ACE Group, one of the world’s largest insurers of property and casualties, took part in a Global Day of Service on October 23rd.
Volunteers from within the company’s 120 offices – including Toronto – fanned out into local communities to take part in a variety of projects that covered education, poverty, the environment and health.
The Global Day of Service was a tradition that began in 2005 and stems from one of the company’s core beliefs, that by making positive contributions to communities these actions will create long-lasting benefits to society as well as the company’s employees and overall business.
In Canada, volunteers sorted food at Second Harvest food rescue program in Toronto and participated in clean-up and tree planting projects.
Globally, over the last ten years, the employees have donated up to 25,000 hours each year across 250 volunteer projects. Activities have included collecting books for schools in Mexico, repairing hospices in Austria and spending time with sick children in Egypt.
Evan Greenberg, chairman and CEO of ACE Group said: “Our Global Day of Service is an important expression of ACE’s can-do culture. As a company with a deep presence in both developed and developing countries across the globe, we’re committed to being good neighbours who help those who need it.”
With operations in 54 countries, ACE provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, and has recently acquired New Jersey based insurer
Chubb.
Here is a list of the volunteer projects staff partook in according to country:
North America
* United States: In New York, employees prepared and served food to the children and families residing at Ronald McDonald House while employees in Philadelphia served meals to the elderly at a local community centre and helped build and restore homes with Habitat for Humanity.
* Canada: Volunteers sorted food at Second Harvest food rescue program in Toronto and participated in clean-up and tree planting projects.
Latin America
* Mexico: Volunteers collected books and donated them to local elementary schools in Guadalajara.
* Brazil: In São Paulo, employees commemorated Children’s Day by delivering toys to kids at Vivenda da Criança, a non-profit that supports poor families, and delivered meals to the city’s homeless.
Europe
* Austria: Employees performed general maintenance and repairs at the Sterntalerhof, a hospice residence for the families of chronically and terminally ill children.
*
Zurich: ACE volunteers headed outdoors to clean and help restore a protected nature area in the mountains.
Eurasia & Africa
* Egypt: In Cairo, employee volunteers visited with cancer-stricken children at the largest Children’s Cancer Hospital in the Middle East.
* South Africa: In Johannesburg, employees spent the day at Parkhurst Primary School, cleaning classrooms and making repairs.
Asia Pacific
* Indonesia: Employees spent their day of service helping to clean up the historic Old Jakarta neighbourhood.
* Japan: Volunteers in Japan spent the day cleaning and maintaining parks and public spaces in several locations.
