Winnipeg, MB – The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company (Wawanesa) and its employees are marking the company’s 125th anniversary by providing $700,000 to local community organizations in Canada and the United States. These charitable funds come in addition to the $3.5 million Wawanesa has already committed to its community partners for 2021.
“As a mutual insurer we strive to be a positive force in the community,” said Wawanesa’s President and CEO, Jeff Goy. “It’s how our company started in 1896, with 20 farmers who came together to help each other out so no one would be left behind if disaster struck. This commitment to looking after one another has always been at the heart of our culture – and always will be. It’s one way of appreciating what our customers, broker partners, communities and employees have contributed to our success over so many decades together.”
Wawanesa employees were given the opportunity to determine how the $700,000 would be distributed among organizations in communities where the company operates:
- All Wawanesa employees were given $125 to provide to a charity of their choosing, resulting in $500,000 provided to thousands of charities across Canada and the US.
- All Wawanesa employees were also asked to nominate one charitable organization in their community to receive 1 of 16 donations of $12,500. Employees then voted on which organization they wanted to receive a donation, resulting in $200,000 donated to 16 charitable organizations.
“We’re grateful to be an active part of so many communities and honored to be able to do our part to help make our communities more resilient,” said Wawanesa’s President of U.S. Operations, Chris Henn. “Looking ahead, we’re going to continue to provide the people we insure with excellent service and make sure our success builds stronger communities wherever we operate.”
Over the past 125 years Wawanesa has grown into a diversified mutual insurer, serving the property, casualty and life insurance needs of over two million policyholders in Canada and the US. Recently, the company surpassed $4 billion in annual premium, completed a decade-long transformation of its core technology platform, and was honoured to receive top industry customer service recognitions, such as #1 in personal property claims satisfaction in InsurPoll’s 2021 survey as well as “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Auto Insurers in California” from J.D. Power for the second year in a row. Wawanesa has also been recognized as a Top Employer in North America by the human resources consultancy, Kincentric.
For more information on the company’s proud history, a full timeline of Wawanesa’s growth and transformation can be found here.
About Wawanesa
Wawanesa Insurance is a direct to consumer insurance company offering auto and renters insurance and provides industry-leading customer service in California and Oregon. We are a division of Wawanesa Mutual Insurance, a diversified North American insurer that serves more than two million policyholders today who trust us for their insurance needs and to provide superior claims service. In our commitment to being there for our policyholders when they need us, we are likewise focused on being a positive force in our communities by contributing to charitable organizations at levels well above international benchmarks for excellence in philanthropy. www.wawanesa.com
Contact
Brad Hartle
The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company
1-844-946-6282
media@wawanesa.com