In conjunction with National Volunteer Week (April 27-May 3) General Casualty will honor 109 employee volunteers and donate $16,600 to nonprofit organizations of their choice as a part of the company's Special Employee Recognition for Volunteer Efforts (SERVE) program.
On April 29, 8:30-9:30 a.m., General Casualty's Sun Prairie offices will hold an awards breakfast to honor employee volunteers (media are invited; photos of the event can be requested). Each regional office will host an event during National Volunteer Week.
General Casualty employees who volunteer 50 or more hours in a year are awarded $1-per-volunteer-hour SERVE grants, up to $500. The average SERVE participant volunteered 160 hours in the past year.
This year SERVE participation grew 60 percent, partially due to the new "Team General Casualty" concept. Groups of employees who volunteer together receive team T-shirts and disposable cameras courtesy of the company. Team General Casualty activities range from Habitat for Humanity in Minneapolis; a bowling fundraising for Big Brothers Big Sisters in Freeport, Ill.; Brookfield's National Night Out; Relay for Life in Sun Prairie and Simsbury, Conn.; and much more. Some volunteer teams plan an activity every month or two. For example, last year Sun Prairie's Team Personal Lines participated in the American Cancer Society Run/Walk, Project Home's Paint-A-Thon, the Companion Animal Club's dog jog, and Sun Prairie Community Help Organization's holiday donation distribution. They also hosted a Salvation Army dinner.
"It's refreshing to see how the team concept inspired so many employees to take the reins and get even more involved in their communities," said Hollie Bowker, General Casualty's corporate relations manager. "Employees sincerely embrace our efforts to be a civic-minded organization."
SERVE exemplifies General Casualty's mission statement, which states: "By providing an essential service and committing our time, talents and resources to our community, we make it better place to live, work and play."
Recent activities spearheaded by General Casualty employees include "Operation Orange" in Sun Prairie, a drive for personal care items to send to the troops overseas. In addition, a team of Indianapolis employees are volunteering at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure(R) on April 12.
For more information please contact Anne M. Smith.