General Casualty employees donated 17,840 hours of their free time to worthy causes during the past year. In return, the company is rewarding 115 employees by donating more than $17,000 to nearly 100 non-profit organizations of employees’ choosing as a part of General Casualty’s Special Employee Recognition for Volunteer Efforts (SERVE) program.
Employees who work in General Casualty’s home, regional and branch offices or Winterthur U.S. Holding’s corporate office in Sun Prairie can participate in the program. Those 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 153 hours in 2004.
“Our employees have donated many hours of time and hard work this year. They’ve helped earn General Casualty a reputation as a caring corporate citizen,” said Hollie Bowker, General Casualty’s corporate relations manager. “We’re proud to support our employees and recognize their service and goodwill.”
SERVE exemplifies General Casualty’s mission statement, “By providing an essential service and committing our time, talents and resources to our community, we make it a better place to live, work and play.”
Since the SERVE matching grant program began in 1998, employees have logged more than 90,400 volunteer hours. Among other volunteer efforts, General Casualty and WUSH employees have helped those less fortunate, coached and educated children, served on volunteer boards, and saved lives.
In addition to individual volunteer work, company offices and departments organize many volunteer efforts, such as: raising money for organizations by participating in the American Heart Walk in Montgomery, Ala. and Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure® in Indianapolis; building a Habitat for Humanity home in Minneapolis; preparing and serving dinner at the Salvation Army homeless shelter in Madison, Wis.; or helping host National Night Out events in Des Moines, Iowa; Sun Prairie; and Brookfield, Wis.
In addition to SERVE donations, General Casualty supports select organizations that focus on health and human service, home and auto accident prevention and safety, education, and enrichment programs providing greater access to the arts.
For more information please contact Anne M. Smith.