Nearly 90% of Western Financial Group’s workforce across Canada participated in this year’s National Walk for the benefit of local charities. For each employee who took part in the 5km walk, Western Financial Group donated $50 to charities important to its staff.
“Western has a history of taking care of our people, and the people who live and work in the communities we serve,” Western Financial Group president and chief executive Kenny Nicholls noted. “We’re there to help pick up the pieces when things go wrong, and we want to share in the joy when things go right.
“We share this philosophy with our team members, who use it as a foundation of service with our customers. It only makes sense for us to extend those values to our wider communities.”
Recognizing the diverse schedules of its people, Western Financial Group held this year’s National Walk from May 20 to 24, rather than confining the event to a single day. The flexibility enabled more participants, whether they walked from their local branch, in their own neighbourhoods, or even while on vacation.
“It’s incredible to see the spirit of giving back and the passion our people have for taking care of our communities,” commented Michelle Mak, director of Western [Financial Group] Communities Foundation, the insurance broker’s non-profit charity.
“Western has held this annual walk since 2005. It’s become a company mainstay; team members are excited to take part, and they’re really passionate about the charities we’re supporting.”
Last week, when Western Financial Group opened the doors to its new branch in Vernon, the company took the opportunity to combine the National Walk with the office launch.
“Healthy teams are also important to us, so integrating a walk while giving back to our local communities seemed to be an obvious way to celebrate Vernon’s grand opening,” Nicholls said at the time. “Buying insurance should be easy, and our customers should feel secure that we have their backs in the event that something should go wrong.”
Funds raised from the Vernon part of the charity walk went to the NONA Child Development Centre.
Overall, the weeklong, national event spanned more than 150 locations, over 2,000 Western Financial Group colleagues, 100-plus charities, and more than $100,000 raised, making the 2024 edition the most successful in two decades.
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