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Volunteer Week for the Insurance Industry

The insurance industry isn’t just about claims, preparedness or the bottom line, as evidenced by the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s (IICF) Volunteer Week, which kicked off over the weekend and lasts throughout the week.

Though the west coast is quite familiar with Volunteer Week — it began there 13 years ago — the event is new to the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut tri-state area. Within the region, IICF expects more than 1,000 insurance industry professionals to get involved with hands-on volunteer efforts involving more than 80 different projects.

Volunteer Week is an eight-day industry wide event from Oct. 16-23, where teams of insurance volunteers provide three or more hours of volunteer service at neighborhood and community nonprofit organizations throughout the week. Nationwide, more than 2,000 volunteers are expected to participate in 2010 in IICF Volunteer Week. Coordinated and managed by local non-profits, community service organizations, and schools, the volunteer events include those helping deal with disaster preparedness, education, the environment, housing, senior issues, women’s issues, and youth and children.

Betsy Myatt, executive director of IICF’s New York division, commented:

“The power of the insurance industry’s people is truly impressive, and we are just scratching the surface with our first-ever Volunteer Week here in the New York tri-state region. We applaud the hundreds of industry volunteers here in this area and thank the many charities for coordinating volunteer opportunities.”

The IICF website lists examples of volunteer projects, such as:

  • Filling food bank shelves with food
  • Improving the environment through habitat restoration work
  • Making drab facilities more cheerful by putting on a fresh coat of paint
  • Educating young people through skills training
  • Preparing food for people with AIDS and other terminal illnesses
  • Helping to build homes or improve neighborhoods for low-income families

The IICF was formed in 1994 to support nonprofit programs throughout California. Today, IICF has expanded its west coast reach and has extended to the east coast as well, forming a national presence.

helping hands