Insurance Industry Bands Together to Support At-Risk Youth

By Betsy Myatt, Executive Director, Northeast Division for the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation 

On a sunny July day this summer in New York’s Central Park, adults and children came together to play some softball. At first glance, the packed fields resembled any other Thursday afternoon at the park. This day’s event was no ordinary get-together, however. This tournament of games brought together people of all ages from across the insurance industry to support St. Aloysius School in Harlem, a school for inner-city children at risk of not reaching their potential. 

This softball tournament was coordinated by the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a 501(c)(3) tax exempt public charity funded and directed by professionals within the insurance industry. The organization exists to provide grants, volunteer service, and leadership to communities across the country. With four different divisions in the Midwest, Northeast, Western, and Texas/Southeastern U.S., the IICF aims to make an impact on a regional and national scale with its initiatives.  

The teams taking the field and engaging with the children were made up of colleagues and competitors within the insurance industry—spanning thirteen different companies—who collectively raised more than $65,000 for the school.

This money will now go towards supporting St. Aloysius, which enriches children’s lives through a variety of programs and activities. 

Specifically, the IICF’s Charitable Softball Tournament raised funds for the school’s summer camp—itself called the “IICF Camp at St. Aloysius”—a four-week program that gives middle-school children the opportunity to experience life away from the city in a new and exciting environment (it was held in Harriman State Park this year). This will be the third summer that IICF has funded the program. With this upcoming grant, in total, IICF’s Northeast Division has contributed $206,000 to St. Aloysius through the multi-year engagement. 

Ignacio Lopez, St. Aloysius’ associate director of development, explained that many St. Aloysius students come from challenged neighborhoods where families often struggle with poverty, crime and other serious problems. As a result, strong peer relationships, which the summer camp in particular helps to facilitate, are essential in helping the students to excel. 

“The sleep-away camp in particular opens children’s eyes to new world views,” Lopez said, explaining that the site is in a rural area, exposing the children to new wildlife and experiences they may have never had before. 

For example, the students learn to face new challenges like swimming and rowing a boat for the first time. 

“Giving the children these new experiences broadens their perspectives of their futures and what’s possible for them,” Lopez said. “Providing them with challenges to overcome shows the students that if they focus, they have the potential to achieve something, which instills confidence.” 

Though St. Aloysius’ initiatives carry a great benefit for children, they can be difficult to fund. According to Lopez, St. Aloysius School—including the camp initiative as well as all other activities—requires about $3 million a year to run. 

“Funding from different companies is essential for us,” said Lopez. “To be able to have the IICF cover the entire summer camp initiative is amazing for us.” 

Helping to enrich children’s lives is a sweet spot for the IICF. In the past six years of IICF sponsorship, this charitable softball tournament has raised $270,000 for children's charities in the New York tri-state area. Furthermore, IICF initiated a partnership last year with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit branch of Sesame Street, providing a $750,000 grant to help support “Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day,” an early literacy program that provides resources for caregivers to spur their child’s early learning process. 

More broadly, IICF’s Northeast Division grant program has contributed more than $4.5 million to the community since it launched in late 2007. Nationally, IICF has contributed more than $21 million in local community grants and more than 179,000 hours of volunteer service in its 21-year history. Along with supporting childhood education programs such as St. Aloysius’, IICF programs touch areas including at-risk children, health and safety, disaster preparedness, and the environment. 

The softball game, which took place on July 31, was another opportunity for the IICF to give back to the community in a more hands-on way. The thirteen teams from different insurance companies duked it out on the field, with Arch Reinsurance Company claiming the title. However, at the end of the day every team left the fields feeling like champions simply for having participated in such an inspiring cause. 

What made the event particularly unique was the interaction between the St. Aloysius children and the various insurance teams. Members of each team stayed loose between games by playing ball with the children on the side of the field, developing a true, organic relationship with the students in the process. 

Lopez echoed a similar sentiment. He explained that the children were nervous at first to interact with so many adults, but once they warmed up they had a great day. 

“It’s another example of social interaction that these kids are just not used to,” he said. “The most valuable connections we form for the school and especially our students are the ones that come from face-to-face interactions.” 

By interacting with the adults on the field, the students could also see the potential for their own future career paths. 

Lopez recalled that during IICF’s Week of Giving, an eight-day industry-wide event where teams of insurance professionals volunteer at local nonprofit organizations, a number of professionals visited St. Aloysius School to share information about insurance careers. 

“It opened their eyes to the different types of jobs that are out there,” Lopez said. “You don’t just have to be a superstar or, conversely, a dishwasher. There is a whole world of jobs out there.” 

The St. Aloysius children saw even more of that world as they opened up to the adults on the softball field. Like the force behind winding up a softball to peg someone out at first base, the children’s momentum to hold conversations built throughout the day. Suddenly, unknown insurance professionals became their friends. 

Equally, the interaction on the field was eye-opening for the insurance professionals enjoying the afternoon in the park. Though competitors on the field and in business, these individuals quickly realized that on that day, they were all playing for the same team: Team St. Aloysius.