Financial Services Group Reinvests In Community (NAPS)—The number of Americans working together to improve the quality of life has increased steadily over the past few years. Different organizations and businesses have helped to facilitate this trend by providing ways for organizations to distribute donated funds and volunteer time. Consumers can now support companies that give back to the communities in which they operate. For example, the Independent Order of Foresters (IOF Foresters), oneof the largest international fra- ternal benefit societies, has served as a fraternal benefit group for 125 years. One of the organization’s pri- An international organization works to put smiles on the faces of manyseriouslyill children. vestment in the causes and chil- Brown, Regional Director of the mary goals is the continual rein- dren’s charities that matter most to its members. Operating on a not-for-profit basis, the organization is said to be committed to helping local communities through the invest- ment of funds and volunteer time. Last year alone, Foresters contributed $5.4 million to children’s hospitals and Children’s Miracle Network. In 1999, North American members contributed almost 1.5 million volunteer hours (estimated at a dollar amount of $22,245,000) to their communities. “The Foresters are dedicated to supporting the communities in which they live,” says Melany IOF. “We measure our success by the impact we have on children’s charities and causes in the local communities.” The group supports the community by serving asthetitle sponsor for programs such as the Chil- dren’s Miracle Network Champi- ons Across America Tour and Bowling For Miracles, proceeds of which have resulted in millions of dollars being donated to Children’s Miracle Network. The Foresters have a number of councils throughout the country, where information on addi- tional IOF programs can be obtained. Additionally, interested parties are invited to visit their Website at www.iof.org.
