On Thursday, March 14, students with autism visited a Minnesota Wild hockey practice to get a feel for gameday experience as part of an event sponsored by Associated Bank, the Minnesota Wild, and the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM).

Recently, volunteers from ABRC helped set up and decorate Cornerstone's Holiday Shop as part of Associated’s Roots in Our Community volunteerism program. During the holidays, Associated Benefits and Risk Consulting (ABRC) works with Cornerstone, a nonprofit agency dedicated to creating communities where individuals and families are safe and children thrive (learn more at cornerstonemn.org).   

The Milwaukee Business Journal announced that Associated Bank has been named to its Top Charitable Contributors List for 2018. Associated is number 12 on the list with $2,023,894 in monetary contributions for this year and 52,045 Wisconsin employee volunteer hours.

After winning the Minnesota regional Chubb Charity Challenge golfing event, our golfing foursome has finished in seventh place and won $28,000 for Interfaith Outreach in the national finals in Kiawah, SC. We competed with 45 teams from across the U.S. and Canada. Congratulations to our foursome of business insurance consultants Sean McBride, Sean Smith, Mike Korf and Carl Godziek. 

In September, colleagues from Associated Benefits and Risk Consulting (ABRC) and Associated Bank joined Women's Advocates to help clean up landscaping at a women's shelter and package daily supplies for on-the-go moms. Women’s Advocates’ mission is to eliminate violence in the lives of women, children and families. 

On September 19, Associated Benefits and Risk Consulting colleagues held a United Way rally at the Minnetonka, MN office. Participants enjoyed a food truck, games, prizes and live music. 

Urban Homeworks received a grant from Westfield Insurance Foundation thanks to the help of Associated Benefits and Risk Consulting (ABRC).  The grant is part of the Westfield Legacy of Caring program, which invites Westfield independent insurance agents to nominate a local nonprofit in the areas of disaster recovery, insurance pathways, family stability or safety. 

Community involvement is a vital thread in the fabric of our company, even woven into our core Visions and Values. In 2016, an overwhelming number of colleagues demonstrated their commitment to our communities, collectively volunteering more than 62,000 hours across numerous events — helping us reach 124% of our volunteer goal. Recently, we talked with ABRC Business Insurance Consultant Mohammad El-Sawaf, about his work with the Children’s Defense Fund, where he has been a volunteer since 2015.

Associated Benefits and Risk Consulting colleague Carla Scott volunteered with her son this month to ring the bell as part of the Salvation Arm Red Kettle Campaign to give back to her local community. 

Four Associated colleagues recently gave back to the Minneapolis community by helping out in the meal service volunteer program. YouthLink works with homeless youth, ages 16-23, and is located in downtown Minneapolis.