The Los Angeles-based Insurance IndustryCharitable Foundation is recruiting volunteers toparticipate in its annual Week of Giving.

The eight-day volunteer program, held nationwide, will run fromOct. 8-15 and will feature more than 250 volunteer projects in 70cities.

This year, the foundation said it will recruit more than 8,500insurance industry professionals from more than 85 companies whowill serve local nonprofits through a broad range of volunteerevents assisting at-risk women, children and youth, the homeless,people with disabilities, and senior citizens. Some events willalso focus on education, food, health and disaster preparednessprograms.

“Through events like the Week of Giving, IICF has unitedinsurance professionals from across the industry to generate morethan 218,000 hours of volunteer service,” said Bill Ross, thefoundation's CEO. “It’s special to witness the industry cometogether and help change lives across the entire country. We lookforward to expanding the industry’s volunteer reach even furtherthis year with the addition of volunteers in the UnitedKingdom.”

The foundation's Week of Giving also promotes a personal“giving” campaign. Donations directly benefit the foundation'sEarly Literacy Initiative and its "Every Day is a Reading andWriting Day" program, which is part of apartnership between the foundation and Sesame Workshop, thenonprofit behind the "Sesame Street" children's televisionprogram.

Began in 2013, the partnership started as a significantpush by the insurance industry to improve literacy developmentamong underserved children.

Related: IICF partners with Sesame Workshop to support earlychildhood literacy

Throughout the month of October, people can make an onlinedonation of any size by visiting the Week of Giving website. Donors can alsoshow their support to help drive awareness and grassroots donationsby participating in the foundation's social media campaign by usingthe "#5forELI" hashtag.

All donations from Week of Giving and the #5forELI program willgo toward the Early Literacy Initiative. Volunteers can visitthe Week of Giving website or contact thefoundation at (925) 280-8009 for more information, to register avolunteer team or to make a donation.

Related:

IICF reports record-breaking success for its Weekof Giving

NU-PC editor-in-chief Shawn Moynihan's perspective onvolunteering