Category Archives: Society: Social Services

The Latest news about what is available to our Society in North America, These PR articles, bring the newest technologies, initiatives and helpful tools to those who need them through social services.

Society: Social Services

IICF’s Inaugural Philanthropic Giving Index Benchmarks 2022 Industry Grants over $1 Billion

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The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) today announces the results of the benchmark IICF Philanthropic Giving Index, an independent review of philanthropic activity across the insurance industry, including property and casualty, life and more.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a unique nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities and enriching lives, today announces the results of the benchmark IICF Philanthropic Giving Index, an independent review of philanthropic activity across the insurance industry, including property and casualty, life and more. This inaugural Philanthropic Index determined the insurance industry contributed more than $1 billion in support of various charitable endeavors in 2022. This data will be collected annually by IICF.

“IICF is proud to announce these collective philanthropic findings and provide the industry with a remarkable figure representative of the generous charitable giving and support by our many insurance businesses,” said Bill Ross, CEO of IICF. “Many of these companies are represented on IICF Boards of Directors across the US and UK, thereby amplifying their impact in the communities where we live and work.”

Alongside the industry’s charitable giving, the Philanthropic Giving Index revealed other community contributions demonstrating the industry’s dedication to giving and volunteerism:

  •     137,300 nonprofit partners and causes received support
  •     7.5 million volunteer hours were served
  •     93,500 insurance professionals volunteered

With research support from the Insurance Information Institute (III), IICF reviewed data from 120 companies, representative of all sectors of the insurance industry, for this snapshot of industrywide charitable giving and supporting data.

As IICF announces its inaugural philanthropic analysis across the industry, the unifying charitable foundation for the insurance industry is also preparing for its annual Week of Giving, the largest ongoing volunteer initiative in the industry. The event, which began as an insurance volunteer initiative more than nineteen years ago, celebrates the industry’s year-round commitment to charitable giving and volunteerism.

The 2023 IICF Week of Giving will be held Oct. 14 – 21, gathering thousands of insurance professionals across the US and UK to participate in service projects, ranging from book drives, community clean-up projects, mock interviews and much more. Each initiative is designed to support critical community causes including food insecurity and homelessness, education, disaster preparedness and veterans.

To learn more and register, please visit: volunteer.iicf.org

About the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF)
The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) is a unique nonprofit that unites the collective strengths of the insurance industry to help communities and enrich lives through grants, volunteer service and leadership. Established in 1994, IICF has served as the philanthropic voice and foundation of the insurance industry for close to thirty years, contributing more than $45 million in community grants along with over 325,000 volunteer hours by more than 115,000 industry professionals. IICF reinvests locally where funds are raised, serving hundreds of charities and nonprofit organizations, for maximum community impact.

IICF is a registered nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Learn more at http://www.iicf.org or follow us on social media at:  LinkedIn and Instagram.

Media Contact

Hari Rajagopalan, IICF, 610-559-7585, [email protected] 

SOURCE IICF



Society: Social Services

SPCA International selects Moore as fundraising agency of record

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Moore to optimize the organization’s fundraising potential with innovative data technology and comprehensive omnichannel strategy.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Moore, a leading constituent experience management (CXM) company, is proud to announce that SPCA International has selected the company to guide its direct marketing efforts as fundraising agency of record. The company has tapped its agency division, Edge Direct, to lead the omnichannel solution to advance the SPCA International mission as a global animal rescue organization.

Moore will leverage its suite of platform products and services including creative, data, digital, media, production and response management to implement a constituent-driven strategy for SPCA International. Focusing on data-driven solutions, Moore will provide SPCA International with critical, timely and accurate strategies to guide growth across fundraising channels.

“We are honored to be entrusted with supporting the important and impactful mission of SPCA International,” said Ryan Katz, president of Edge Direct division at Moore. “We will be partnering with SPCA International on a bold approach to implementing a direct response fundraising program that raises critical funds to help stop the abuse and suffering of animals through programs that serve both animals and their human caretakers.”

SPCA International is dedicated to promoting animal welfare through its comprehensive programs and outreach. These initiatives encompass Shelter Support, which provides essential resources and assistance to local and international shelters; Education Programs that promote awareness and responsible pet ownership; Patriot Pets, reuniting U.S. service members with the cats and dogs they befriended on deployment; Apollo’s Aid, supporting U.S. military and refugee families; and Veterinary Aid, supplying essential medical resources to clinics and shelters. With the invaluable assistance of their compassionate supporters, SPCA International is able to significantly improve the lives of animals worldwide.

“We look forward to working with Moore to renew our program approach that maximizes long-term progression and revenue,” said Anne Abbot, Director of Development at SPCA International. “The comprehensive strategy across Moore channels will help us elevate our donor retention, engage new audiences and extend our mission awareness of safeguarding animals across the globe.”

“We are thrilled to leverage the full power of Moore data, digital, media, production and response management solutions to increase support for SPCA International so they can help more animals,” said Gretchen Littlefield, chief executive officer at Moore. “By implementing an omnichannel strategy for SPCA International, we will be able to analyze the entire data cycle and provide them with expedited outcomes, enabling informed decisions to enhance their results.”

With a proven track record of success and a commitment to innovation, Moore is the largest marketing, data and fundraising company in North America serving the nonprofit industry. For more information about the products and services offered by Moore, visit wearemoore.com.

About SPCA International
SPCA International is a global animal welfare organization with a mission that is simple, but vast: to advance the safety and well-being of animals. Through outreach, rescue and education programs, SPCA International spearheads lifesaving initiatives and assists grassroots animal activists worldwide. Visit us at spcai.org.

About Moore
Moore is a data-driven constituent experience management (CXM) company focused on achieving accelerated growth for clients through integrated supporter experiences across all platforms, channels and devices. We are an innovation led company of 5,000 people that is the largest marketing, data and fundraising company in North America serving the nonprofit industry with clients across education, association, political and commercial sectors.

Moore combines our strength in technology and unmatched industry expertise to provide clients with strategy, creative, production, media, data, response management and analytic services. Our omnichannel solutions are powered by an ongoing investment in next-generation artificial intelligence and machine learning that deepens constituent relationships and creates transformational growth. To learn more, visit wearemoore.com. 

Media Contact

Mac McKeever, Moore, 207-841-6110, [email protected] 

SOURCE Moore

Society: Social Services

Clafin University Student Receives SBB Research Group Foundation STEM Scholarship

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The SBB Research Group Foundation has named Nickeisha Cuthbert a STEM Scholarship recipient

CHICAGO, Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The SBB Research Group Foundation named Nickeisha Cuthbert a recipient of its STEM scholarship. The $2,500 award empowers students to create value for society by pursuing higher learning through interdisciplinary combinations of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Nickeisha Cuthbert, a senior, studies Biotechnology at Clafin University. Recently, she participated in the summer undergraduate research program at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, where she conducted fundamental research on pathological biomarkers and the effects of an innately produced enzyme on muscle and glucose activity. Cuthbert also secured a grant to support research determining the category of antibiotics being produced by bacteria from the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities organization.

“Nickeisha is such an impressive emerging scientist. I’m so excited we could support her through this scholarship,” said Matt Aven, co-founder and board member of the SBB Research Group Foundation.

For eligibility criteria and more information on the Foundation’s STEM scholarship, please visit http://www.sbbscholarship.org.

About the SBB Research Group Foundation
The SBB Research Group Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that furthers the philanthropic mission of SBB Research Group LLC (SBBRG), a Chicago-based investment management firm led by Sam Barnett, Ph.D., and Matt Aven. The Foundation sponsors the SBB Research Group Foundation STEM Scholarship, supporting students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) degrees. In addition to its scholarship program, the Foundation provides grants to support ambitious organizations solving unmet needs with thoughtful, long-term strategies.

Media Contact

Erin Noonan, SBB Research Group Foundation, 1-847-656-1111, [email protected], https://www.sbbscholarship.com/

SOURCE SBB Research Group Foundation

Society: Social Services

New York Operation Lifesaver Launches Awareness Campaign for Rail Safety Week

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Since 2017, RSW has saved lives by educating and empowering the public to make safe decisions around trains and tracks. This annual week-long event, which concentrates public attention on the need for rail safety education, is observed across North America every year.

Every three hours a person or vehicle is hit by a train in the United States. And over 50% of vehicle-train collisions occur at crossings with lights and/or gates. Rail Safety Week is designed to decrease injuries and fatalities stemming from these incidents.

OLI and its partners will share the rail safety message throughout North America via official proclamations, coordinated social media efforts and campaigns as well as community events educating citizens on how to stay safe near railroad tracks and trains. In addition to sharing rail safety messages throughout the week, OLI will urge people to take and share its Rail Safety Pledge for adults and kids during Rail Safety Week. These combined efforts are aimed to increase social media messages, news stories and media coverage value, raising awareness among the general public.

“Rail safety week is the apex of our efforts all year round to get the message across that people need to take more precautions around rail tracks each time they’re traveling by train or approaching tracks,” said Phil Merens, Executive Director, New York Operation Lifesaver (NYOL). “Our ultimate goal is to save lives and we are thankful to the federal, state and local partner organizations across North America who help us with this giant but worthwhile endeavor.”

On Sunday, September 24, 2023, the last day of Rail Safety Week, New York Operation Lifesaver will be hosting the #STOPTrackTragedies, Mock Crash for Safety in North Collins, NY.

The event, designed to draw more attention to the dangers inherent with rail travel and the need for precautions, will feature a planned crash at 25 miles per hour of a vehicle on Buffalo Southern’s tracks. Both CSX and Buffalo Southern will be donating locomotives for the mock crash. This event is not just a publicity stunt with a good photo op. The mock crash will gather data for New York State crash test experts, Calspan, and will be used as a training ground for North Collins fire and EMT. Rail incident investigation training will also occur for local, county, and state police.

In addition, New York Operation Lifesaver believes that by spreading rail safety awareness to students of all ages, future tragedies can be avoided.

To teach the importance of rail safety, we need the help of our teachers, principals, and superintendents to fully convey our message to students.

New York Operation Lifesaver provides comprehensive resources and rail safety presentations specifically designed to educate young minds about the importance of rail safety. Whether it’s educating elementary and middle school students via an age-appropriate assembly, or new drivers in high school, New York Operation Lifesaver has rail safety presentations available for students of all ages at no cost to your school.

NYOL believes in working together to build a culture of safety and to protect students from future accidents at railroad tracks and crossings.

For more information and to schedule a free rail safety presentation at your school, visit our website at https://nyoplifesaver.org/. Phil Merens, State Coordinator, would love to help schedule your age-appropriate educational program: (518) 269-9131.

Together, let’s keep New York safe.

About Operation Lifesaver
In 1986, the non-profit Operation Lifesaver, Inc. national office was created to help support and coordinate the efforts of state Operation Lifesaver programs, saving lives by sharing rail safety messages with audiences across the U.S. and beyond. Learn more about Rail Safety Week; follow OLI on social media via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.

Media Contact

Frank Tortorici, Marketing Maven, 908-875-8908, frank@marketingmaven.com

SOURCE New York Operation Lifesaver



Society: Social Services

What States Can Do to Promote Affordable, Accessible High-Quality Child Care

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With more than three million children slated to lose child care by the end of 2023, the time is now for states, employers and philanthropy to take decisive action on improving child care outcomes

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Sept. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Heartland Forward’s latest report, Child Care Policy Efficiency: What States Can Do to Promote Affordable, Accessible High-Quality Child Care, assesses the landscape of the inefficient U.S. child care market and makes specific recommendations for states to improve child care outcomes. Accessible and affordable child care is crucial to the U.S. labor market as it allows parents – particularly mothers, to participate in the workforce, and it is essential for early childhood cognitive development for children. Unfortunately, the private market has been unable to provide accessible and affordable child care that focuses on quality early childhood education.

Did you know? Data from the US Census Bureau reveals that from September 2022 through April 2023, 1.3% to 7.6% of adults were missing work to care for children and a recent report by the Society for Human Resource Management estimated inadequate child care causes $37 billion in lost wages and $13 billion in lost productivity for employers each year.

“Americans love free markets almost as much as we love our kids,” said Julie Trivitt, senior economist at Heartland Forward. “We trust market incentives to solve tough allocation issues in our complex economy, but for too long, leaving the important business of child care to the market, has not served the vast majority of families. In evaluating all U.S. states and their efficiency toward three key outcomes: access, affordability and quality, we believe there are key policy solutions that can be a game-changer for families and workers across the country.”

Addressing the urgent child care cliff. With supplemental funding from the pandemic slated to expire in September 2023, estimates project that more than three million children will

lose access to care, and 70,000 programs will close. The collective wisdom is that child care is a complex, multi-faceted issue that will take government, private and philanthropic cooperation to address effectively.

Gold, Silver and Bronze, Measuring State Efficiency. Our researchers explored state-level data to evaluate child care outcomes. We constructed a child care efficiency score using a statistical method comparing each state’s outcomes (i.e.,availability, affordability, and quality) to determine those that get the most outputs relative to child care funding and sorted all U.S. states into three categories relative to each other’s efficiency scores.

Heartland Forward proposes the following solutions:

Helping Silver and Bronze States earn Gold based on the research

For states to improve outcomes, a first step is to consider redirecting child care funding by:

  • prioritizing child care subsidies and modifying public pre-K programs to meet needs of working parents
  • targeting reimbursement limits to cover quality child care programs
  • Utilizing a sliding scale co-pays based on income to prevent abrupt benefit changes for working families
  • allowing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding for child care; this is associated with better overall child care outcomes

Working Toward Platinum:

States cannot achieve an improved status on subsidies alone. There are other considerations to achieve improved child care offerings for working families:

  • Streamline regulations between states and localities for safety and capacity
  • Support public-private partnerships such as utilizing churches and other public spaces for daytime programs. Sharing an existing space allows a child care provider to operate at a lower cost than if it must build or lease space
  • Tax credits or care subsidies for child care workers should be independent of income qualifications
  • Encourage employer-provided child care benefits and facilitate strategies that allow small and mid-size businesses to collaborate on offering child care benefits
  • Support home care providers by implementing systems that facilitate business efficiencies, such as adopting digital wallets and funding progressional organizations to promote best practices
  • Accelerate teacher pipelines for pre-K and early education programs to address teacher shortages

Key findings

The more efficient states:

  • tend to use TANF funding for child care
  • provide child care subsidies to parents attending job training
  • have historically paid subsidies in line with provider costs
  • do not have state funded pre-K programs (since these are generally not full-day or year-round programs that best accommodate working parents)

The less efficient states:

  • tend to provide subsidies to parents attending high school
  • require fewer than 15 hours of work to participate in child care subsidies

The most persistent problem is underfunding. Even in the best-funded states, only about one in four children is served by the child care subsidy program, whereas in the least well-funded states, it’s about one in 17.

Read the report HERE.

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About Heartland Forward

Heartland Forward is a 501c3, nonpartisan think-and-do tank dedicated to being a resource for states and local communities in the middle of the country to help advance economic opportunity. We do this by studying broad economic trends and building data-driven and community-tested partnerships, programs and policies to address the needs of the heartland – all while helping to change the narrative about the middle of the country and kick-starting economic growth.

Media Contact

Blake Woolsey, Heartland Forward, 1 479-957-6301, [email protected], https://heartlandforward.org/

SOURCE Heartland Forward

Society: Social Services

Kinetic Advantage Teams Up with Auction Partners for Summer of Service

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This summer, floorplan financing company Kinetic Advantage partnered with independent auto auctions across the United States on volunteer projects to give back to local communities, including fighting hunger, supporting women in crisis, and bringing resources to nonprofits. Through collaborations with auctions like DAA Seattle, Metro Auto Auction Phoenix, AutoNation Orlando auction, Carolina Auto Auction, and Metro Auto Auction Dallas, Kinetic Advantage made a difference and plans to continue teaming up with auctions nationwide on community service efforts. The volunteer initiatives raised money, packed food, distributed pantry bags, and supported women’s shelters.

CARMEL, Ind., Sept. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — During the summer of 2023, Kinetic Advantage the fastest-growing floorplan company in the industry collaborated with independent automotive auctions across the United States on volunteer projects that gave back to their local communities.

The team effort started in early June, when Kinetic joined the annual Helping Hands Auction at DAA Seattle hosted by McConkey Auction Group where during the event a total of $60,000 was raised for the Auburn Food Bank, The Arc of King County and Adult and Teen Challenge.

“At McConkey Auction Group, it is our mission to provide superior vehicle remarketing services and establish long-term relationships; our success allows us to serve the greater community through our ethical, socially conscious and financially strong company,” says Chris Bradley, Business Development for McConkey Auction Group. “This is why our yearly Helping Hands Auction at DAA Seattle is so important to McConkey Auction Group. Through the years, our business partners have had direct involvement in helping us raise funds during this particular sale and this year we welcomed Kinetic Advantage to our fundraising family!”

Next in July, Kinetic partnered with Metro Auto Auction Phoenix to pack over 1,900 emergency food boxes for St. Mary’s Food Bank. The food provided meals for hundreds of Arizona families in need.

“Volunteers are the heartbeat of our organization, and they help us pack 100,000 boxes monthly which are then distributed throughout Arizona. We are thankful to have Kinetic Advantage as one of our community partners and appreciate all the support provided to our food bank,” says Jennifer Gonzalez, Volunteer Services Manager for St. Mary’s Food Bank.

Later in July, Kinetic volunteers joined the AutoNation Orlando auction to assemble grocery bags from 20,000 pounds of food that were distributed that same day to clients of The Sharing Center.

Kinetic Advantage also spent a day working with Carolina Auto Auction distributing food pantry bags at Anderson Interfaith Ministries in South Carolina.

To wrap up the summer, Kinetic teamed up with Metro Auto Auction Dallas to support the Genesis Benefit Thrift Store, which funds Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support.

Through these community collaborations, Kinetic Advantage and its auction partners made a difference by fighting hunger, supporting women in crisis, and bringing resources to local nonprofits. Kinetic Advantage plans to continue teaming up with auctions nationwide to create positive change in communities across the country.

Media Contact

Stefani Stout, Kinetic Advantage, 1 317-741-1334, [email protected], https://www.kineticadvantage.com/

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SOURCE Kinetic Advantage

Society: Social Services

BluSky Partners with Housing Industry Foundation To Revitalize Youth Transitional Housing

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This revitalization overhauled the aging space by reimagining CHC’s Santa Clara campus with new flooring, completely remodeled bathrooms, brand new amenities, an up-to-date career center, workstations for the youth, four refurbished bedrooms, seven additional beds, an outdoor seating area, new HVAC systems, and more. A ribbon cutting ceremony, spotlighting the revitalization’s impact, occurred at the completion of the project, where local business leaders and community partners toured the facility refurbishments and heard from representatives within the organization and its partners.

BluSky worked alongside many industry partners to complete this project, including: Equity Residential, Sherwin Williams, Benchmark Environmental Engineering, VCS Inc Construction Company, Advanced Home Energy, HD Supply, Moen, Urban Surfaces, American Asphalt, and the Interior Logic Group.

“BluSky and Equity Residential have been essential to the impact of the Housing Industry Foundation’s programs. Their expertise and commitment to our mission is at the essence of how HIF partners with, and leverages, the Multifamily Housing Industry to help vitally important community agencies like Covenant House. Because of leaders like Ryan Rusler at BluSky and Mark Tremain at Equity Residential and the great team at Covenant House, more homeless young adults will have safe, stable and supportive housing,” stated Steve Sullivan, Executive Director, HIF.

“This revitalization project was a dream that became reality with the generosity of HIF, BluSky and Equity Residential,” commented Shelby Booker, Covenant House California (CHC). “Before this project, we were running at a much lower capacity due to the repairs that needed to happen that we couldn’t afford. Thanks to this project, we can safely house 30 young people every night in updated bedrooms that are dignifying and beautiful – exactly what they deserve!”

“This project was a true testament of what the Housing Industry Foundation can do when they bring two great companies together and those companies can leverage the resources they have to help rebuild much needed housing for young adults,” remarked Mark Tremain, Equity Residential.

“BluSky was honored to be a part of this project – we are a continuous supporter of the Housing Industry Foundation, and we believe it is our duty to serve the community in which we conduct our business,” said Ryan Rusler, Vice President, BluSky San Jose.

About The Housing Industry Foundation: The Housing Industry Foundation’s (HIF) mission is to help individuals and families remain in or return to stable housing through our Homeless Prevention Programs, including emergency assistance grants, shelter renovations, and affordable housing initiatives. Through extensive relationships with service agencies, nonprofits, and other community based organizations, HIF is able to evaluate and qualify recipients for emergency housing grants, identify priority renovations needs for shelters, and assist teachers, nonprofit, and other public sector workers in securing affordable housing.

About Covenant House California: Covenant House California (CHC) is a nonprofit youth shelter with locations in Anaheim, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Santa Clara that provides sanctuary and support for youth overcoming homelessness and trafficking, ages 18-24. CHC believes that no young person deserves to be homeless; that every young person in California deserves shelter, food, clothing, education, and most importantly, to be loved. Now serving almost 2,500 youth a year, CHC provides a full continuum of services to meet the physical, emotional, educational, vocational, and spiritual well-being of young people, in order to provide them with the best chance for success in independence.

About BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC

Denver, Colorado-based BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC is a full-service national restoration, renovation, environmental and roofing provider for properties damaged by water, fire, storms and other disasters across the nation. For more information about BluSky Restoration Contractors, please visit GoBluSky.com or call (800) 266-5677.

Media Contact

Candace Johnson, BluSky Restoration Contractors, 1 8009568844, [email protected], www.goblusky.com 

SOURCE BluSky Restoration Contractors