This year, more than 2,000 staff members participating in 150+ locations supporting over 100 local charities; Western Communities Foundation’s annual 5km walk is the most successful in its 20-year history
Kitchener
White Rock, BC
High River, Alberta, May 27, 2024 – With care at the core of everything it does at Western Financial Group, this year’s National Walk saw nearly 90% of its team members across Canada donning their Western Communities Foundation t-shirts, getting together with colleagues, partners and community members to walk to raise funds and awareness for local charities.
“Western has a history of taking care of our people, and the people who live and work in the communities we serve,” said Kenny Nicholls, Western Financial Group’s President and CEO. “We’re there to help pick up the pieces when things go wrong, and we want to share in the joy when things go right. We share this philosophy with our team members, who use it as a foundation of service with our customers. It only makes sense for us to extend those values to our wider communities.”
For every team member who participates in the 5km walk, Western Financial Group makes a $50 donation to support the charities that matter to our people. To honour Western’s people-first culture and understand that staff have different scheduling needs, this year’s National Walk was held over a week (May 20-24) rather than one dedicated day. This allowed Canada’s insurance broker to give greater flexibility for more people to participate. Teams walked together from their local branch, remote individuals walked in their own neighbourhoods, or even staff on holiday took the time to put in 5kms in new surroundings. The ultimate goal was to make the walk as easy, accessible and flexible as possible to encourage participation.
“It’s incredible to see the spirit of giving back and the passion our people have for taking care of our communities,” said Michelle Mak, Director, Western Communities Foundation. “Western has held this annual walk since 2005. It’s become a company mainstay; team members are excited to take part and they’re really passionate about the charities we’re supporting.”
Employees from coast to coast took to social media with photos of their walk experiences. From scenic trails to city streets, Western’s team showcased their spirit and dedication. Check out Western’s Facebook and LinkedIn pages for more.
Western Financial Group Inc.
Headquartered in High River, Alberta, Western Financial Group is a diversified insurance services company focused on creating security and peace of mind and has provided over one million Canadians with the proper protection for over 100 years. Western is committed to community service, customer service, innovation, growth, and people while providing personal and business insurance through our engaged team of over 2,000 people in over 200 locations, affiliates, and various connected channels.
Since the very beginning, supporting our local communities has guided everything we do – it’s who we are. In 2001, the Western Financial Group Communities Foundation (our non-profit charity) was created as a way for our team members to give back and positively impact the people and pride in the places where we live, work and play – to date we have invested over $9 million back into our communities.
Western Financial Group is a subsidiary of Trimont Financial Ltd., a subsidiary of The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company. Westernfinancialgroup.ca
Western Financial Group Communities Foundation
Founded in 2001, the Western Financial Group Communities Foundation serves to give back to the communities where Western employees live and work and play, and foster employee pride and engagement. The Foundation’s core donation programs include community Infrastructure Grants, the Western Inspirational Awards for graduating high school students, and the Matching Grants Program. Since its inception, the Western Communities Foundation has given back more than $9 million to support local communities.
