Archive for the ‘Community’ Category
The devastation of the recent earthquakes in Haiti has touched the lives of people across the world. While droves of friends and family were receiving horrific news, one of Primerica’s own, Regional Vice President Peggee & Jarrin King, was elated to receive word that her parents, missionaries in her home country of Haiti, were alive. They were alive, but lacking the basic human necessities to keep themselves – and the people who depend on them – well.
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the nation of Haiti on January 12, 2010, flattened homes and crumpled government buildings. Because of the tremendous loss of life and the overwhelming need for food, water, shelter and medicines, the International Faith Fellowship Ministries, Inc. (IFF) was in dire straights. The Liberuses, Peggee’s parents and the founders of IFF, sent word that they needed help, and the Primerica community responded right away.
Senior National Sales Director Andy Young coordinated an effort that collected more than 850 boxes of food, medicine, clothing, toiletries, generators and more. These donations, along with monetary gifts, filled two moving trucks that Young, Jarrin King and two other Regional Vice Presidents – Chris McHugh and Joe Redd – drove to Venice, FL, and loaded aboard Agapé Flights.
In Haiti, Peggee’s family met the plane and distributed the more than 30,000 pounds of donated goods.
The amazing contribution was reportedly the largest the airline had seen to date – good news for a community of six churches, three schools and a Bible college that was waiting anxiously for relief. Peggee said, “We are overwhelmed by the response. It’s wonderful that people want to help, despite what’s going on with the economy here.”
Through these contributions given by the Primerica representatives and Home Office family, hundreds of people will be able to meet some of their most basic needs and begin determining how to go on from here. To boot, Primerica made a corporate donation of $10,000 to the American Red Cross to help in the Haiti recovery efforts. Individual employees have also made personal financial donations through many of the aid sites that have been established in the wake of the earthquakes.
Peggee warned, “As people are giving so generously, I want them to be mindful of which organizations they give money to. They want to make sure that the need gets to the people, like the Primerica donation did.” Jarrin added, “I also hope people remember that after the cameras have left, the people will still need us. Primerica helped to supply the immediate needs of the people – needs like food, water and medicine; but they didn’t forget to send things like saws and other tools. These are the things that will help the people of Haiti as they start the next step: rebuilding.”
Primerica said “yes” and came through for people who desperately need help right now. They delivered on a promise to do what’s right for families … starting with their own.
If you’re interested in giving specifically to the International Faith Fellowship Ministries, Inc., they are a 501(c)3 organization. You can make financial gifts at any Wachovia Bank.
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Tags: charity, donate, giving, Haiti, relief
Posted in Community, Primerica |
Imagine It! Board Member and Primerica CFO Alison Rand was proud to announce that Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta will honor Primerica for its “outstanding commitment to the wellbeing of children and families of our community” at the Museum’s gala, Amuse’UM, to be held on February 20, 2010.
Primerica Co-CEO Rick Williams served on the founding Board of Directors. Since officially opening in 2003, many Primerica employees and departments — from Community Relations to Publications — have contributed their time and talent to support the museum and its work with children.
“For nearly a decade,” says Rand, “the financial and in-kind resources that Primerica and its employees have provided have made a profound difference in the museum’s ability to spark imagination and discovery for more than 1,250,000 children and their caregivers. Through grant support, board leadership, committee involvement, graphic design and print services, Primerica has enabled Imagine It! to bring rich, innovative, hands-on learning experiences to families and schools in the metro Atlanta area.”
Imagine It! has created a unique place where children and parents can play and learn together about a variety of topics in a safe, fun and nurturing setting. Tens of thousands of disadvantaged children have been welcomed free of charge, and many provided with free transportation to the Museum, so that visitation barriers are broken down and resources are openly shared. Through extensive community collaborations, Imagine It! is mobilizing four of Atlanta’s most impoverished neighborhoods to engage parents in the education of their children using the educational tools of the Museum.
Primerica is proud to partner with the Museum and is honored to receive such recognition.
Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta encourages children to learn by doing. This little one enjoyed playing with the colorful balls in the Tools for Solutions exhibit.
Tags: Atlanta, children, Children's Museum, Community, Imagine It!, learning, Primerica
Posted in Community, Primerica |
Primerica’s Great Day of Service was a beautiful, breezy fall day that had been preceded by days and days and days of rain in the Atlanta area. Luckily, the clouds parted this past October 2, and more than 80 Primerica Home Office volunteers banded together to spruce up, clean up, paint up and generally fix up the Partners Against Domestic Violence women’s and children’s emergency shelter.
Out came the brooms, mops, paint scrapers, brushers, rollers, sprayers, rakes, shovels, shears and saws – all employed to slick the place up a bit. The object was to spend a day making the shelter and its yard and play areas just a little nicer for those in need.
The Great Day of Service is the brainchild of the Gwinnett (County, GA) Coalition for Health and Human Services and it’s one of the most popular volunteer service days at Primerica’s Home Office. Primericans are always looking for ways to give back to their community and this truly was a Great Day of Service.
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Tags: Great Days of Service, Partners Against Domestic Violence, Primerica, volunteerism, Volunteers
Posted in Community, Primerica |
Changing lives is what Primerica is all about – and that philosophy doesn’t extend just to the families our reps help to get back on track financially. The Primerica Home Office here in Georgia recently donated $10,000 to the Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation Fund Inc. to help enrich the education of children in Gwinnett.
This donation will support academic and college access programs for low to middle income students across the school district.
“Primerica is proud to be a partner with the Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation Fund,” says Anne Soutter, Vice President, Primerica Community and Foundation Relations. “Our goal is to make an investment in education for this county, and to be a part of the development of our future community and business leaders – our students.”
Primerica has a long, proud history of community involvement. Since 2000, the Citi Foundation, through Primerica, has contributed more than $300,000 to Gwinnett County Schools and Programs. Additionally, Primerica employees have donated hundreds of volunteer hours each year in service to the Berkmar Cluster Mentoring Program.
Learn more about Primerica.
Tags: Berkmar, children, donation, foundation, gwinnett, Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation, kids, Primerica, primerica financial services, school
Posted in Community, Primerica |
The quarterly Primerica Home Office blood drive was held on Wednesday, August 12, and collected 56 pints of blood for distribution by the Red Cross. That’s enough blood to benefit up to 168 recipients.
Tags: blood donation, blood donors, Georgia Aquarium, Primerica, red cross, volunteeerism, Volunteers
Posted in Community, Primerica |
The Summer Food Drive competition at Primerica’s Home Office is a popular campaign with employees. There’s always a healthy rivalry among the departments to see who can collect the most food items for donation to the Lilburn (GA) Co-op. It’s a joy to help out this wonderful organization, which has provided all kinds of services to people who find themselves in need in the Gwinnett county area since 1994. As with every year, Primerica’s employees didn’t disappoint. With more than 4,500 food items donated, volunteers filled three SUVs and two pickup trucks for the trip back to the food pantry.
The food drive was promoted throughout the Home Office campus with a Primerican poster campaign.
The following departments contributed to Primerica’s generous effort: Publications, Insurance Business Counsel, Human Resources, PFS University, PFSU Prelicensing/Agency Relations, Facilities/Warehouse, Television, Information Technology, Securities and Lilburn Co-Op volunteers were happy to take the food for folks in need.
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Tags: Atlanta, community service, food drive, food pantries, gwinnett, lilburn co-op, Primerica, volunteerism, Volunteers
Posted in Community, Primerica |
During the work week, Primerica employees support the sales force and keep the business running smoothly on the home office front. In their free time, many also turn their talents to personal projects they are passionate about outside of the workplace. As Executive Vice President of Primerica’s on site TV/Production department, Norma Richardson enjoys giving back to the community through her work with Primerica and with the Main Street Players.
“At Primerica, I am heavily involved in the creative process behind the sales materials and marketing tools that our field force uses,” explains Norma. “I have a great team that handles much of the day to day operations which frees me up to concentrate on the creative aspect of our in house TV studio.”
Norma says she’s always been passionate about the arts – which is why she entered the field she did – so when she had the opportunity to bring that love to her hometown, she jumped at the chance.
“I have always been involved in the arts, especially music and theatre, which is my one of my passions,” says Norma. “In 1996, while taking care of my ailing mother, I started thinking about how I could be involved and make a difference in the community. My hometown of Griffin, GA, was undergoing a revitalization of the historic downtown area and I saw a chance – and a challenge – to take what I loved and turn it into something the entire community could appreciate.”
Together with three friends from high school, Norma carved a 100 seat black box theatre out of an old F.W. Woolworth store and began sorting through play scripts for their debut. “Our first show, a musical re-telling of the Anne Frank story called Yours, Anne, opened September 20, 2001 – nine days after 9/11,” remembers Norma. “We weren’t even sure we should go forward with the performance because of the attacks, but the cast and crew got together and decided to use the play and its message as an opportunity to address the recent events and start the healing process.”
A sold out crowd solidified the Main Street Players’ role in the shiny new downtown atmosphere. Nearly eight years and 37 shows later, the theatre group is still going strong. In fact, the homegrown theatre was featured in the November/December 2006 edition of Scoop Magazine!
As a non profit organization, the theatre survives on volunteer efforts, donations and grants. “There are a few paid positions, but most of the work is done by our amazing volunteers,” says Norma.
To get involved with the Main Street Players, visit the www.mainstreetplayers.org or send an email to Norma.
Tags: anne frank, black box, main street players, performance art, play, Primerica, theater, theatre, theatrical
Posted in Community, Primerica |
The elderly population in Gwinnett County is growing, and while the county provides a multitude of services to make sure those who are “60 plus” are well taken care of, resources can sometimes become strained. Rather than see older citizens go without, a dynamic group of giving individuals volunteers their time, talent and cash to help local seniors maintain their dignity during their golden years.
For 10 years, the Friends of Gwinnett County Senior Services (Friends) has assisted the county’s elderly by privately supporting or supplementing a variety of programs that directly address senior needs. One outstanding Primerica employee, Pam Tokarz, sits at the helm of Friends, directing aid efforts and drawing other Primericans into the volunteer fold. Tokarz has worked with Friends for five years. Before that, she volunteered at the Norcross Senior Center through a program sponsored by Primerica. Every quarter several Primerica employees would go to the Norcross Senior Center and serve the residents their lunch, play games, sing songs and visit.
Through volunteering at the Norcross Senior Center, Tokarz met Pat Port, who coordinated these events for Primerica and she also served on the Friends board. Port invited Tokarz to the board of directors meetings and she began volunteering at their fundraising activities. Before long, she joined the board. Tokarz became Friends’ president in January 2008 and is currently serving her second term as leader.
Food for the Soul
One of their most well-known partnerships is the Meals on Wheels food delivery program. Through Meals on Wheels, Friends annually sponsors many of its clients for meal deliveries. The non-profit group has also donated vehicles to Gwinnett County Senior Services. These autos are equipped with GPS systems.
Tokarz remembers the days when her grandmother was a recipient of Meals on Wheels. Gratefulness for the program – and a rearing based in service – propelled her to Friends. She says it’s a perfect fit. She adds proudly, “Friends is 100% run by volunteers and we are fortunate to have some very talented and service-oriented board members and volunteers. They come from all walks of life and are dedicated to helping seniors.”
More than Meals
As part of their tenth anniversary celebration in March, Friends board members went to the Lawrenceville Senior Center and visited with the residents. The 80 seniors in attendance played a “Name that Tune” game with selected songs from the 1940s and 1950s. A “Senior Idol” song competition sprang up, as well, and then morphed into a senior trivia game. Board members gave out gift basket prizes and every senior received an Easter egg. Tokarz recalls, “It was fun to see the seniors enjoying the music from their era and they really got in to it.”
It’s times like these that make Tokarz sure that she’ll work for Friends until she can’t physically do it anymore. Until then, she has a personal goal to reduce the number of seniors on the waiting list for services. The current monthly average on the waiting list is 190 seniors – up 43% from 2008. Tokarz says the needs are great and growing, and she invites any takers to get involved.
To get info on the Friends-hosted fund-raisers like the Crawfish Boil, Outback at Work Charity Lunch and their annual silent auction, visit the Friends of Gwinnett County Senior Services Web site at fogcss.com.
Tags: elderly, FOGCSS, friends, Gwinnett County, meals, Meals on Wheels, Senior Services, wheels
Posted in Community, Primerica |
Primerica Home Office associates annually raise funds and volunteer for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life program. This year’s effort took on a surfing theme and called on participants to help Wipe Out Cancer. In addition to participating in the Relay For Life event itself, the entire month of April led up to the Relay with events such as a tricycle race, baked goods and book sales, cookout fundraisers, a silent auction and more. Primerica associates form teams and compete to see who can raise the most money with their events. Relay For Life is a fun way to give back to the community. This year, Primerica raised more than $61,000 for Relay. We’re hoping that next year we can do even better!
Primerica people love to join together to make the community a better place.
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Tags: American Cancer Society, Cancer Fundraisers, Community, Primerica, Relay For Life
Posted in Community, Primerica |
A decade ago, Primerica representative John Roig was enjoying a night out with his wife Gloria near his hometown of Miami, FL, when he was stirred by old emotions he had not felt in many years. As he sat in the audience of the Coconut Grove Playhouse watching a performer singing an old Cuban melody, John began to yearn for his homeland.
John had not been back to Cuba since the summer of 1960, when Fidel Castro came to power. He was 15 years old then and had been spending his summers there since 1953, when his parents left Cuba to settle in America.
Since that summer so very long ago, John had lost touch with his many aunts, uncles and cousins with whom he had been very close as a child. Then, sitting in the playhouse in 1999, at 55, a successful business owner with Primerica earning more than $500,000 a year, the memories came flooding back. He turned to his wife with tears streaming down his face and said, “I’ve got to go back to Cuba.”
Since that time, John has not only returned to Cuba many times, but he has been able financially to help his many relatives who have been impoverished as a result of Castro’s regime.
Before the trip, he called his favorite aunt from childhood, the one with whom he had always stayed as a child, to ask if he could bring her a special gift. She requested a toothbrush. He promised to bring all his relatives toothbrushes and asked her again if she would like something special from America. “Well, it’s been 35 years since I last tasted peanut butter,” she answered.
“I was really in a dilemma,” he says, “because I wanted to bring her something special and all she wanted was peanut butter, which is nothing here. I went down to the local food store and cried like a baby when I looked at all the brands and styles of peanut butter so readily available on the shelf. It made me realize how much we take for granted in America.”
Upon his arrival in Cuba, John was surprised to see more than 50 relatives, most of whom he no longer recognized, waiting to greet him. He and Gloria brought the most goods they were allowed to bring into the country — 40 pounds of clothing and 20 pounds of medical supplies, as well as 60 toothbrushes and enough peanut butter to last his aunt a long time.
After all the introductions, hugs and tears, John was shocked to discover that none of his relatives owned a car. He had sent money to his aunt for a rental car to pick him up, but the rest of his relatives had walked five miles to the airport. And his aunt’s home, once the nicest on the block, was rundown. It had not been painted in years, and the plumbing no longer worked. The $110 water pump had broken three years before, and the family could not afford to replace it.
Not only was John able to help with the water pump, but on later trips, he bought refrigerators and stoves for all his relatives and financed improvements to their homes. He made a decision to return there every year. Later, he helped one of his cousins move to America, find a place to live and a job, paying more than $10,000 to make it happen.
“Because of our business with Primerica, we were able to do so much for my family,” he says. “Not only could we help financially but we could afford to give the time. We could get away so easily. On my first visit, I was able to stay for 10 days. There is no doubt in my mind that the money we’ve spent has come back to us. Our business has gotten even stronger since we decided to go to Cuba. Without Primerica, I couldn’t do this for my family. I’m no hero. I’m just doing what anybody would do for their family.”
Tags: charitable, charity, Coconut Grove Playhouse, family, financial aid, Gloria Roig, John Roig, Miami, Primerica
Posted in Community, Primerica |
