Florida Independent Insurance Agents Establish Charitable Fund

At its recent 105th annual conference in Orlando, the Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA) announced a donation of $500,000 to launch a new charitable project, the Good Works Fund. In addition to helping independent insurance agents through education grants and storm assistance, the fund will provide financial assistance to Florida citizens in need of a helping hand, according to the group.

“FAIA is proud of the role independent agents play in their communities, and this will only further enable them to help consumers in time of need,” said Jeff Grady, president and CEO of FAIA of the members working in the 1,800 agency locations across the state.

Through the Good Works Fund, FAIA also will offer college scholarships to encourage interest in the insurance agency field. FAIA recently developed a model two-year insurance degree, which is already sanctioned by three Florida community colleges: St. Petersburg College, Valencia Community College and St. Johns River Community College.

FAIA has been a leader in insurance education and is nationally recognized for the InVEST program, a school-to-work program for high school students aspiring to work in insurance agencies. FAIA also was the first independent organization to offer insurance training beginning in the late 1930s and the first in the U.S. to offer online insurance training beginning in the 1990s.

“The education component of the Good Works Fund is the next logical step for us,” added Grady.

FAIA individual members will have the opportunity to donate money to the fund.

“FAIA’s nearly 2,000 locations house local Floridians, just like you and me, who are deeply involved in their communities and who are looking for opportunities to give something back,” said incoming board chairman Bill Gunter, an owner of Rogers, Gunter and Vaughn Insurance in Tallahassee. “This fund will enable us to do that on a much larger scale.”

The Good Works Fund project will be managed by the Community Foundation of North Florida (CFNF).

The formal mission of the Good Works Fund is to support charitable activity within the insurance industry, giving priority to insurance education including scholarship programs.

FAIA represents more than 1,800 independent agencies employing some 10,000 licensed producers and close to 17,000 employees.

Source: www.faia.com

Topics Florida Agencies Education Training Development