Reading is one of the most basic skills needed to prepare children for the workforce — and for life. (Photo: CNA)
At CNA, we're passionate about creating stronger communities. As a P&C commercial carrier, we provide stability and act as a safety net for people and companies taking on new challenges. But our stewardship doesn't end there — it also extends into social responsibility.
CNA's global headquarters sits in Chicago, an urban center and incredibly diverse city historically known for being segregated. CNA has leveraged its location to not only attract people — from diverse backgrounds and talents to work side-by-side — but also to provide all employees opportunities to give back to society. CNA boasts a long and proud history of serving the communities in which we live and work, not only in Chicago, but across our global footprint.
Over the past several years, CNA employees have rallied around our corporate social responsibility initiatives and have given millions of dollars and volunteer hours to hundreds of community organizations. It is clear we all share a passion for giving back and making our communities stronger.
This year, during the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation's (IICF) annual Week of Giving held in October, CNA invited the Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School kindergarten students to CNA's global headquarters for a morning of reading and writing activities. This event contributes to the mission of IICF's Early Literacy Initiative and its "Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day" program, a joint collaboration between the IICF and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street.
CNA's reading and writing day
CNA's nearly 40-year partnership with Chicago Public School's Skinner West Elementary — a classical, fine arts and technology elementary school located in Chicago's Near West Side neighborhood — has continually evolved. Since 2016, more than 250 Skinner West students have interacted with CNA employees through "Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day" activities. Capping off the events, in 2016, the students received a special visit from Cookie Monster and, in 2017, Abby Cadabby, the first leading female character on the show, interacted with the children.
Through this unique partnership, IICF, Sesame Workshop and CNA have been able to engage with hundreds of students from Skinner West to help improve their reading and writing capabilities at an early age. We understand that our future growth and success, and that of the insurance industry and global economy, depends on an educated and diverse workforce.
Educational partnerships
Our commitment to education doesn't end there. CNA has partnered with several leading organizations to help students succeed in school and in their communities. These organizations include Junior Achievement, Spark and Gamma Iota Sigma, which give young people — from kindergarten through college — the knowledge, skills and career exploration they need to realize future economic opportunities.
According to the American Psychology Association, children from low socioeconomic status families are less likely to have acquired the fundamental skills of reading acquisition, vocabulary and oral language. These same children later enter high school with average literacy skills that are five years behind those of students from high-income families.
Healthy kids depend on an education that prepares them for the workforce. We recognize that the more you give to the community, the more you gain with this type of volunteer work. These experiences — whether in education or elsewhere — stay with CNA employees throughout their lives.
"Volunteering with CNA is incredibly rewarding," said Ann Marie O'Brien, Underwriting Specialist for CNA and Northeast Division Associate Board Member for IICF. "I enjoy coming together with my colleagues and the insurance industry to help a community work toward the social good, whether that be early education, addressing LGBT homelessness or helping families affected by a member's health issues. These experiences help me think more critically, and with empathy."
During the past two years alone, CNA employees planted more than 100 feet of sensor gardens for Guided Animal Intervention Therapy in Orange County, California; assembled care packages in Central Florida for the Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Coalition for the Homeless, as well as in Chicago for the Illinois Medical District Guest House and LGBT-focused Center on Halsted; assembled nearly 2,500 poppies for the Veterans of Foreign Affairs in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and boxed more than 8,000 pounds of food for the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. These are only a few of the activities CNA employees participated in.
And most recently, as part of our 100-year celebrations for CNA Canada, we have committed to planting thousands of trees through a partnership with Tree Canada. We are firm in our promise to do our part in creating a more sustainable future for our planet.
CNA employees are as passionate about giving their time as they are about building profitable and successful businesses. This is what allows us to help improve local communities.
Brandon Davis (Brandon.Davis@cna.com) serves as Director of Public Relations and Social Responsibility for CNA. For more information about CNA's community sponsorships, employee volunteer activities and commitment to corporate social responsibility, visit the company's website.
The opinions expressed here are the writer's own.
Frank Neugebauer has dual roles at Genpact as the Digital CTO for Insurance and the Digital Consulting lead for the Americas. He has over 19 years of property and casualty insurance experience in standard lines, excess and surplus, and reinsurance.
© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.