The Insurance Industry’s Contribution to Community Impact Development I.I.I. Members ACE USA Acuity Aegis Insurance Services Inc. Allianz of America, Inc. Allied World Assurance Corp. Allstate Insurance Group American Agricultural Insurance Company Giving Back, Going Green American Family Insurance American International Group, Inc. American Reliable Insurance Company Argonaut Group & Guiding Girls Arthur J. Gallagher & Company Aspen Re Auto Club South Insurance Company Beazley Group plc Bituminous Insurance Companies his issue of IMPACT is our biggest neighborhoods; mentoring and reading in Catlin Group Century Surety Company Tever — with 14 stories highlighting classrooms; and building playgrounds. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies Church Mutual Insurance Company the good things insurers are doing in their And our outreach is global — a CNA communities. couple of insurers featured here are CUMIS Insurance Society, Inc. De Smet Farm Mutual Insurance Company There are so many great stories to actively involved in physically rebuilding of South Dakota Dryden Mutual Insurance Company tell. You’ll read about diverse programs homes and community centers in their Employers Insurance Company that empower the African-American own towns, while another is rallying its Erie Insurance Group Farmers Group, Inc. community; support hunger-relief employees around the world to reduce GEICO Gen Re initiatives; raise awareness of the needs of energy consumption, recycle waste Germania Insurance local fire departments; enlist public aid and make a positive contribution to Glencoe U.S. Holding Group Grange Insurance Companies in providing for the needs of America’s environmental health. GuideOne Insurance The Hanover Insurance Group Inc. “wounded warriors”; and support of the We hope you enjoy this issue and Harbor Point Re American Cancer Society. welcome your comments. The Harford Mutual Insurance Companies Harleysville Insurance We also feature stories on the The Hartford Financial Services Group Holyoke Mutual Insurance Company industry’s outreach to children by The Horace Mann Companies supporting local children’s hospitals; James River Group, Inc. Liberty Mutual Group working with Girl Scouts to improve Robert P. Hartwig, Ph.D., CPCU Lloyd’s Lockton Companies auto and bicycle safety; collecting President Magna Carta Companies school supplies for kids in low-income Insurance Information Institute Marsh Inc. Max Capital Group MetLife Auto & Home Michigan Millers Mutual Insurance Co. Inside: Millville Mutual Insurance Company Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Munich Reinsurance America, Inc. Competitive Spirit Drives Sustainable Green Activities ..................................... 3 Mutual of Enumclaw Nationwide Supporting the Fire Service Means Safer Communities .................................... 5 The Norfolk & Dedham Group North Pointe Insurance Group The Sum Is Greater Than Its Parts ................................................................... 6 Ohio Mutual Insurance Group OneBeacon Insurance Group Reading, Writing and Mentoring ...................................................................... 8 Palisades Safety and Insurance Association Partner Re A Happy Place for Sick Kids ........................................................................... 10 Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company Beyond February ............................................................................................. 12 Providence Mutual Scor U.S. Corporation Building Playgrounds and Healthy Communities ........................................... 14 SECURA Insurance Companies Selective Insurance Group Supporting Hunger-Relief Initiatives .............................................................. 16 State Auto Insurance Companies State Compensation Insurance Fund Community Involvement Is Smart Business — Inside and Out ..................... 18 State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Fostering the Spirit of Giving Back ................................................................. 20 The Sullivan Group Swiss Reinsurance America Corporation Going the Distance for Local Hospital ............................................................ 22 TIAA-CREF Travelers Helping to Heal the Wounded Warrior ......................................................... 23 Unitrin Property and Casualty Insurance Group Helping Girl Scouts Learn About Road Safety ................................................ 25 USAA Utica National Insurance Group Giving Hearts and Giving Time ..................................................................... 26 West Bend Mutual Insurance Company Westfield Group W. R. Berkley Corporation Summer 2009 Vol. 15 No. 1 Impact is published by the Insurance Information Institute, 110 William Street, Workers Compensation Fund of Utah XL Captial Ltd. New York, N.Y. 10038; 212-346-5500. Editor: Diane Portantiere; ©2009 Insurance Information Institute, www.iii.org Zurich North America Cover: Wounded Warriors enjoy the annual ASF Winter Support Our Troops Event, sponsored in part by GenRe. Photos courtesy of GenRe. See story on page 23. Competitive Spirit Drives Sustainable Green Activities CE Green is the ACE Group’s a positive contribution to environmen- cess very difficult for the judges. After global employee environmen- tal health. careful review and deliberation, the Atal program, designed to raise In late 2008, the Company judging committee selected a finalist environmental consciousness among launched an ACE Green competition from each region as well as an overall its employees around the world. globally, pitting various offices against winner. Launched in early 2008, this initiative each other to find the most innovative The overall winner was ACE’s Los coincidentally leverages ACE’s primary and sustainable green initiatives. ACE Angeles office, selected for initiatives corporate color, green. As a result, it Green committees representing groups rallies many employees energized by of offices submitted applications with other office initiatives to reduce energy a variety of unique and clever green ACE Hong Kong employees remove fall- consumption, recycle waste and make initiatives, making the selection pro- en branches to facilitate water access. Photos courtesy of ACE Group Photos courtesy of 3 encompassing all environmental con- guide” that was posted on an employ- resources has had a devastating effect on cerns. They decided to reduce waste by ee bulletin board. biodiversity in this country. In January, purchasing biodegradable “spudware” ACE Hong Kong, ACE Italy and a team of 20 employees visited the Mai (biodegradable utensils made from ACE Puerto Rico were declared final- Po Nature Reserve located in the north- potato, corn starch, and soy and vege- ists in the competition. western corner of Hong Kong. Mai table oils.) They also saved resources by ACE’s Hong Kong office became Po and Inner Deep Bay are wetlands shutting off office lights from noon to a corporate member of the World of international importance under the 12:30 each day. But, employee enthu- Wildlife Fund (WWF), committed to Ramsar Convention for more than a siasm did not stop when they left the collaborating with the corporate sector decade and are the only Ramsar sites in office. They also organized a local beach on conservation activities. The cor- Hong Kong. (The Ramsar Convention clean-up and tree-planting project. porate membership acts as a platform on wetlands management and conserva- Each week, employees brought materi- to engage employees while creating tion was signed in 1971 and governs als to the local recycling center and used a spirit of teamwork to foster under- national and international action for the the cash they earned to help purchase standing and actions that nurture conservation and wise use of wetlands.) greenhouse gas emissions offsets. sustainable development. The Mai Po Nature Reserve serves The Los Angeles office also WWF Hong Kong focuses on as an important transit and feeding worked with their project manage- five areas in collaborating with the place for migratory birds along the ment team to use Leadership in corporate sector: marine conservation; East Asian-Australian Flyway. But, dry Energy and Environmental Design- forestry management and wetlands weather during summer and winter certified (LEED) materials in their conservation; climate change; educa- months has reduced the water supply new office location. Employees also tion; and action. of the mangrove trees, thus damaging received a special “green club/office To kick off the 2009 ACE Green new growth within the Reserve. As a calendar, ACE Hong Kong focused on Continued on page 28 forestry management and wetlands con- ACE’s winning team from Los Angeles. servation, since the destruction of these 4 Supporting the Fire Service Means Safer Communities Photo courtesy of Gregg Adams Photo courtesy of Gregg one are the days when fire departments just put out Gfires. Today’s firefighters must be ready to respond to many different situations, such as medical emergencies, hazardous material inci- dents, wildfires and terrorist attacks. As demands for their services increase, firefighters and rescue work- ers around the country face serious funding challenges, leaving many volunteer and paid fire departments without adequate resources. After hearing from fire departments across the country facing increased budget challenges, due in part to the Above: Firemen use equipment made Photo courtesy of Fireman’s Fund current economic crisis, Fireman’s possible