(Re)Insurance Sleep Out to raise awareness for youth homelessness

On September 25, insurance and reinsurance professionals will experience what it’s like to be homeless for one night. In an effort to raise awareness and funds for homeless youths, professionals from across the insurance industry will spend a night away from home sleeping in cardboard boxes and sleeping bags at Covenant House, 41st Street and 10th Avenue in New York City.

This is Covenant House’s first (Re)Insurance Sleep Out, and participants, ranging from CEOs to interns, are expected to exceed 100. Sleep Out is one of Covenant House’s largest event of the year, and will generate essential funding to help children not only survive, but thrive, as they pursue their journey toward independent living.

“Covenant House is grateful to the (re)insurance industry for coming together in solidarity to help give hope to so many homeless youth in need,” says Covenant House President and CEO Kevin Ryan. “Through enduring the discomfort of spending a night sleeping on the street, more than 100 insurance and reinsurance professionals will demonstrate their absolute commitment to calling attention to the unacceptable fact that young people are living and dying on our streets.”

Companies leading the effort include Arch Insurance, Arch Re, AXIS Re, CBIZ, Cigna HealthCare, Guardian Insurance, Markel Global Reinsurance, Pioneer Special Risk Insurance Services, Reinsurance Under 40s, and Willis Re Inc.

As part of this initiative, there will be a corporate challenge for companies to commit at least $20,000 to help homeless youths. For each goal achieved, 20 homeless youths will receive one week of job-readiness training to help them attain employment. Participating in the corporate challenge are: BMS, Everest Reinsurance Co., Guy Carpenter & Co., Munich Re and Transatlantic Insurance Co. In addition, Third Point Re will be serving as a special matching sponsor, committing up to $20,000 to the campaign.

Insurance and reinsurance professionals will join the more than 1.6 million children who are expected to be homeless at some point this year, in solidarity of their daily struggle for basic human rights. As leaders in the fight against youth homelessness, this life-altering opportunity will help them understand what 1 in 45 kids in America will suffer through this year.

Companies can join the movement by visiting insurance.corporatesleepout.org and registering to participate in the Sleep Out.