Allianz Life Employees Vote to Give $100K to Local Charities [Health & Beauty Close - Up] - Insurance News

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Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America announced that employees voted to give $100,000 to local charities.

According to the Company, four groups each received $25,000 and the pledge of volunteer hours from its employees. The 2013 Allianz Life employee-elected charities are: the American Cancer Society, the Animal Humane Society, the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota, and HopeKids. The nonprofit organizations were selected by the more than 1,700 Allianz Life employees who could vote from a ballot of 25 nominations. Before voting, employees learned about the nominated charities during a 1-day charity fair that educated employees about their programs.

"It is an honor to see Allianz Life employees once again engage in local nonprofit organizations that make a difference in people's lives," said Allianz Life President and CEO, Walter White. "Employees not only vote for charities they care about, but they also make a difference directly by volunteering their time. Allianz Life employees will participate in events supporting these organizations throughout the coming year."

The Employee-Elected Charities initiative has been an aspect of the Allianz Life corporate giving strategy for more than 10 years. In addition to the company contributions and employee volunteer efforts, the four elected charities will have their name and logos displayed in the lobby of the Golden Valley headquarters. In order to be included on the nomination list, the charities needed to have 10 or more Allianz Life employees volunteer for them during the calendar year.

Allianz Life said that it provides each employee eight hours of paid time off annually to use to volunteer. Employees can use this time for any nonprofit organization that they wish to support. In 2012, more than 400 employees took advantage of their paid time off to volunteer in the community which brought more than 3,600 volunteer hours into the community.

While Allianz Life is part of a global financial services group, the company has a commitment to the communities in which its employees live and work. With the all of the employee volunteering efforts combined in 2012, employees contributed more than 12,000 hours helping others in the community, an equivalent of more than $256,320 in donations. In 2013, employees will participate in additional fundraising events for the elected charities.