IICF’s Blazing the Trail Benefit Raises $540,000 for Midwest Nonprofits
Acrisure and Greg Williams honored for philanthropic and insurance industry leadership
CHICAGO, IL (May 23, 2023) – The Midwest Division of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a unique nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities and enriching lives, raised $540,000 at its twelfth annual Blazing the Trail Benefit in Chicago last week. IICF hosted more than 360 insurance professionals, business and nonprofit leaders in celebration of the Midwest insurance industry’s commitment to philanthropy and honored Acrisure and its co-founder, chairman and CEO, Greg Williams. Proceeds of the event fund IICF’s Midwest Community Grants Program.
Greg Williams and Acrisure were recognized by IICF for trailblazing charitable efforts in the community, including Acrisure’s $15 million pledge in 2020 to establish the Center for Innovation in Children’s Health at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.
“We’re honored to be recognized by the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation and insurance leaders in the Midwest,” said Williams, “We have several philanthropic focus areas in common with IICF, including improving the lives of children and helping to create a fully inclusive industry, and we both believe in the importance of working directly with local nonprofit partners to benefit our communities.”
Williams has most recently spearheaded the creation of Evolution Advisors, which is an Acrisure joint venture focused on providing growth acceleration and greater access to minority-owned insurance agencies and brokers. Acrisure further creates positive impact through support of local organizations such as the Pittsburgh Promise and the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, and a recently established partnership with UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Jodie Kaufman Davis, executive vice president, H.W. Kaufman Group and a member of the IICF International Board of Governors, served as the 2023 Blazing the Trail Benefit event chair.
Also featured at this year’s Blazing the Trail event was IICF Community Grant recipient Beat the Streets Chicago, a local nonprofit organization that combines year-round wrestling programs with customized enrichment opportunities such as mentoring, tutoring, workshops and positive relationships so children can become their best selves.
“We’re proud to have brought together so many insurance leaders across the Midwest through Blazing the Trail, in support of our communities and in celebration of industry philanthropy,” said Jeff Kroeger, president, Insureon, a Division of Specialty Program Group and Hub International, and chair of the IICF Midwest Division Board of Directors. “The funds we raise through this annual event, which is generously supported by the insurance community here in the Midwest, enable us to award grants to local nonprofit partners who are helping meet the challenges faced by our neighbors in need. We’re pleased to celebrate industry giving and the inspiring philanthropic leadership of Greg Williams and Acrisure.”
The Blazing the Trail Benefit proceeds support IICF’s Midwest Community Grants Program, through which grants are awarded to local nonprofit and charitable organizations focused on education, safety and health. Since its founding in 2011, IICF Midwest has granted more than $4.4 million to over 200 nonprofits working to better the lives and futures of those in need.
Communities throughout the Midwest are served by the IICF Midwest Division and Associate Boards based in the Chicago area as well the Ohio and Heartland (Kansas and Missouri) Chapters. The IICF Midwest is one of five divisions, four based in the US and one in the UK, of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation, which has granted more than $45 million globally since its inception in 1994.
This year’s Blazing the Trail Benefit was made possible through generous insurance industry support including Presenting Sponsors: Acrisure and Burns & Wilcox; Platinum Sponsors: Aon, CNA, CRC Group, RT Specialty and Zurich; Gold Sponsors: Amwins, Applied Systems and Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and many other event sponsors.
For more information regarding IICF’s Midwest Division, how to contribute or become a board company, please visit IICF Midwest Division at IICF.org or contact IICF Midwest Executive Director Kelly Hartweg at (773) 991-2149 or khartweg@iicf.com.
About the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF)
The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) is a unique nonprofit that unites the collective strengths of the insurance industry to help communities and enrich lives through grants, volunteer service and leadership. Established in 1994, IICF has served as the philanthropic voice and foundation of the insurance industry for close to thirty years, contributing $45 million in community grants along with over 320,000 volunteer hours by more than 115,000 industry professionals. IICF reinvests locally where funds are raised, serving hundreds of charities and nonprofit organizations, for maximum community impact.
IICF is a registered nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Learn more at www.iicf.org or follow us on social media: @doubleicf