InsuranceInformation Institute

The Insurance In d u s t ry’s Contribution to Community De ve l o p m e n t

Inside:

Preserving California’s Historic Mission ................................................................1Project Senior........................................................................................................4A Mariachi Festival ...............................................................................................6Providing Quality Child Care ...............................................................................8A Program for Scholars .......................................................................................10 “Young Americanos” Photos................................................................................12

Giving Back to the Community on a Local and National Level

I.I.I. MembersACE USAAllstate Insurance Group

American Agricultural Insurance

Company

American International Group, Inc.

American Re-Insurance CompanyAmerican Skyline Insurance Company

Atlantic Mutual Companies

Bituminous Insurance Companies

Chubb Group of Insurance Companies

CNA CUMIS Insurance Society, Inc.

De Smet Farm Mutual Insurance

Company of South Dakota

Dryden Mutual Insurance Company

Erie Insurance GroupFarmers Insurance Group

Foundation Reserve Insurance

Company, Inc.

GE Employers Reinsurance

CorporationGEICO

GeneralCologne Re

The Harford Mutual Insurance

Companies

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.

Holyoke Mutual Insurance Company

Liberty Mutual Group

Lloyd’s America Inc.

Marsh Inc.MetLife Auto & Home

Millville Mutual Insurance Companies

Nationwide

Norfolk & Dedham Group

OneBeacon Insurance GroupPrudential Property & Casualty Group

Safeco Insurance Companies

The St. Paul Companies, Inc.

SCOR U.S. Corporation

Selective Insurance Group, Inc.State Farm Fire and Casualty Company

Swiss Reinsurance America Corporation

Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance

Company

Travelers Insurance Trenwick America Reinsurance

Corporation

Unitrin Property and Casualty

Insurance GroupUSAA

Utica National Insurance Group

Westfield Group

X.L. Insurance Company, Ltd.

Since we often hear that charity begins athome, it should be no surprise to learnthat many exceptional efforts by insure r s

happen in their hometowns. In this issue ofIm p a c t, we have chosen to highlight insure r s’e f f o rts at the local and national leve l s .

ACE INA, headquart e red in Ph i l a d e l -phia, Pe n n s y l vania, has actively supported thePolice Athletic League for two years and has“a d o p t e d” a PAL center in that city. Se l e c t i veInsurance Gro u p’s fundraising efforts onbehalf of a local New Jersey hospital will helps u p p o rt expansion of the hospital’s emergencyroom and new cancer treatment center.C N A’s Starlight Prom in Chicago for seriouslyill teens was a hit, just like the popular televi-sion show American Id o l after which it wasmodeled. Converium employees are engagedin an interactive partnership with Domus, aConnecticut-based, non-pro fit organization,and its Tr a i l b l a zers Ac a d e m y, a community-based charter school for students who ares t ruggling academically or socially in a tradi-tional school environment. InVEST has beenp reparing inner-city students for insurancec a reers for more than 30 years. The pro g r a mcontinues to expand, re c ruiting new andd i verse talent into the insurance industry.

On the national level, safety and childre na re high on companies’ priority lists. Me t L i f e

Auto & Home has developed a national ini-t i a t i ve to help police respond more quickly inmissing child cases. So far, more than 2,000c h i l d ren have been fingerprinted in over 150clinics nationwide, providing an import a n tdatabase of information. Hu n d reds of play-g rounds in distressed communities across thec o u n t ry are in such hazardous condition thatc h i l d ren have no safe spaces to play. Allstateand the In j u ry Free Coalition for Kids® arebuilding safe and vital communities by re h a-bilitating old playgrounds and constru c t i n gn ew ones. GEICO is educating childre nabout auto safety through its annual safetybelt poster contest and by helping parents tocope with concerns about auto safety as theirteens start to drive. Nationwide, in honor of“ El Día de los Ni ñ o s” -- Childre n’s Day --hosted a festival with games, parades and car-n i val activities, but made sure that safetyp l a yed a key role in the event by distributingbike helmets to kids and providing child safe-ty seat demonstrations to pare n t s .

Go rdon St ew a rtPre s i d e n tInsurance Information In s t i t u t e

Inside:

El Día de los Niños: Celebrating Children............................................................1

Seriously Ill Teens Shine on Prom Night ...............................................................4

Investing in the Future of a City and a Neighborhood..........................................6

Sunglasses Recommended: Bright Future Ahead ...................................................8

Reinforcing Driver Safety in Children and Adults...............................................10

Little Hands Build Safe Communities ................................................................12

Fingerprint ID Clinics ........................................................................................14

Spring Fever Raises Funds for Hospital Foundation ............................................16

Giving Kids a Better Chance...............................................................................17

Summer 2003 Vol. 9 No.1 Impact is published by the Insurance Information Institute, 110 William Street, New York, N.Y. 10038; 212-346-5500. Editor: Diane Portantiere©2003 Insurance Information Institute, www.iii.org or www.insurance.info. Cover photo: Starlight Foundation’s Kathy Super welcomes Carlos Carmacho to the CNA-hosted Starlight Idol Prom. Photo by Bob Levy.

Observed on April 30 throughoutLatin America, El Día de los Niños iscelebrated with festivals, parades,games and gifts. On October 9,1998, the U.S. Senate unanimouslypassed a bipartisan resolution declar-ing April 30 as El Día de los Niños:Celebrating Young Americans. Insubsequent years, the U.S. Senate hassigned a similar resolution declaringthe day a commemorative holidayand the National Latino Children’sInstitute works to ensure that the res-olution, which is good for one year, ispassed annually.

At the local level, in September1996, 54 young Latinos at an NLCIyouth conference in San Antonio,Texas, formally requested for the firsttime that the community recognizeEl Día de los Niños. Since then,Nationwide Insurance and the city ofColumbus have joined more than150 other cities across the countrythat also sponsor El Día de los Niños.

Ma yor Michael Coleman pro-

claimed April 30 as El Día de losNiños in Columbus. “As our city grow sin population and dive r s i t y, we want tobe a partner in helping families suc-ceed,” said Coleman. “El Día de los

Niños is a great opportunity to re a c hout to some of our youngest re s i d e n t s . ”

Focusing on child safety and cre-ating positive influences on childrenin the community by declaring their

1

El Día de los Ni ñ o s :Celebrating Children

For the third year in a row, Nationwide Insurance, along with the National Latino

C h i l d re n’s Institute (NLCI), gathered with special guests to celebrate El Día de los

Niños (Childre n’s Day) on Sa t u rd a y, April 26, at Cooper Stadium in Columbus, Oh i o.

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, Mayte Reyes Perry, her sister Esperanza Reyes

and NLCI El Dia coordinator Roman Cruz.

own day of celebration, NationwideInsurance commemorated the day byhosting the festival in Columbus,Ohio, and sponsoring a “DreamsEssay Contest.”

Smoke detectors we re donated tothe Columbus Division of Fi re for dis-tribution at the festival. In addition,Na t i o n w i d e’s Of fice of Safety fitted anddistributed bike helmets to children inattendance. For parents, there we rechild safety seat demonstrations. T h ecelebration also included a childre n’sparade, childre n’s soccer games, aLatino youth summit and a variety ofc a r n i val activities — including a pre-sentation of Mi l a g ros — small craftsmade of wood, paper, bone, brass, sil-

ver or gold that re p resent an ancientcultural tradition used to request spe-cial favors for families and friends.

The “Dreams Essay Contest” wasopen to Ohio students grades one-12.To enter the contest, younger studentswe re asked to submit a drawing oftheir role model, middle school stu-dents had to submit an essay describ-ing the characteristics they wouldwant in a role model, while older stu-dents we re asked to describe thechanges they would like to see in theLatino community or in their com-munity and how they could make ad i f f e rence themselves. The contestencouraged listening to wishes,d reams and aspirations, and acted as a

way to increase awareness of the issuest roubling not only Latino childre n ,but all children. The six winnersre c e i ved gift cert i ficates to local store s .

Golden Globe Award winnerBenito Martinez, from the televisionseries The Shield, and Retired Lt.Colonel Consuelo Castillo Kickbuschwere among the guests who joinedthe festivities.

Martinez has been involved withchildren’s groups and the Latino com-munity for many years. Born andraised in Albuquerque, New Mexico,Martinez began helping children inhis community through TheEducational Theater Company andthe Will and Company, two theatergroups specializing in youth pro-grams. Through these organizationshe has been able to perform over 20different original works for more thanone million students. Through theseworks Martinez has had a profoundeffect on the students, some of whomhave decided to become peer coun-selors for their schools.

“These experiences with theyouth keep the blood pumping in mychest,” said Martinez. “I seem to havegravitated toward people or organiza-tions that look into the eyes of thechildren and say, ‘I see you.’ As aLatino, I have my cultural perspectivethat I see through, but as a father andparticipator in my community, Iendeavor to remember and learn overand over again the simplest lesson:We must take care of all our children.That’s our job. Period.”

“As our city grows in population and diversity, we wantto be a partner in helping families succeed.”

Retired Lt. Colonel Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch spoke to an assembly of over

800 students at Norton Middle School about responsibility and appreciation of

parents and teachers.

2

Kickbusch decided early on thatshe wanted to make a change in chil-d re n’s lives. Growing up with the chal-lenges of pove rt y, discrimination andilliteracy in Laredo, Texas, she becamea successful leader and role model forher community. She has been bre a k-ing barriers and setting re c o rds in them i l i t a ry — becoming the highestranking Hispanic woman in the U.S.A r m y’s combat support fie l d .

Kickbusch has worked with overone million children, their parentsand educators in 43 states. Sheinspires these young “diamonds in the

rough” by encouraging them tobelieve that “we can all make ourdreams come true, not to give uphope, but rather to take charge of ourlives, make a real difference in ourfamilies and communities and followa disciplined road map to success.” Avideo entitled, Porque No — Why not?produced by Kickbusch provides

practical techniques that helped herleave the barrio, develop self-esteemand achieve personal success. She iscurrently writing a book for youngreaders, Journey to the Future, provid-ing them with a framework for earlyleadership development.

“We are proud to fund thisunprecedented program,” said TimHoyt, vice president of safety,Nationwide Insurance. “We are com-mitted to working closely with theNational Latino Children’s Instituteto help educate the Hispanic commu-nity about the importance of adultand child passenger safety.”

“We are very appreciative ofNationwide’s support,” said RebecaMaria Barrera, president of theNational Latino Children’s Institute.“This partnership has given us thevehicle to communicate with theLatino community, culturally, in theway we know best. We are certainthat this program will touch people’shearts and help them to make betterdecisions about their children.” ■

3

Kevin Craiglow of Nationwide measures

Sophia Wang for a bike helmet, while

brother Henry waits his turn.

Flamenco dancers entertained the crowd during the festivities.

Dreams Essay Contest winners (standing, l to r): Yunuen Ruiz, Tara Fast, Suad

Hassan, Jorge Castillo and Yanheli Lopez and (sitting, l to r) Reyna Zarate,

Andrea Del Rio, Marissa Holmes and Marcos Gasca.

Many seriously ill teens do not havethe opportunity to attend their highschool prom. On Saturday, April 5,CNA welcomed more than 100 teensand helped them to ‘shine-for-the-night’ by transforming them intoStarlight Idols when they attendedthe Starlight Prom.

Sponsored by the CNA Foun-

dation, the Starlight Idol Prom incor-porated the theme from the hit televi-sion show American Idol and madeeach guest a celebrity in his or herown right — complete with a red car-pet entrance and paparazzi photogra-phers. The event featured the latestmusical favorites, karaoke perfor-mances and a special appearance by

2002 American Idol finalist AngelaPeel. For one magical night, theseteens were able to enjoy a specialevent created just for them.

Ma l l o ry Mohring, 15, one of thep rom attendees, wore a spark l i n ge vening gown with matching jewe l ryand had her hair done for the occasion,which just happened to be her birt h-d a y. She suffers from several seriousc h ronic illnesses that have been diag-nosed over the last six years that keepher home-schooled to manage her care.

“It was so much fun getting readyfor it,” Mohring said. “I had neverbeen to anything like it before.Everybody there was so happy andenergetic.”

Also attending the prom was SethGoldberg, 20. He has a form of mus-cular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair,but that didn’t stop him from headingstraight to the dance floor, with adate on his arm. Outfitted in a blacktuxedo, Goldberg said of the event,“It made me feel really, really good.We are so lucky to have it. I felt like adifferent person.”

For one night, Goldberg was able

4

Seriously Ill Teens Shine on

Prom Ni g h t

The red carpet is in place. The paparazzi are stationed at the entrance. The crowd is

abuzz with excitement. While this could describe a movie premiere at a theatre, it

actually describes the recent scene at CNA headquarters in downtown Chicago

during its third annual Starlight Prom.

(L-R) Leslie Pokoik, CNA’s Marlene Rotstein, 2002 American Idol Finalist

Angela Peel and Starlight Foundation’s Kathy Super.

to forget about his disabilities, includ-ing his 95 percent hearing loss andloss of muscle tone due to his illness.Instead, he laughed and danced andwas one of the first guests to partici-pate in a karaoke performance. Hededicated two songs to the troops inIraq when he sang “God Bless theU.S.A.” and then used sign languageto perform “God Bless America.”

“Our Starlight Prom night was amoving and joyful event not only forthe young people and their families,but for CNA employees as well,” saidSarah Pang, senior vice president ofpublic affairs at CNA. “Seeing thesmiles and hearing the laughter of somany teenagers — all dressed in theirformal wear and moving around the

dance floor — was spectacular. It wasa proud moment for CNA that wecould be a part of it, too.”

Starlight Children’s Foundation isan international, non-profit organiza-tion dedicated to improving the qual-ity of life for seriously ill children andtheir families. Working with morethan 1,000 hospitals, Starlight pro-vides in-hospital and outpatient pro-grams and services to more than100,000 children each month.

The partnership between theCNA Foundation and Starlight grewout of 12 employees who started vol-unteering there and approached theirfoundation to help support Starlight.In just a few short years, CNAemployees have embraced the

Starlight Children’s Foundation in avariety of ways — golf tournaments,distribution of holiday bears — andmost recently, the Prom Night. Also,CNA has worked to expand its rela-tionship with Starlight to includemore members of the insuranceindustry. A member of CNA’sChicago-based headquarters suggestedStarlight as a non-profit partner forthe local Chartered Property CasualtyUnderwriters (CPCU) chapter. Theresult has not only been a new out-reach for the industry into the non-profit community, but more than onedozen CPCU members and theirfamilies will begin to touch the livesof even more Starlight children andtheir families. ■

5

“I had never been to anything like it before. Everybody there was so happy and energetic.”

Prom-goers

Sasha Allen and

Haywood Jones

take a break

from the action.

6

In vesting in the Fu t u reof a City and a Neighborhood

The young girls

who step up to

the barre to warm

up with stretches and demi-

plies aren’t your typical ballet

s t u d e n t s . With the commit-

ment of a generous corporate

neighbor, they’re taking confi-

dent steps towards a bright

future — in their very own,

brand-new dance studio.

Teachers Lia Key (l) and Patricia Lewis (r) and students rehearse at the

ACE INA-sponsored PAL dance studio.

ACE INA and its employees knowthat helping the world begins athome. The ACE INA Foundation, thep h i l a n t h ropic arm of ACE INA, hasa c t i vely supported Ph i l a d e l p h i a’sPolice Athletic League (PAL) in thec i t y’s Fr a n k f o rd section for the pasttwo years.

ACE participates in the Po l i c eMemorial PAL Center’s Ad o p t - A -Center initiative and is the sole corpo-rate sponsor of the Memorial Centerand its new dance studio — the onlyone of its kind among PA L’s 24Philadelphia centers. The Fo u n -d a t i o n’s $10,000 contribution allowe d

the Center to refurbish space and adda fully equipped dance studio, part ofthe PAL Pe rforming Arts program.

Police Lieutenant Susan Sl a w s o n ,commanding officer of Ph i l a d e l p h i aPAL and planning officer of the Po l i c eMemorial PAL Center, said, “This giftf rom ACE enabled us to give our cen-ter a complete facelift. For the dancestudio, we took a room that couldn’tbe used at all and transformed it intoa wonderful learning space.” T h efunds from ACE also provided forl e o t a rds and tights for all the students.

Se veral times per week, 20 or sogirls, aged six to 15, study ballet and

modern jazz in their 24’ x 35’ studio,complete with mirrors and barre s .Classes are taught by vo l u n t e e r sPatricia Lewis, 27, who studied withPhiladanco for 14 years and Fre e d o mTheater for two (and who is Lt.Sl a w s o n’s daughter) and Lia Ke y, whowas with Freedom Theater for manyyears.

“These classes are teaching notonly confidence, but also discipline,”noted Slawson. “We know that confi-dence without discipline is notenough. These girls show up on time,in uniform, ready to follow dire c t i o n s .T h e y’re developing behavior character-

istics they’ll use for the rest of theirl i ves. T h e y’re being trained to be win-ners. You can see the difference intheir posture, their walk, their ove r a l lpride in their appearance. You can seeambition developing. And this is allpossible because of ACE INA’s gen-e ro s i t y. ”

In fact, early in Ma y, after only af ew months of lessons, these studentsp e rformed for about 150 people atanother of the city’s PAL centers torousing acclaim.

Eden Kratchman, exe c u t i ve dire c-tor of the ACE INA Foundation, said,“At ACE, we’re committed to makinga positive impact on the communitiesin which our employees live andw o rk. And that includes the Po l i c eAthletic League.” The Fo u n d a t i o n’smission includes financial support ofw o rthwhile educational and commu-nity organizations and cultural institu-tions in Philadelphia and activei n vo l vement in programs concerningyouth, education and the art s .

“ Su p p o rting PAL is one of thebest ways we can give back to thec o m m u n i t y, since it means inve s t i n gin the future of our young people,”said Kratchman. The ACE INA

Fo u n d a t i o n’s support allows theCenter to continue to expand its after-school curriculum — including balletlessons — and maintain existing gen-eral operations.

The Fo u n d a t i o n’s commitment tothe Police Memorial PAL Centerextends to smaller but no less signifi-cant activities, such as their annualholiday party for neighborhood boy sand girls, with gifts for eve ryone. AC Evolunteers donate gifts, serve re f re s h-ments, decorate Christmas stockingswith the kids and help the nearly 100c h i l d ren create colorful holiday card s .And since no kids’ holiday party iscomplete without Santa, he shows upwith gifts and sits with each child fora special photo of just the two ofthem.

Dominic Frederico, chairmanand chief executive officer, and SusanRivera, president, ACE INA HoldingsInc., joined employees in lendingSanta a hand last year in creating hol-iday magic at these parties.

“We’re happy to make childre nsmile at this time of ye a r,” saidKratchman. “Many of the approx i-mately 200 children (ages six to 18)who participate in the PAL Center’safterschool programs might not other-wise enjoy the full bounty of the holi-days, so the ACE INA Fo u n d a t i o ntakes a lot of pleasure in hosting thise ve n t . ”

PAL began in 1947, when policeo f ficers and city officials planned ap rogram to offer Ph i l a d e l p h i a’s yo u n gpeople interesting, constru c t i ve andp o s i t i ve activities. Beginning as a sin-gle sandlot baseball team in No rt hPhiladelphia, the Police At h l e t i cLeague today is a citywide pre s e n c e ,offering activities — all free—to morethan 28,000 boys and girls aged six to18 in athletics, homew o rk clubs, com-

puter outreach programs, self-esteemw o rkshops and valuable friendships.All activities are supervised by re a l - l i f epolice officers, investing their time inthe future of the children of theirn e i g h b o r h o o d s .

The heart of PAL is “CopsHelping Kids.” Ac c o rding to PA L’smission statement, “PAL provides thee n v i ronment to keep boys and girlsa c t i ve, interested and busy through itss u p e rvised, multi-faceted re c re a t i o n a l ,societal and educational programs tod e velop leadership traits and buildgood citizens for tomorrow. PAL isdedicated to instilling in our youth avalue system that re c o g n i zes the needto respect and protect the human andp ro p e rty rights of others and touphold and obey the laws of our city,state and nation.”

The support from the ACE INAFoundation means the PAL Po l i c eMemorial Center will continue toc a r ry on its mission of “Cops He l p i n gK i d s . ”

Noted Kratchman, “T h a t’s aboutas sound an investment as we canimagine, don’t you agree?” ■

7

Lorenso, age 8, and Dominic

Frederico, chairman and CEO of

ACE INA Holdings, Inc., proudly display

Lorenso’s holiday artwork.

Roger, age 10, and Susan Rivera,

president, ACE INA, show off a hand-

made stocking.

InVEST classes are currently held in235 schools in 28 states producing6,000 graduates a year. Historically,66 percent of all graduates go on topursue careers in the insurance indus-try, a statistic demonstrating InVEST

is not only providing marketableskills to kids in inner-city schools, butis also recruiting new and diverse tal-ent into the insurance industry. Asidefrom good “PR” and an opportunityfor genuine public service, InVEST

allows insurance industry profession-als an opportunity to explore largelyunfamiliar territory and the promiseof discovering new talent for theiragencies and companies: smart, dri-ven and educated inner-city school

8

Sunglasses Recommended: Bright Fu t u re Ahead

InVEST Pre p a res Inner-City High SchoolStudents for their Future

Each ye a r, thousands of

high school and com-

munity college students

a re introduced to exciting insur-

ance careers through a pro g r a m

called In V E S T. For more than 30

years, InVEST has been prov i d i n g

education about the insurance indus-

t ry and its diverse careers, encourag-

ing the development of trained insurance professionals and creating educated insurance con-

sumers. Although InVEST has been called the insurance industry’s “best-kept secret,” many

carriers, agents and brokers have been hiring program graduates for years. In fact, some gradu-

ates of the InVEST program are celebrating more than 25 years in the insurance industry.

Jones High School students visit the University of Florida, led by teacher

Renee Dubber (bottom right), allowing these ninth graders and future InVEST

graduates a chance to envision themselves at the college level.

students ready to assume entry-levelpositions in the insurance industry.

InVEST begins with a core groupof prospective high schools. Once ateacher commits to teaching the pro-gram, local agent and company vol-unteers then provide classroom assis-tance, industry guest speakers, fieldtrips, internships and job placementassistance. This valuable exposure andtraining ultimately provides InVESTgraduates with the foundation for acareer in the insurance industry.

Talin Jabourian, an Armenian-American from Southern California,graduated from InVEST nine yearsago. Jabourian is a perfect example ofsomeone who was introduced to theinsurance world through her highschool’s InVEST program, becamehooked on the promise of a brightand stable future in insurance andultimately was placed into a fulfillingcareer by an agency using InVEST asa tool for recruitment of entry-levelemployees.

Like many other students,Jabourian said InVEST laid thegroundwork for a solid understandingof the business world: “It teaches youthe basics of insurance, but moreimportantly, it teaches you how tohandle the adult working world. Thatclass was my first introduction topreparing a resume, filling out jobapplications, handling personalfinance and so much more that isimportant to a successful career.”

Jabourian was unfamiliar withhow automobile insurance workedbefore she enrolled in the InVESTclass. In fact, most young peopleknow very little about insurance. Andthere seems to be greater confusionamong urban school students. Whatthese students lack is exposure, notintelligence. In contrast, students

matriculating in private schools andsuburban public schools have beenexposed to the insurance industrythrough social and family networks.

InVEST closes the gap in expo-sure by infiltrating urban schools andrevealing the world of insurance tothem. “I don’t think I would haveever considered a job in insurance if ithadn’t been for InVEST,” saidJabourian. “I love my job and thepeople I work with and none of itwould have happened without theInVEST class that placed me here.”

The InVEST students are thebackbone of the program, but teach-ers act as giant puppeteers pulling allthe right strings so that the educationprocess works according to plan.Teachers provide the daily interaction,encouragement and guidance for thestudents, operating with one goal inmind: to help students secureemployment after graduation.InVEST provides an exciting educa-tional experience and allows teachersto watch the growth and perpetualsuccess of their students.

Renee Dubber is a teacher atJones High School, an inner-cityschool in Orlando, Florida, with apopulation of over 95 percent minori-ty students, many of whom haven e ver traveled five miles outside ofthis urban community. Du b b e rattended an InVEST teacher trainingsession outside Tampa a few years agoin order to learn about the pro g r a mand was immediately impressed by thei n t e rest displayed by the students andthe healthy, “hands-on” competition.After listening to what the studentshad to say and discovering that theyhad the opportunity to earn scholar-ship money, Dubber was hooked andk n ew the program needed to beb rought to her school. In s t i n c t i ve l y,

she thought about what the pro g r a mcould do for her students: “A n yo p p o rtunity I have to provide my stu-dents with career training and some-thing that will help them with theirf u t u re is something worth incorporat-ing into my classroom.”

Three years of experience inteaching the program have givenDubber a chance to reflect on whatshe hopes to gain in the long run. Shewants her students to develop a deep-er understanding of the insuranceindustry and acquire a taste for good-old-fashioned responsibility. Shewants her students to use the insur-ance knowledge as a survival tool inthe future. “By studying through theInVEST program, students under-stand the process and all that isinvolved in insurance as a whole,” shesaid. “In a very short time they willneed to know these things as theyventure off on their own.”

Dubber is particularly proud ofthe achievements of one of her former

9

Scholarship award winner Dana

Summers, pictured with Steven Buckner

(right) of Newman-Crane & Associates

Insurance Inc. and Jeff Grady (left),

president of the Florida Association of

Insurance Agents, at the annual InVEST

Program Awards Breakfast.

Continued on page 18

The U.S.

De p a rtment of

Tr a n s p o rt a t i o n

has stated that there is no

m o re effective safety device

than a seatbelt or a child safe-

ty seat. Yet sixty percent of the

passenger vehicle occupants

killed in crashes in 2001 we re

not wearing safety belts. T h e

numbers also indicate that

u n restrained children are thre e

times more likely to be

i n j u red than those who are

re s t r a i n e d .

No one is too young to help spre a dthe word on safety and buckling up.Habits formed in childhood often lasta lifetime, and GEICO hopes to seee ve ryone develop the habit of using asafety belt. That is why for the last 16years GEICO has sponsored an annualsafety belt poster contest for studentsa c ross the country.

“We want students to learn ve ryearly that using a safety belt is themost important thing they can do toi m p rove their odds of safely surv i v i n ga crash,” said GEICO Chairman and

CEO Tony Ni c e l y. “T h rough thiscontest, we hope to spread the safetybelt message and save live s . ”

Each fall, GEICO invites schoolsa c ross the U.S. to participate in thecontest. Students use their cre a t i v i t yand art i s t ry to draw, paint, color orcut and paste an original picture andmessage emphasizing the import a n c eof using safety belts.

In 2003, the poster contest will beopen to three age groups: six- to eight-year-old, nine- to 11-year-old and 12-to 15-year-old students. First-, second-

10

Re i n f o rcing Dr i ver Sa f e t y

in Children and Adults

Maryland’s Elizabeth Ko, 15, submitted this poster and took top honors in

the 12-15 age group.

and third-place prizes of $150, $100and $50 will be awarded in each ofG E I C O ’s six regions for each ageg ro u p. One grand prize winner alsowill be chosen from each age gro u pand will re c e i ve an additional $450,and their schools will re c e i ve $500w o rth of art supplies.

In 2002, an unprecedented 1,800plus students from across the countrye n t e red GEICO’s safety belt postercontest. New Yo rk’s Andrew Mo re j o nand Ma ry l a n d’s Elizabeth Ko pro d u c e dthe winning posters, earning cashp r i zes for themselves and art suppliesfor their schools. Mo rejon, an 11-ye a r -old sixth grader from Albert LeonardMiddle School in New Rochelle, NewYo rk, took top honors in the six to 11age gro u p. Ko, a 15-year-old sopho-m o re at Mount de Sales Academy inCatonsville, Ma ryland, won the grandp r i ze in the 12 to 15 age gro u p.

“The importance of seat belts can-not be ove re m p h a s i zed and it is gre a tto see this message getting through toso many people of all ages,” saidWilliam Evans, principal, AlbertL e o n a rd Middle School. “ Having ouryouth invo l ved in getting the messageout is ve ry powe rful and effective . ”

“ It was exciting to see the range oftalent for this ye a r’s contest,” saidCeleste Fe r n a n d ez, public relations spe-cialist at GEICO, who coordinated thecontest. “T h e re we re so many goodposters with a lot of cre a t i ve ideas fro mkids around the nation.”

Judges for the contest includedrepresentatives from the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administra-tion (NHTSA), the InsuranceInstitute for Highway Safety (IIHS)and Ellen Kardell, lead designer inGEICO’s media center.

Craig Killgo of NHTSA, one ofthe judges, said “A rt contests are

always an effective strategy to engagec h i l d re n’s and teen’s thoughts aboutwearing safety belts. The winningentries articulated some ve ry clear ben-e fits provided by safety belts. It’s gre a tto see the high level of interest thatboth parents and children have inbuckling up on eve ry trip.”

Judge Suzie Angulo, public affairsassistant, IIHS, added, “The postercontest is a great way for kids to learnabout safety belt use while also show-casing their talent and cre a t i v i t y. ”

GEICO is also aware that drive rsafety is not just the responsibility ofyoung people, but their parents. Wi t hm o re than one-third of all teenagedeaths attributable to auto accidents,GEICO has put together a program tohelp pre p a re parents to handle thequestion, “Can I Borrow the Car?”

GEICO’s program helps parentsestablish rules for their teens to helpkeep them safe. “Looking at the sta-tistics, we knew we had to do some-

thing to help parents become betterinformed and give them some realinformation to help keep their chil-dren safe,” said Nicely. Using a videoproduced by the Insurance Institutefor Highway Safety, the programoffers specific rules that parents needto establish for students just learningto drive and makes the case for par-ents taking charge of their teen’s earlydriving habits. The video, brochuresand other related safe teen drivingmaterials developed by GEICO arefree to high school organizations andcivic and community groups.

GEICO launched the programlast year by holding a series of videopremieres in its regional cities for parents, educators, PTA representa-tives, city officials and members ofcivic groups.

Attending the video screening and program debut in GEICO’sFredericksburg, Virginia, office, St a t eSenator John Chichester praised thec o m p a n y’s efforts. “GEICO should beapplauded for putting something likethis together as it affects the drivingpublic. I thought the video was sober-ing and should be seen by groups ofteens and those driving for less than aye a r,” he added.

Patti French also attended thescreening to talk about her son, Greg,who suffered severe brain damage in1991 after his car hit a tree when heswerved to avoid another vehicle. Hewasn’t wearing his safety belt. He was20 years old and died three-and-a-halfyears later. “I just want the kids toknow that the chances of survivalwith a seat belt are much higher,”French explained.

For more information on the pro-gram and to obtain GEICO’s safe teendriving materials, visit the GEICOWeb site at www. g e i c o. c o m . ■

11

Andrew Morejon, an 11-year-old from

New York, won the top prize in his age

group for creating this poster.

A 2001 study by the Injury FreeCoalition for Kids® found a majorityof children we re injured as a result ofusing streets and sidewalks as theironly play areas. Pl a y g round injuries arethe leading cause of death among chil-d ren in the United St a t e s .

The In j u ry Free Coalition forK i d s® and The Allstate Fo u n d a t i o nw o rk to pre vent playground injuriest h rough education and build andi m p rove playground stru c t u res to cre-ate a safer play environment.

In June 2002, with the help of theIn j u ry Free Coalition for Kids® a n d

12

Little Hands Build Safe Communities

On a recent spring afternoon, children in Chicago’s Humboldt Pa rk neighborhood

could be found playing at the newly built Little Hands playground. Most of the

p l a y g rounds in the community are seve rely dilapidated and in need of re p a i r, putting

c h i l d ren at risk for injuries. In fact, the rate of injuries sustained by children at playgrounds is dis-

quieting. Ac c o rding to the

National Program for

Pl a y g round Sa f e t y, 200,000

c h i l d ren in the United St a t e s

go to hospital emergency

rooms each year with injuries

sustained while playing in

unsafe playgrounds.

A student from Cincinnati explores his new playground.

The Allstate Foundation, students atOrr High School in Chicago conve rt e dan adjoining vacant lot into an “injury -f ree,” community-based playground.

“ C h i l d ren need to play. Yet manyof them have now h e re safe to go.St reets, abandoned buildings andbridges are dangerous places kids tendto congregate when there isn’t ana p p ropriate venue for their energy, ”said Dr. Barbara Ba r l ow, director ofpediatric surgery at ColumbiaUn i ve r s i t y’s Harlem Ho s p i t a l .“ Making sure children have safe placesto play is the kind of work being donethat can make a real difference.”

Ba r l ow is a pioneer in the effort top romote child safety and educate par-ents, community leaders and legislatorsabout child injuries. As founder of theIn j u ry Free Coalition for Kids®, basedon the Harlem Hospital In j u ryPre vention Program, Ba r l owhas helped build strong com-munities and brought attentionto child health and communityd e velopment issues.

Building safe and vitalcommunities is the cornerstoneof the philanthropic endeavo r sof the In j u ry Free Coalition forK i d s® and The AllstateFoundation. “The spirit of thecommunity extends outside theboundaries of eve ryday homelife — into our neighborhoods,s t reets and schools,” said Ja nEpstein, exe c u t i ve director ofThe Allstate Foundation. “Our part-nership with the In j u ry Free Coalitionfor Kids® seeks to nurt u re all aspects ofcommunity life.”

The Allstate Foundation believe sthat playgrounds are the center ofcommunity life — not only for chil-d ren, but for families as well, prov i d-ing a time for bonding. In essence,

p l a y g rounds re p resent a microcosm ofcommunity life for kids, teachingthem how to be responsible and torespect each other as they share spaceand re c reational equipment.

Ba r l ow’s vision to build injury - f re ep l a y g rounds evo l ved from a largere f f o rt to reduce child injuries.Founded in 1988, the In j u ry Fre eCoalition for Kids® is among thec o u n t ry’s fastest growing and moste f f e c t i ve injury pre vention programs.

While re s e a rch determines wherethe injuries take place and which onesa re most pre valent and seve re, most ofthe injuries addressed occur in urbane n v i ronments and Coalition membersw o rk to empower the diverse popula-tions who live there. They do so byhelping people make their communi-ties safer and they do it in a mannerthat is respectful of various culture s ,

beliefs and lifestyles. Individual p rograms and interventions are as varied as the communities they serve .Hence, no two sites are the same.

Forming a coalition of communitymembers and local childre n’s hospitals,Ba r l ow built the organization’s first of52 injury - f ree playgrounds in NewYo rk, followed by playgrounds in

Kansas City, St. Louis, Pi t t s b u r g h ,Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati and LosAngeles.

With the support of The AllstateFoundation, in 2002 the In j u ry Fre eCoalition for Kids® has built LittleHands playgrounds in Chicago,Cincinnati, Atlanta and Miami. T h ep l a y g rounds are specially designed out-door play areas, featuring new equip-ment constructed to reduce or pre ve n ti n j u ry. The sites for the playgro u n d swe re chosen based on a community’sneed for new, safer play equipment.

The impact generated by the con-s t ruction of new playgrounds is evi-dent beyond the sandbox and swingsets. It has been a catalyst for re v i t a l i z-ing communities and re i n v i g o r a t i n gcommunity spirit. In addition, whatmakes these playgrounds so unique arethe hands who build them. Each Little

Hands playground is built bymembers of the community,under the supervision of ap l a y g round construction crew.

“ Having a project likebuilding new playgrounds doesw o n d e rful things for the neigh-borhood,” said Ba r l ow. “T h ep l a y g rounds have fostere dpride, given residents an oppor-tunity to network and dimin-ished the feelings of hopeless-ness common to blighted are a s .“Thanks to the support ofAllstate, we’ve been able toexpand this work across the

c o u n t ry,” she added. T h roughout 2003, The Allstate

Foundation and the In j u ry Fre eCoalition for Kids® plan to expand theLittle Hands playgrounds toPittsburgh, Los Angeles and SanDiego, and are building an additionalplayground each in Chicago andCinncinnati. ■

13

A team of Orr High School students in Chicago help

assemble the injury-free Little Hands playground.

The issue of child safety hasrecently received a lot ofnational attention. With over

2,000 children reported missing inthis country every day, many stateshave been working to strengthen theirability to respond to child abductionreports by introducing powerful tools,such as the AMBER Alert Plan, intotheir communities. The AMBERAlert involves entire communitiesassisting in the search for and safereturn of missing children. This isaccomplished by establishing a part-nership between law enforcementagencies and broadcasters to commu-nicate across as wide an area as possi-ble; in effect, sending out a powerful“all points bulletin” during the earlystages of a possible abduction — thetime when the likelihood of saferecovery is greatest.

These measures have proven theirworth in dozens of states across thecountry and demonstrate the impor-tant role that everyone — lawenforcement, business partners andmembers of the community —plays in protecting the safety andwell-being of the nation’s children.However, such alerts cannot be putinto motion until a completedescription of the child feared miss-

ing is loaded into computers — a taskthat consumes precious minutes whenevery second counts. Since time issuch a crucial factor, possessing

detailed information can help lawenforcement spread the messagealmost instantaneously, and havingadditional descriptive information,such as the child’s fingerprints, canhelp police where prolonged searchesare necessary. Local businesses andcommunity groups can make a differ-ence by partnering with law enforce-ment to provide police with theopportunity to obtain fingerprints oftheir community’s children.

“Those prints become invaluableto law enforcement agencies if thechild is ever reported missing,” saidJulia Cartwright, director of publicaffairs for the National Center forMissing and Exploited Children.“Hopefully you’ll never have to usethem, but, like a fire extinguisher inyour home, they’re importantresources to have, just in case.”

One company that has seen thevalue in mobilizing resources to helpprotect children is MetLife Auto &

Home. Since September 1999,MetLife Auto & Home has spon-sored fingerprint clinics nation-wide. In fact, last year alone, thecompany sponsored 150 clinicsthroughout the country, includingthe states of Utah, Indiana, NewYork and Florida, and managed to

14

Fingerprint ID Clinics P rovide Powerful Tool to Educate,

I m p rove Child Safety and Build Community Relationships

Ethan Thornton poses with MetLife

Auto & Home’s mascot, SnoopyTM,

during a recent fingerprint clinic held

in Rhode Island.

fingerprint over 2,000 children.“These events offer parents

the o p p o rtunity to have theirc h i l d ren professionally printedand to learn important informa-tion on child safety,” said Te dMitchell, who is MetLife Au t o& Ho m e’s national coord i n a t o rfor the initiative.

The free fin g e r p r i n tID clinics work becauseMetLife Auto & Home pro-vides eve rything to make theexperience fun for the kids.Many of the clinics are heldwith local Drug Ab u s eResistance Ed u c a t i o n(D.A.R.E.) officers, who arefamiliar faces to the childre n .Free coloring and activity booksa re always on hand for distributionand fun giveaways are often held.W h e n e ver possible, MetLife Auto &Ho m e’s popular mascot, Sn o o p yT M,makes a personal appearance.“ Nobody livens up a party likeSn o o p y,” said Mi t c h e l l .

The impact can be observed bythe numbers of parents, guard i a n sand other concerned individualsattending the clinics with their chil-d ren. “T h e re was a constant line atour clinic,” said MetLife Auto &Home marketing manager Na n c yBrown. “The turnout was tre m e n-dous, thanks in part to a local radiostation, which broadcast 18 radiospots a day for five straight days lead-ing up to the eve n t . ”

Recently, MetLife Auto & Homedecided to take its efforts one stepfurther by introducing a free, 12-pagecomprehensive child personal identifi-cation and information guide called“All About Me.” The guide was devel-oped as the result of a partnershipwith the New York State

Clearinghouse for Missing andExploited Children, which has partic-ipated in several clinics that the com-pany held in New York.

“The new guide enhances theclinics because now we can provide at ruly compre h e n s i ve package,” saidMitchell. “In addition to prov i d i n gp rofessional fingerprints, we nowoffer parents a complete kit contain-ing critical safety topics that eve rychild should know, a detailed factsheet that corresponds to the Mi s s i n gC h i l d ren database used by policed e p a rtments across the country and afull page for current photographs.This kit should aid police in thee vent of an abduction, because eve ry-thing they’ll need to begin theirre c ove ry efforts is right at hand.”

To ensure that the kit was tru l yc o m p re h e n s i ve, MetLife Auto &Home leveraged its relationship withthe Clearinghouse. “It was a perf e c tcollaboration,” said Mitchell. “Wep rovided the design expertise, including the use of the popular

PE A N U TST M characters, and theClearinghouse provided the tech-nical expert i s e . ”

“We we re pleased to part n e rwith MetLife Auto & Home top roduce ‘All About Me,’” saidChauncey G. Pa rk e r, commis-sioner of the New Yo rk St a t eDivision of Criminal Ju s t i c eSe rvices, whose agency ove r s e e sthe Clearinghouse. “St a t i s t i c sconstantly show that time is ourg reatest adve r s a ry when a childis abducted. ‘All About Me’ sup-plies parents with an import a n ttool that quickly prov i d e si m p o rtant details and helps uscast as wide a net as possible inour search for a child.”

Reaction to the newb ro c h u re has been extremely posi-t i ve. In fact, the Clearinghouse isusing the kits independently fro mMetLife Auto & Home as a pre e m p-t i ve strike as they introduce theAMBER Alert System into NewYo rk. The Clearinghouse has alre a d yexhausted their initial running, forc-ing a second printing. The state alsoused a unique vehicle to spread thew o rd about child safety: “All Ab o u tMe” was featured in this past ye a r’sNew Yo rk State tax return form.

MetLife Auto & Ho m e’s uniquetwist to improving their fin g e r p r i n tID initiative has met with populara p p roval. “We’re hoping to set thes t a n d a rd against which other corpo-r a t e - s p o n s o red clinics such as thesea re judged,” said Mitchell. “By work-ing with local law enforcement andschool systems, we are making a re a ld i f f e rence in communities across thec o u n t ry — one child at a time.”

Free copies of “All About Me”can be obtained by calling 1-800-638-5433 (1-800-MET- L I F E ). ■

15

Securing professional prints is an

important tool in the event the

unimaginable occurs.

Selective Insurance Group hasannounced a pledge of$750,000 to the Newton

Memorial Hospital Foundation inNew Jersey to support expansion ofthe hospital’s emergency room andnew cancer treatment center. In 2002,the hospital’s emergency room served30,000 people in a facility designedfor half that number. The donationby Selective will support a new emer-gency room that will enable the hos-pital to serve as many as 40,000patients a year.

Because most of the 850 employ-ees located at Selective corporateheadquarters in New Jersey are direct-ly impacted by the services providedby Newton Memorial Hospital, theyalso wanted to support the campaign— and raised an additional $7,600

through some fun and “healthy”activities.

The funds we re raised during aweeklong “Spring Fe ve r” eve n t .Em p l oyees we re treated to free bloodp re s s u re and blood sugar scre e n i n g sp e rformed by the hospital’s staff, whilesenior management team memberss e rved up free snacks and donatedp r i ze giveaways to support the effort .

Gregory E. Murphy, Selective’schairman, president and chief execu-tive officer, is co-chairman of the hos-pital foundation’s $6 million fundrais-ing effort. “As the largest full-timeemployer in Sussex County, NewJersey, we recognize the critical needfor a state-of-the-art emergency roomfacility that will meet the long-termneeds of our employees and our com-munity,” Murphy said. “We are

proud to joinlocal businessleaders insupport ofthis fundrais-ing effort andencourageothers in thecommunity towork togetherin achievingthese impor-tant healthcare goals.”

The Sparta Cancer TreatmentCenter is the first of its kind in SussexCounty, New Jersey, and officiallyopened its doors in February 2003.Michael J. Gallagher, M.D., radiationoncologist, said, “The Sparta CancerTreatment center will promote theprinciples of the National CancerCenter Network, which include acommitment to oncology practiceguidelines and the National CancerInstitute. Clinical trials will be offeredto residents through the NationalCancer Institute. In addition, cancereducation programs will take placethroughout the year.”

“Newton Hospital is in the midstof the largest campaign in its history,”said Stanley A. Koza, president of theNewton Memorial HospitalFoundation. “The contribution fromthe employees of Selective Insuranceserves to strengthen our commit-ments to all injured and ill.” ■

16

Spring Fe ver Raises Funds for Hospital Fo u n d a t i o n

Members of Selective’s senior management team staffed the donation booth,

served snacks and donated prize giveaways to support the fundraising effort.

Here, Ron Zaleski, chief actuary, and Greg Murphy, chairman, president and

chief executive officer, go to work.

Newton Memorial Hospital provided

free services during the week, including

blood pressure and blood sugar screen-

ings. Selective employee Sondra

Goerner gets her blood pressure

checked by hospital representative

Dottie Fauss.

Giving Kids A Better Chance

“ No child shall be deniedhope, love or a fairchance in life.” That is

the vision of Domus, a St a m f o rd ,Connecticut-based, non-pro fit organization that offers residential andeducational programs for young peo-ple who re q u i re extra support for suc-cess. While these words ring true inthe safe home surroundings fostere dby Domus, they also are taken serious-ly by companies like Conve r i u mReinsurance (No rth America) In c .That is precisely what made theDomus Foundation — in part i c u l a rits Tr a i l b l a zers Academy — a perf e c tfit when the company was looking fora local organization consistent with itscorporate giving philosophy.

“I can remember the first time wemet with Mike Duggan (Do m u s’ exe c-u t i ve director),” said Ma ry Rauscher,C o n verium senior vice president, chiefhuman re s o u rces officer and chair ofthe corporate giving committee. “Hewas so animated and so passionateabout his work. His enthusiasm wascontagious and we just knew thiswould be a perfect fit . ”

Converium kicked-off its com-mitment to Domus in the fourthquarter of 2002 with a $25,000 grantto Domus’ Trailblazers Academy. Alsobased in Stamford, Trailblazers is acommunity-based charter school thatserves over 100 students who havestruggled academically or socially in atraditional school environment. Theschool opened in September 1999and was designed to attract studentswho find a smaller, more structuredlearning environment enables them tooutperform expectations. The school’scurriculum is based on frameworksoffered by the state, Stamford PublicSchools and other successful schoolsacross the nation.

“We we re impressed with Do m u s ,and with Tr a i l b l a zers in part i c u l a r,because it is a strong program with ap roven track re c o rd, outstanding lead-ership and a ve ry dedicated staff,” saidC o n verium No rth America Pre s i d e n tand CEO Richard E. Smith. “No tonly does this fit our philosophy tos u p p o rt initiatives that benefit chil-d ren and education, but Domus is atop-notch organization. The more

experience weh a ve with them,the more posi-t i ve our choiceb e c o m e s . ”

C o n ve r i u m’s partnership withDomus has gone beyond the initialcheck signed by its president. In fact,company employees have been eager toget invo l ved on a more personal leve l .When Passages, a Domus re s i d e n c ethat provides transitional livingarrangements for young men, suffere ddamages in a fire, Converium employ-ees collected clothing and housew a re sto send to the young men living thereto help them replace some of what they had lost. Around the holidays,company employees asked for a wishlist from Domus residents and thenp u rchased gifts for each. Instead of thec u s t o m a ry holiday party for children ofC o n verium employees, staff support e dthe company in donating some of whatit would have spent to Do m u s’ after-school program so that those childre nmight enjoy a holiday part y.

“ It really makes a difference whenyou see a company invo l ved like this,”said Garland Walton, Do m u s’ dire c t o rof development. “This kind of sup-p o rt means a lot, not just in terms ofthe monetary donation, but also thevariety of ways Converium employe e sh a ve chosen to engage and interactwith the kids.”

In fact, some company employe e sh a ve signed up to be “celebrity re a d e r s”

17

Continued on page 18

Converium Reinsurance (North America) Inc. awarded

$25,000 to Domus’ Trailblazers Academy. Shown here

(from l to r) are: Richard Smith, Converium president and

CEO; Brian Kensil, Converium’s CFO; Mike Duggan, execu-

tive director of Domus; and Mary Rauscher, Converium’s

senior vice president and chief human resources officer.

Photo:Roland Thomassett

students. “One of my students is stillworking for Travelers,” she said, “andthat experience started as an intern-ship while she was a senior in highschool. They liked her so much thatthey brought her on full-time aftergraduation and she is working whileearning a college degree. And thebest part? They are paying for itthrough tuition reimbursement. Sheis a wonderful young lady and neverwould have had this opportunity if itweren’t for InVEST. When sheinterned, she really had a basicknowledge that helped her out.”

Success stories like these wouldnot be possible without the help ofindustry liaisons — independentagents, brokers and company indi-viduals who provide the necessarylink between the business and acade-mic worlds.

Peter Bakker is an industry liai-son for InVEST in the GreaterHartford area. Although he may havebeen skeptical of the program work-ing effectively in urban schools at

first, he now has a higher degree ofrespect for the potential InVESTinstills in these graduates.

“I have been sincerely impressedwith the level of interest and enthusi-asm as well as insight these kids dis-play,” Bakker said. “It is my hopethat through InVEST we can play asmall role in breaking down barriersand, through one-on-one contact,encourage inner-city students to con-sider careers in insurance. There aregreat opportunities for them in thisindustry, and my staff has benefitedfrom these experiences as well. Infact, I’m not sure who has benefitedmore.”

Bob Baxter, CEO of DrydenMutual Insurance Company,Dryden, New York, is a staunch sup-porter of InVEST. “We’re a small butgrowing company, and as we grow,we increasingly rely on InVEST forour staffing needs. We now seek outInVEST students because they arenot only educated on basic insuranceconcepts, but motivated about insur-ance as well. This, in turn, saves ustons of resources we would havespent on basic training and ensures

that our new employees are a matchto our industry,” he said.

Current InVEST sponsors are:ACORD; A.F. Crissie & Company,Ltd.; Allmerica Financial CharitableFoundation; AMS Services &Rating; Atlantic Mutual Companies;Bankers Insurance Group; Bowen,Michette & Britt, Inc.; CentralInsurance Companies; Chubb; CNAFoundation; DORIS InsuranceSystems; Dryden Mutual Insurance;Encompass Insurance; The Hartford;idNET, Inc.; IIABA; IndianaInsurance; ISO; Main Street AmericaGroup; Media Marketing, Inc.;Mercury Insurance Group; MetLifeAuto & Home; Motorists InsuranceGroup; National Underwriter; OhioCasualty Foundation; ProgressiveInsurance; Rough Notes Company;Safeco Insurance; The St. PaulCompanies; State Auto InsuranceCompany Foundation; Travelers;Westfield Group and Zurich NorthAmerica.

The InVEST program is reach-ing an increasing number of studentseach year — and changing thousandsof kids’ lives for the better. ■

at Tr a i l b l a zers where the school expos-es kids to reading by bringing in we l l -k n own individuals from the commu-nity to read book passages to them. Anassistant vice president participated ina panel discussion as part of “Wo m e n’sHi s t o ry Mo n t h” in Ma rch. Anothersenior staffer sits on the Domus boardof directors, while still other employe e slook to get invo l ved in mentoringsome of the students.

At Conve r i u m’s recent corporatee m p l oyee meeting this year in

St a m f o rd, the featured speaker was Dr. Benjamin Carson, a world-re n owned pediatric neurosurgeon whog rew up in pove rt y, the product of asingle parent home. The companyinvited a group of Tr a i l b l a ze r s’ studentsto hear him speak about the diffic u l-ties he faced in his youth, his dream ofbecoming a physician and his path tobecoming the director of neuro s u r g e ryand pediatric neuro s u r g e ry at theJohns Hopkins Hospital. It was thec o m p a n y’s hope that these studentswould not only be able to relate to Dr. Carson and the struggles he faced,but that he would also inspire them to

meet life’s challenges head on andn e ver give up on their dreams.

Helping kids reach their poten-tial is one of the ways that employeesat Converium Reinsurance are mak-ing their community a better place.“We like to think that we have aunique approach to corporate giv-ing,” said Smith. “It is more impor-tant for us to have actual interactionwith the organizations than it is tosimply write checks. Our employeesare therefore able to be part of ourrelationships with these organizationsand that makes ‘helping’ all the moremeaningful.” ■

18

InVESTContinued from page 9

Better ChanceContinued from page 17