Dateline: 14/12/2000
SCHAUMBURG, IL and TAMPA, FL, December 14, 2000 -- Zurich U.S., a leading commercial property and casualty insurance company, is bringing glad tidings to dozens of children at Shriners Hospitals for Children around the country this holiday season. Members of Zurich U.S.’ Construction Risk Engineering Group and representatives from other Zurich U.S. business units hosted holiday parties today at Shriners Hospitals in Sacramento, CA; Chicago, IL; Philadelphia, PA; Greenville, SC; and Galveston, TX. Zurich U.S. employees served up treats and festivities, and provided Christmas stockings for the children. In addition, the Zurich Foundation presented a check for $25,000 to the Shriners Hospital in Chicago, IL. The funds will be used to renovate a patient room at the hospital.
"We are thrilled that Zurich U.S. has chosen to help out the children at our hospitals. Their financial support is invaluable in ensuring the best medical treatment for these children, and the warmth and kindness of the Zurich employees has really helped bring joy to our kids this holiday season," said John D. VerMaas, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Zurich U.S. first became involved with the Shriners organization in 1999, when the Construction Risk Engineering Group hosted a holiday party and made a $5,000 donation to the Galveston, Texas Hospital. "This started out as a local donation that was in keeping with the Zurich Foundation’s mission to provide funding for educational institutions and social service organizations that specialize in children’s needs," said Roger Smith, Construction Risk Engineering Manager. "We are very pleased that the program has grown so much in only one year. We look forward to doing our part for these deserving children and supporting the very important work of the Shriners Hospitals in the future."
Shriners Hospitals for Children is an international network of 22 children's specialty hospitals throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Eighteen of the hospitals provide orthopaedic care; three are dedicated to burn treatment, and one Shriners Hospitals provides orthopaedic and burn care. Three of the Shriners Hospitals also provide long-term rehabilitative care to children with spinal cord injuries. Shriners Hospitals provide free treatment to children under 18 with orthopaedic and burn problems, without regard to race, religion or relationship to a Shriner.
Zurich U.S. (www.zurichna.com) is a leading commercial property-casualty insurance provider serving the multinational, middle market and small business sectors in the United States. Headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill. and operating in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Zurich U.S. has 6,400 employees and assets of $10.2 billion. The company writes more than $4 billion in annual premiums. Zurich U.S.’ business units are Enterprise Risk, Diversified Products, Small Business, Construction, Global Energy, Specialties, Zurich Services and Fidelity & Deposit. Zurich U.S. is a member of the Zurich Financial Services Group, a global leader in the financial industry. Zurich U.S. is rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best and AA+ (Excellent) by Standard & Poor’s.
The Zurich Financial Services Group (www.zurich.com) provides its customers with solutions in the area of financial protection and asset accumulation, concentrating in four core businesses: life insurance, non-life insurance, reinsurance and asset management. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the Group's worldwide presence builds on strong positions in its three home markets: the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Zurich Financial Services Group has offices in more than 60 countries, employs 68,000 people and reaches 33 million customers.
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[Editor’s Note: Photographs of the events are available upon request.]
Media contacts:
Michael C. Andrews
Shriners Hospitals
(813) 281-8162
mandrews@worldfax.com
Brian J. Murphy
Zurich U.S.
(847) 413-5142
brian.1.murphy@zurichna.com
Betty Schwartz
Miller DeMartine Group
(201) 567-7783
bschwartz@mdgpr.com