IICF’s Annual Bridge Week Kicks Off Oct. 9

“With charity for all, … let us strive on to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves,” Abraham Lincoln. Does this quote from our 16th president suggest that all parties involved in a charitable exchange benefit? Maybe. The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) undeniably suggests they do, and through their annual Bridge Week event, offers a chance for people to find out for themselves.

“Our board felt that rather than just reviewing operations and being ‘check-writers’, we wanted to provide an opportunity for people to get out and experience charity work for themselves,” said Karen Chin, CEO, IICF. “And we feel that we all benefit and learn from this, every member of the IICF and everybody involved.”

In 1994, the IICF was formed to support stellar non-profit programs throughout California. It is funded and directed by insurance industry professionals representing a broad spectrum of the industry including reinsurers, agents and brokers, property/casualty companies, health/life companies and related advertising, public relations, law, accounting, computer and other companies that work closely with the insurance industry.

IICF Bridge Week is a nine-day statewide event, where teams of insurance industry employee volunteers provide three hours or more of service at neighborhood nonprofit organizations. This event is an integral part of IICF’s mission to be a vehicle through which the California insurance industry can focus and coordinate charitable efforts and make a significant difference in the quality of life for California residents.

In 2003, Bridge Week had more than 2,000 employee volunteers participating in nearly 200 service projects. Thousands of volunteer hours were contributed to nonprofit agencies across California, ranging from building restoration to organizing and running parties for convalescent home residents. This year, IICF Bridge Week projects will be scheduled in half-day increments during weekdays and weekends within the period beginning Saturday, Oct. 9 and continuing through Sunday, Oct.17, 2004.

One of the goals of IICF Bridge Week is to connect the insurance industry with the nonprofit organizations that they fund. All IICF donor organizations and IICF recipient organizations are invited to participate in Bridge Week. It helps to put a face on the insurance industry in California by allowing financial contributors to meet with the organizations they support. “Bridge Week personifies who the industry is in local communities,” Chin said. “And we feel that each individual’s effort reflects not only the concern of that person, but also of that person’s company and the insurance industry as a whole.”

Past volunteers enthusiastically praised the quality of the projects, while the organizations they worked with gave great acclaim to the excellence of the volunteers’ efforts. In years prior, associated nonprofit organizations commended the insurance industry volunteers, noting that not only did they provide vital program support, but showed sincere interest in learning about their missions and the challenges they faced. From a managerial perspective, many talked about a new spirit within the cadre of their participating workforce. Some companies have invested in this annual event similar to the way a company might invest in bonding retreats or inspirational seminars as a way to heighten morale among their personnel. Individuals who participated told of a feeling of accomplishment, a growing understanding and a sense of pride in supporting front-line programs dealing with complex community problems.

The Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB) is a nonprofit charity organization that focuses each month on the tens of thousands of low-income Alameda County residents who cannot afford well-balanced meals for themselves and their families. In addition to distributing food to 300 community-based organizations, the ACCFB educates the general public and policymakers about hunger and poverty in Alameda County. As a past participant of the IICF Bridge Week event, the ACCFB has worked with several insurance companies including State Farm, Farmers Insurance and St. Paul.

“It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved … we get a group of enthusiastic workers for the week, and the insurance companies can use the opportunity as a teambuilding event with volunteers working side by side toward a common goal,” said ACCFB’s executive director, Suzan Bateson. “Sometimes people think that there isn’t much they can do to help tackle such a big problem as hunger, but when they volunteer, they see that their efforts can and do make a difference.”

One of the main services at the food bank for volunteers is working in their warehouse performing tasks such as screening, sorting and boxing donated food before it is distributed to their network of organizations. “They also help us prepare for our busy holiday season by labeling barrels and assisting with general office work. And with a staff of only 40 people, we serve 120,000 people in need each month. We simply could not accomplish this without the help of volunteers including ones from IICF.” Bateson said.

A homeless family shelter, the Raphael House, in San Francisco is another Bridge Week participant that has worked with such companies as Marsh and Republic Indemnity Co. The Raphael House strives to help families achieve stable housing and financial independence, while strengthening family bonds. Volunteer Coordinator Carol Field stressed the importance of Bridge Week to the families they support. “The Bridge Week volunteers are so appreciated not just by us but by the kids and families here,” she said. “It really helps them to know that they have the community behind them caring about them.”

All employees of IICF donors have the opportunity to take part in IICF Bridge Week. Each company invited to participate assigns an IICF Bridge Week company team leader who serves as the point-person for recruiting and registering interested employee volunteers within their companies and selecting projects. A list of organizations that work in conjunction with IICF during Bridge Week, and the projects they offer, can be accessed via the IICF Web site at www.iicf.org.

“Our goal for the future is to broaden involvement of the insurance industry and it’s employees in IICF Bridge Week activities. We welcome additional partners to join this growing effort as the time invested will provide a strong return for their employees, their companies and the communities they serve,” said Bill Ross, who will be succeeding Chin as CEO of IICF when she retires later this year.