Unsung Heroes in Charity Initiative

With the insurance industry seemingly starved for some good news about itself, it can take solace knowing that more than 4,000 insurance company volunteers were willing to provide time and labor to various nonprofit groups across the nation last week.

According to the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a charitable organization established in 1994, those 4,000 individuals provided 15,000 hours of service to non-profit organizations this year as part of “Volunteer Week,” the IICF's largest national program. Its mission is to help communities and enrich lives by combining the strengths of the industry to provide grants, volunteer service and leadership.

Since its inception, “Volunteer Week,” an eight-day industry-wide volunteer event in which teams of insurance industry volunteers set time aside from their busy jobs  in order to provide three or more hours of volunteer service at neighborhood and community nonprofit organizations throughout the week, has contributed more than $17 million to community nonprofit groups.

The initiative is funded and directed by insurance industry professionals representing a broad spectrum of the industry: reinsurers, insurance agents and brokers, property/casualty companies, health/life companies and related advertising, public relations, law, accounting, computer and other companies that work closely with the insurance industry.

The program continues to grow. Expanding its geographical reach in 2011, Volunteer Week mobilized insurance professionals to collaborate on projects in all three IICF operating divisions spanning Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, and Utah.

"Swiss Re is proud to support the IICF and Volunteer Week," said Eileen Lim, head of communications for the Americas Division of Swiss Re in a statement. "Our New York staff cleared out trails in Van Cortlandt Park; our Overland Park colleagues helped clear tornado devastation in Joplin, Mo.; employees from our Chicago office prepared lunches for families who have a child suffering from a serious illness at Chicago-land Ronald McDonald houses.

"We salute IICF's efforts bringing together the collective resources of the insurance industry to help our communities and enrich lives."