HUB International Insurance Brokers, the largest insurance brokerage in British Columbia, delivered on their commitment to SOS Children’s Villages as the beneficiary of their employee-based HUB Gives community investment program in 2009.
HUB Gives Days on October 15th and 16th produced life changing results for the foster families at SOS Children’s Village in Surrey, BC. HUB International employees were joined by staff from Vancouver Whitecaps FC and staff from BC Soccer to build new outdoor living spaces and clear property that was previously unusable.
“HUB Gives is an initiative of all HUB International brokerages throughout North America which offers an additional platform for us to build connections with our communities,” said Tina Osen, President and Chief Executive Officer of HUB International TOS. “For us, we couldn’t think of a more meaningful project to support through HUB Gives than SOS Children’s Villages BC and the children they represent.”
As part of the HUB Gives program, HUB International is focused on providing both financial and human resources in support of a selected charity or worthwhile community project. In this case, SOS Children’s Villages BC received two full days of volunteerism from HUB International employees and their soccer partners, along with weeks of preparation, donations, and value-in-kind contributions garnered by the company.
“The work done by HUB staff was completely phenomenal,” said Darlene Straarup, Executive Director of SOS Children’s Village BC. “They worked non-stop, undeterred by pouring rain and slippery mud. Significant improvements to our Village site will now increase safety and comfort for the kids, foster parents, and visitors.”
“SOS BC could not afford to put in the thousands of dollars this much needed work would have cost us otherwise,” said Straarup.” “I am astounded at the level of significant physical work HUB committed to do, and pulled off over the course of two days. HUB has demonstrated the true spirit of giving and we are humbled by their generosity and appreciative for every person who committed to this project.”
One of the reasons SOS Children’s Village BC was selected as a HUB Gives beneficiary was its inspirational mission. SOS provides a community-based family care service to improve and sustain the quality of life for foster children and foster families. The efforts of SOS are designed to help nurture abandoned children at risk and prevent them from becoming alarming statistics in our community – two-thirds of abandoned children wind up homeless unless carefully reintegrated into society.
HUB International is a proud sponsor of Vancouver Whitecaps FC and a supporter of the Whitecaps Foundation, which supports a number of children’s causes. Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi is an ambassador of SOS Children’s Villages BC.
“One of our core corporate values is our sense of teamwork,” said Osen. “That’s why it was only natural for us to team up with the Whitecaps and our friends at BC Soccer to support SOS Children’s Villages BC.”
