Company to Donate Minimum of $50,000 to Support Sponsored Athletes’ Charities
Farmington Hills, Mich. (February 12, 2019) – Burns & Wilcox, North America’s leading wholesale insurance broker and underwriting manager, today announced the launch of its signature philanthropic initiative called Champions & Charities with brand ambassadors Webb Simpson and Jimmy Walker.
Through the program and in partnership with the Burns & Wilcox brand ambassadors, the company will give a minimum of $50,000 to the PGA golfers’ charities of choice. The charities to receive the donations are Team Fox, the grassroots fundraising community of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and Global Lyme Alliance (GLA).
“We always look for ways to deepen our important relationships. Launching a new philanthropic initiative with our brand ambassadors was a great way to extend our partnerships with Simpson and Walker,” said Alan Jay Kaufman, Chairman, President and CEO, H.W. Kaufman Group, parent company of Burns & Wilcox. “Our brand ambassadors share the core values of integrity, hard work, competitiveness and professionalism with our brand and culture, which aligns with our shared passion for giving back to our communities.”
A minimum of $25,000 will be donated to each organization, with the opportunity for additional funds to be raised based on the PGA golfers’ performance throughout 2019. For every eagle by each player, Burns & Wilcox will donate $1,500 toward the charities. More information can be found at https://www.burnsandwilcox.com/team-burns-wilcox-champions-and-charities.
Team Fox was chosen by Simpson to support its work with Parkinson’s disease research as well as its dedication to help improve therapies for those currently living with Parkinson’s.
“Team Fox is a very important cause to me because of my late fathers’ struggle with Parkinson’s disease,” said Simpson. “I am grateful that Burns & Wilcox supports this organization in its fight against a disease affecting millions of lives every year.”
GLA, an organization dedicated to fighting Lyme disease worldwide through research, education and awareness initiatives and connects patients to qualified Lyme disease specialists, was selected in support of Walker who battles with the disease.
“Global Lyme Alliance means a great deal to me and my family as my wife, who sits on the board of directors, and I were both recently diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2017,” said Walker. “I am humbled by the generosity of Burns & Wilcox to expand our work together this way and to help bring more awareness to Lyme disease, which impacts more than 427,000 people across the U.S. each year.”
The sponsorship with Walker began in 2016 and expanded to include Simpson in 2017. Walker wears the Burns & Wilcox logo on the right side of his golf shirt and Simpson showcases the logo on the left side of his golf shirt. The company logo is also featured on their respective caddies.
In addition to the $50,000 donation to the PGA brand ambassadors’ charities of choice, Burns & Wilcox will be extending its resources to other various organizations through the Champions & Charities initiative over the course of this year.
The third Burns & Wilcox brand ambassador includes Justin Abdelkader, alternate captain of the Detroit Red Wings. This past October Burns & Wilcox and Abdelkader joined together to give a $25,000 donation to Forgotten Harvest, a Detroit-area nonprofit that works to provide fresh and nutritious food to those in need. In addition to their relationship with Abdelkader, Burns & Wilcox has an official partnership with the Detroit Red Wings and the company’s logo is visible at center ice of Little Caesars Arena.
To learn more about Team Burns & Wilcox, visit http://www.burnsandwilcox.com/golfteam.
About Burns & Wilcox
Burns & Wilcox is the insurance industry’s leading wholesale insurance broker and underwriting manager internationally recognized for its expertise in commercial and professional liability, property, environmental, marine and personal insurance.
Burns & Wilcox is a member of H.W. Kaufman Group, which has over 60 offices across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom and employs more than 2,000 professionals. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Metro Detroit, H.W. Kaufman Group also includes: Burns & Wilcox Brokerage, Burns & Wilcox Canada, Burns & Wilcox Re, Atain Insurance Companies, Afirm, Global Excess Partners, R.B. Jones, Stonemark, Minuteman Adjusters, and London-based, Chesterfield Insurance Brokers, Lochain Patrick, and Cranbrook Underwriting. More information can be found at www.burnsandwilcox.com.
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