local community organizations throughout the year, and each employee is given one PTO day per year for a volunteer opportunity of their choice. Some of the organizations supported are: Adopt-a-Highway, Clothes to Kids, Paint Your Heart Out Clearwater, The Arc of Tampa Bay, Eckerd, Tampa Bay Watch, Metropolitan Ministries, and Habitat for Humanity. The annual Bouchard Insurance 5K in Safety Harbor, Fla., benefts the Gramatica Family Foundation. Last year, it raised $20,000 toward its mission to build mortgage-free homes for combat wounded veterans in the Tampa Bay area.

Molyneaux Insurance

In 2001, Molyneaux hosted the first Trumps & Tricks to raise money for a local charity. This friendly euchre tournament attracted 52 players and raised $3,300. Trumps & Tricks is an annual event that has raised more than $254,000. Since the owners completely underwrite the event, 100% of the funds are donated to the benefciaries. Molyneaux and its staff have inspired clients, insurance company partners, and local businesses to join them in supporting 18 local charities.

New Jersey Surplus Lines Association

The New Jersey Surplus Lines Association (NJSLA) held its second annual charity event in October. Oktoberfest 2018 raised $14,000 for The Community Foodbank of New Jersey. This organization helps those 900,000 food insecure residents in New Jersey.

Broker Builder Solutions

Broker Builder Solutions hosts a local single parent family every Christmas, purchasing gifts for families and delivering the presents a week or two before Christmas.

MJ Insurance

MJ Insurance’s associate volunteer service hours and charitable donation matching programs are designed to reinforce and encourage a culture of giving back to the community. Every two years, MJ Insurance chooses two charitable organizations — one in Indianapolis and one in Phoenix — to focus its time and resources. The agency also features a “Charity of the Month” to bring awareness to other local organizations or charitable events that associates participate in throughout the year.

K&S Insurance Agency

The Last Well is a faith based organization headquartered in Rockwall, Texas. Its mission is to provide access to safe drinking water to Liberia by 2020 and offer the gospel to every community it serves. Todd Phillips, founder and president of The Last Well, recently completed a fundraising event where he lived on a 20×22 foot barge 24/7 until $2.3 million was raised. Phillips’ water supply came from lake water filtered by the Sawyer water filters they are supplying families in Liberia. K&S Insurance Agency is a supporter of The Last Well and was a sponsor of the Hope Floats initiative. It helped raise over $77,000.

Insurance Council of Texas

ICT’s Education Foundation is a 501(c) (3) that awards academic scholarships to support students enrolled in insurance and risk management courses in Texas. The Education Foundation was formed to support the next generation of insurance professionals. In 2018, the Education Foundation honored 20 students studying insurance and risk management with $31,000 in scholarships. ICT scholarship recipients at Baylor University were Sam Bode, Savannah Bass, Nathan Preston, Ryan Hebdon, Heather Hansen, Madeline Dixon, David Bennett and Maggie McBride

Chas. H. Bilz Insurance

Chas. H. Bilz has become a closer family by assisting with the needs of the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky in Covington, K.Y. The agency has collected clothing, blankets and other necessities, as well as cooked and served many dinners. Earlier this year, the agency won a contest with Safeco Insurance that awarded the shelter $10,000.

Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters

The Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters Community Afairs Committee, chaired by Karen Schifmiller, launched the Public Adjusters Pay It Forward campaign several years ago where members can donate monies and/or volunteer their time for community events. FAPIA has supported: Joe DiMaggio’s Children’s Hospital, Boca Helping Hands food bank, JAFCO Children’s Ability Center and helped Gigi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Center break ground in Tampa, Fla. Members have helped build multiple homes through Habitat for Humanity, and last month, FAPIA members raised $16,500 for the Jessica Junes Children’s Cancer Foundation.

United Valley Insurance Services

United Valley Insurance Services Inc. supports local non-profts with corporate giving and through UV Cares, an employee led group that raises funds and volunteers for local non-profts. In August, the team presented funds to the Central California Food Bank and the Animal Compassion team (ACT). In September, the team raised funds for the 2018 Fresno-Clovis Walk to End Alzheimer’s, and in October, helped pack 15,000 meal boxes at the Community Food Bank warehouse in Fresno, Calif.

GND Resources

In September, GND Resources joined 20 other insurance company teams and about 100 individuals for the 4th annual Covenant House Re/Insurance Sleep Out. The Covenant House provides shelter and support for thousands of homeless youths across Canada, the U.S. and Latin America. The group then spent the night sleeping on the blacktop outside Covenant House’s midtown Manhattan facility in a show of support for its residents and eforts. The event raised about $400,000.

Black Hills Insurance Agency

Black Hills Insurance Agency participated in the annual clothing drive for the homeless and those in need program in Rapid City, S.D. Each year, the community adds scarfs and hats to the towns presidential statues during the cold winter months for the homeless or those in need to take. The project draws awareness to the homeless population and inspires community support for those less fortunate. Pictured: Elizabeth Brown, Carrie Maguire, and Everett Strong.

Soules Insurance Agency LP, A Dean & Draper Company

Employees at Soules Insurance Agency LP, a Dean & Draper Co., put in countless hours and support for the agency’s local community. One charity it supports is the Montgomery County Food Bank. This year, the agency is collecting food items again and recently made a donation that will provide 2,500 meals toward Montgomery County Food Bank’s Holiday Food Drive. Pictured: Matt Bottorf, Allison Hulett, Stephen Smith and Lindy Johnson.

Mack Insurance Group

Every year, Mack Insurance Group selects a local charity to support by donating time, talent or treasures. It tries to do this through walks, bowling events or sponsoring birthday parties. During its annual Chocolate for Charity event, employees collect ofce supplies, personal hygiene items and/ or food items. In 2018, Mack also began a charity-based referral program where $10 is donated to a designated charity for every referral the agency quotes. As a result, in 2018, the agency donated $930 to Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse and $470 to the Women’s Center of Brevard.

Insure My Food

After hurricane Harvey, Insure My Food raised $6,000 from its partners and insureds to help provide hot meals to affected communities and emergency shelters. The funds were spread out to meet needs for the first week, and then again after the first month when other organizations left. The agency’s customers who own food trucks donated their truck and time, and the funds were used to pay for the food cost.

Turner Surety and Insurance Brokerage Inc.

Each year, Turner Surety and Insurance Brokerage Inc. (TSIB) dedicates a day to local charities. Its Paramus, N.J., office spent the day at the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home. The home’s mission is to serve military veterans, their spouses and Gold Star Parents by providing long term healthcare to its residents. TSIB’s Trumbull, Conn., office partnered with Valley United Way and helped build a garden in Seymour, Conn. The garden will feed up to 100 people.

Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance Inc.

Giving back to the community is near and dear to the employees of Fisher Brown Bottrell. One annual tradition is during Halloween week, associations alongside other companies volunteer at the YMCA in Pensacola, Fla. This is an event for special needs children, allowing them to dress up in their costumes and enjoy trick-or-treating. This year, Fisher Brown Bottrell was recognized as the most spirited group with their live from Disney’s Red Carpet theme.

Alliance & Associated Insurance

The staff at Alliance & Associates has recently taken on two challenges to benefit the children and families of North Florida. With the holidays just around the corner, employees are committed to collecting gifts for Toys for Tots. This is a passion project for a few staff as they remember their childhood Christmases that were made possible by the generosity of others.

Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc.

Supporting the community is part of Haylor, Freyer & Coon’s core values. In addition to ongoing small scale projects, the agency picks a project that can involve the entire staff to be completed over several days. This year, the agency’s Community Service Days were spent at Vankeuren Square, an affordable housing complex which needed its community room updated to make the children and parents gathering space more inviting and enjoyable.

Gowrie Group

Every year between November and December, Gowrie Group, a Connecticut independent insurance agency, challenges its local community to raise money for The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries (SSKP). This year, Gowrie has set a goal of raising $200,000. On Nov. 1, Gowrie Group launched this year’s challenge with a $30,000 matching gift. Gowrie Group is committed to help end hunger along the Connecticut shoreline. Since the Gowrie Challenge began 14 years ago, Gowrie has raised more than $1.5 million to beneft the SSKP.

Atlas General Insurance

Each year, Atlas General Insurance participates in several local charity initiatives as a company. This year, one effort helped collect mass amounts of food for the San Diego Food Bank. This year alone, Atlas General collected 1,950 food items.

NFP Private Client Group

NFP Private Client Group purchased 200 turkeys for a turkey giveaway in Winter Haven, Fla., hosted by professional boxer Andre Berto. Each year, Andre Berto reaches out to the less fortunate through a community initiative aimed at inspiring and uplifting the community in which he was raised. As part of his initiative, he hosts a turkey giveaway where he personally handouts out whole turkeys to families in need during the Thanksgiving season. One of NFP Private Client Group’s employees, Jason Polynice, is the coordinator of the event.

East Harlem Insurance Brokerage

The East Harlem Insurance Brokerage supports its community by volunteering with Girl Scouts and runs four troops showing young women they can do anything they want in life

C&S Specialty Underwriters LLC

C&S devotes time to give back to the community both as a company and as individuals. Its main focus is the Atlanta Mission, a non-profit organization founded in 1938 to serve Atlanta’s metro area homeless population. Semi-annually, the C&S staff volunteers at the Atlanta Mission to prepare lunches for residents, clean and organize closets and the day care space, load and unload delivery trucks, and more. In addition, the staff is involved in other outreach organizations on an individual level.

Soarella Inc.

Soarella Inc. employees have a passion for education because they are teachers, too. Soarella employees are educators of insurance! The company’s community outreach events include visiting schools that have unique year-round programs to serve a specific population (the autistic and the deaf community). Employees collaborate with each school to fulfill the wish lists of teacher(s) or programs (art/science). They also plan interactive team-building exercises and goofy games with the purpose of brightening the day for those who are passionate about learning.

Verreos Insurance Agency

One way that Verreos Insurance Agency gives back is by supporting and serving as the chair for the Golden Gate District Scouting For Food, an event that has contributed over 140 tons of food to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank for the past 32 years. All food is collected by Cub Scout families, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts.

Oklahoma Agents Alliance

OAA makes it a priority to support the community in many ways throughout the year, but the crowd-favorite is its Annual Toy Exchange and Food Drive. Every year, OAA team members draw a name of another member and buys a children’s toy to reflect that person’s personality or interests. A few weeks later, staff gather with toys and non-perishable goods. As each person unwraps their gift they hear why it was chosen for them. All the new, unwrapped toys and non-perishable goods are then donated to a local charity that provides gifts and dinner baskets to families in need.

Insurance Licensing Services of America

Since 2007, ILSA has supported the Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. An ILSA team of volunteers annually offers a variety of fundraisers – including a version of a popular baking competition show and getting the local sheriff to kiss a goat. The finale is a Pie in the Face Auction. This year, when an employee lost a close family member to cancer, ILSA employees decided to dedicate Pie in the Face proceeds to supporting her and her family.

Aspen

Aspen recently sent eight employees as first-time Adara Ambassadors to Nepal. The group traveled with Adara representatives to Kathmandu and Ghyangfedi to learn about projects that Aspen supports. The Adara Group works with communities and local partners to improve the health and education for women, children and communities living in extreme poverty. Since Aspen’s partnership with Adara began in 2007, the company has donated almost $3 million and its employees have undertaken countless fundraising events, raising more than $1 million.

Pacific Specialty Insurance Company

At Pacific Specialty, there is always an underlying drive to give back to our community. This year, claims team member Malia Schild took the initiative to figure out where resources would be best served and discovered that the Sacramento Food Bank was in need of food items for the holiday season. A friendly office competition led to a collection of 10 bins of food to donate to the food bank.

Abbate Insurance Agency

In 2015, Mary B. Pursell, president of Abbate Insurance Agency, started her own nonprofit called Linens of Love. The charity provides sheets, pillows, blankets, toiletries, and other household items to community organizations that service homeless men, women, children, and veterans. Linens of Love’s central drop of location for donations is located at Abbate. Each employee volunteers to make deliveries and organize donations at least once a month.

Garceau Insurance Agency

Garceau Insurance Agency has Jean Day Friday. Employees pay to wear jeans every Friday throughout the year. The agency matches what’s raised in the jean fund, and shops for 5-10 local families who need a little extra Christmas cheer.

Georgia Agency Partners, Inc.

Georgia Agency Partners Inc., held their 3rd Annual Charity Poker Tournament to benefit The ALS Association of Georgia and The Emory ALS Center. Georgia Agency Partner associates joined its carriers, brokers and vendor partners to play a great night of poker and raise money for a great cause. GAP and partners raised $53,000 for these great causes, an increase of $10,000 over last year’s event. GAP underwrites the cost of the event entirely, which means that all donations from carrier/broker/vendor partners and agencies go directly to the cause. The 2018 Winner was Mark Gromek with Builders Insurance Group.

Appalachian Underwriters

Appalachian Underwriters Inc. is in its fourth year of supporting the Smoky Mountain Children’s Home through a holiday angel tree. Members select a child’s ornament from the tree, which includes a wish list of items. Volunteers then deliver the gifts and a meal to the children days before Christmas. Located in Sevierville, Tenn., the Smoky Mountain Children’s Home is a private, faith-based, not-for-profit agency that provides professional care and treatment for boys and girls referred due to emotional, behavioral, and life situations.

NAS Insurance Services

NAS has been committed to the initiatives of social, environmental, and educational well being through its generous gifts to and support of several worthwhile causes and organizations for 20-plus years. In 2017, NAS instituted a charitable committee comprised of employees. Together, the committee researches and coordinates community events to engage employee participation in volunteering. In its inaugural year, NAS raised more than $15,000 in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. NAS has cleaned up local beaches, planted and watered trees in local mountains and volunteered at Children’s Hospital LA.

The Hartford

The Hartford partnered with the Hartford Fire Department to host a free safety day for children in kindergarten through fourth grade during National Fire Prevention Week. Students met local firefghters from the Hartford Fire Department, toured their free truck and tried on gear. The event is part of a three-year commitment, announced in 2017 as part of The Hartford’s Junior Fire Marshal Program, which will provide $2 million in grants and educate 1.5 million children in the 100 cities with the highest home fre risk in The Hartford’s Home Fire Index

Kaplansky Insurance Agency

The Kaplansky team donated over 100 gifts to Christmas In The City’s holiday party. Each year, Christmas in the City brings holiday magic to thousands of kids and their families in the Boston area who’ve been experiencing homelessness and the stress of poverty. Kaplansky believes that these children and their families deserve a day that’s all about being welcomed and cherished, joyful, and worry-free.

Hugh Cotton Insurance

For several years, Hugh Cotton Insurance has partnered with an organization founded by a local radio DJ. The Baby DJ program collects toys for economically disadvantaged children. Hugh Cotton collects toys every holiday season, and just before Christmas drops the toys of at the Baby DJ warehouse for distribution.

Morris & Garritano Insurance

Beyond simply providing financial donations, Morris & Garritano Insurance also gets involved and participates in various events that make California’s Central Coast such a unique and wonderful place to live and work. One of our employees’ favorite annual activities is donating gifts to Big Brothers Big Sisters of SLO County and to the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Maria. This is an opportunity where employees get to spread some love to the littlest community members. Each year the list of kids in need grows, and each year the agency fills it up in record time.

Charles J. Sellers & Co. Inc.

Meeting needs of its local community is important to Charles J. Sellers & Co. The agency consistently support causes affecting their community. This includes collecting food for the Martin Luther King Day of Service; collecting items to donate to the International Institute of Buffalo which helps survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence; spending the day painting and fixing the Buffalo Peace House which shelters asylum seekers and refugees; and participating in St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy’s Adopt-A-Family program for the holidays.

USI Insurance Services

USI has created a corporate social responsibility program called USI Gives Back. USI conducts a yearly nationwide campaign in which more than 6,000 associates across the country come together to give their time, talent and treasure back to their local communities. Since the program’s inception in 2014, more than 80,000 volunteer hours have been logged, impacting more than 1 million lives. USI offices participated in 317 local community service events across the U.S. in 2018 alone, volunteering at food banks and depositories, animal rescue shelters, senior centers, women’s crisis shelters, Title 1 schools, homeless rescue missions, local zoos, and public parks to name a few.

AmWINS Brokerage of Florida, AmWINS Access (Jacksonville)

AmWINS Brokerage and Access employees visited the Florida Panhandle in early November to help families recover from Hurricane Michael. They partnered with the Florida Association of Insurance Agents to collect and donate a truckload of supplies. The team helped families by cleaning up debris and recovering their belongings. Some of the victims were employees of Hutt Insurance Agency, a longtime partner of the office.

Bolton & Company

Bolton has a long history of supporting nonprofit organizations. The Bolton Foundation, a nonprofit that operates as a component fund of the Pasadena Community Foundation, is driven by employees through internal fundraising campaigns and events. Employees receive volunteer time to take part in charitable efforts. Contributions are provided through year-round fundraising efforts of Bolton & Co., The Bolton Foundation and its partners. This includes the “Throw Down” event, a cornhole tournament held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Pacific Interstate Insurance Brokers

On Oct. 9, 2017, wildfires raged across the Sonoma County, thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed by the fire. Pacific Interstate Insurance Brokers wanted to help fire victims with money and necessities. With help from its affiliates, PIIB raised $16,000. Member agents donated a total of $7,200 and PIIB donated $8,800. We were able to provide 150 care packages for agencies and their clients who were affected by the Sonoma Fires.

Frank Winston Crum Insurance Company

Frank Winston Crum Insurance, a Clearwater, Fla.-based independent insurance company, started the FrankCrum Golf Invitational in 2007 to benefit Trinity Cafe in Tampa. The annual event has since raised more than $1 million for the hungry and homeless. FWCI employees volunteer regularly at Trinity Cafe, and donate $1 each week for the privilege of wearing jeans on Fridays. FWCI’s founder, Frank Crum Jr., sits on the Trinity Cafe Board and has supported the Tampa Bay area community for decades.

InsuranceTrak Services

InsuranceTrak Services has a soft spot for rescue animals as its CEO rescued a little chihuahua named Balthazar last year. He has even become a company mascot. Since Balthazar was adopted, the company has made every effort to give back to those charities that support rescuing animals as they have brought the CEO’s family, and even the staff at InsuranceTrak, so much joy. This holiday season, InsuranceTrak Services decided to support the local Pet Stop Here Rescue in Rochester, N.Y., by placing a donation box at the front desk.

Philadelphia Insurance Companies

Nearly 18,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes each year. Philadelphia Insurance Cos. employees voted to support American Diabetes Association Camps to help empower kids living with the disease. Through a year-long campaign, PHLY employees raised more than $175,000 and volunteered 1,110 hours to promote diabetes awareness. PHLY matched every dollar for $350,000 in donations to the ADA Camps program, which delivers education and camp fun to kids in a medically safe environment.

TMNA Services

TMNA Services offers many ways for employees to give back to charitable organizations each year. In celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness month, TMNAS hosted a Lunch and Learn with a guest speaker from Special Olympics Pennsylvania. In 2018, TMNAS was the presenting sponsor of the annual Special Olympics PA Leprechaun Run in Philadelphia for the third year. TMNAS presented a check for $10,000 and employees raised an additional $2,179.

AmWINS Brokerage of California, AmWINS Access (Woodland Hills)

On Aug. 22, the Woodland Hills, Calif., office comprised of more than 70 AmWINS Access and AmWINS Brokerage of California employees, arrived at the Golden Heart Ranch for their Summer of Service project. The 22-acre property is being designed as a life-long residential community for young adults with special needs. AmWINS employees built a gazebo by the pool, fenced around the tortoise run, landscaped walkways and common areas, assembled shelving in the tool shed, restacked wood and cleaned out the Club House and Art Center.

AssuredPartners

AssuredPartners supports local communities throughout its 185+ offices. Many offices host food and toy drives at the holidays in addition to fundraising efforts throughout the year such as charity runs, serving at homeless shelters, delivering food for Meals on Wheels among other efforts. They partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver for several years in the Annual Women’s Build event, which provides those in need with a tangible donation and empowers women to get involved in manual volunteer labor.

USLI

USLI gives back in many ways. The USLI mindset is that it’s never too late to help others and always be prepared to fulfill their needs. One USLI initiative supports Breastcancer.org, a nonprofit located in the Greater Philadelphia Area. This nonprofit allows women and families affected by breast cancer to access medical information, prevention information and more. USLI donates 1 percent of its new business premium to Breastcancer.org during the month of October, and hosts an annual online auction getting its customers, law firms and vendors involved as well.

SIAA

SIAA, Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance, is an organization dedicated to the creation, retention, and growth of the independent insurance agency. Over the last two years, SIAA has also raised over $310,000 for charities benefiting people in communities throughout the country. For Veteran’s Day and to support those who served, SIAA raised more than $30,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project. Since they first started working with Wounded Warrior Project two-and-a half years ago, SIAA has raised more than $187,000 for the organization.

Insurance Office of America

Just days after Hurricane Irma hit Florida, home to over 20 Insurance Office of America locations, Hurricane Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico and left behind an unprecedented path of destruction. IOA’s leadership helped by donating $50,000 to United for Puerto Rico, a nonprofit set up to benefit the residents of Puerto Rico impacted by natural disasters. The company encouraged its employees to do the same, and used its billboards on Interstate 4 to raise awareness and support.

Gulfshore Insurance

The Gulfshore Humanitarian Foundation determines the charities it will support in the upcoming year based on votes cast by associates, agency-wide. In 2018, the Soak The Sales Team event, brainchild of Kim Ovaitte, senior vice president, raised more than $10,000 for Naples-based Avow Hospice. Donations “poured” in from all over Florida and nationally from Gulfshore associates, clients, carrier partners and local businesses.

Woodruff Sawyer

Through its community service arm, CARE, Woodruff Sawyer employees have raised over $50,000 and collected 1.5 tons of donated food for charitable organizations throughout the country — all spearheaded by employees. Employees in the San Francisco CARE have put together a charity program that spanned a range of organizations in 2018. Activities included: Backpack Drive to Benefit Hamilton Families, an organization that helps support homeless families in San Francisco and a volunteer day at the SF-Marin Food Bank where employees helped with preparing food for the more than 225,000 people.

First Insurance Company of Hawaii Ltd.

First Insurance Company of Hawaii and its employees support many nonprofits each year. One prominent example is FICOH’s support of the American Red Cross of Hawaii and its life-saving “Sound the Alarm” campaign. In May 2018, the ARCH surpassed its goal of installing more than 1,000 smoke alarms in Hawaii homes at no charge. They did so with the help of FICOH volunteers, who donated their time on several occasions, and the leadership of Hawaii campaign chair and FICOH CEO Jeff Shonka.

Networked Insurance Agents

The historic Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise, Calif., was less than 75-miles from Networked Insurance Agents’ headquarters in Grass Valley. Due to extreme hardship of those affected, Networked wanted to help this holiday in a small way. Several families of its employees were affected so for this year’s annual Adopt-a-family gift drive, Networked connected with three families from Paradise who are relatives of Networked employees. The compass shown above is the only item left from one home that burned in the fire. It was a wedding gift from a woman to her husband. Networked hopes this year’s gift drive will provide a glimmer of joy and normalcy for these families during Christmas time.

Topics California Florida Carriers Texas Agencies Excess Surplus Georgia New Jersey Hurricane Training Development Hawaii

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