Company looks to fund creative approaches to area challenges
Brookfield – Diversified Insurance Solutions, one of Wisconsin’s largest
full-service insurance brokerage firms, is awarding six $5,000 SPARK grants to area nonprofits
that take a creative and innovative approach to a local problem. Since it was launched in 2013
as part of the company’s 30th
provided a total of $30,000 to six organizations.
This year from February 1 to September 25, tax exempt, nonprofit organizations can
submit a grant request at www.DiversifiedSPARK.com. Over the course of nine months,
$30,000 will be awarded to six nonprofits to positively impact the community and people they
Diversified is looking to fund new or existing programs that use fresh ideas to address
a community need or problem. The company’s giveback program is interested in supporting
specific initiatives, events or actions that can be accomplished with a $5,000 grant or in
conjunction with other funds.
“We launched SPARK two years ago and, once we saw the impact we could have,
we decided to extend it for another year,” says James McCormack, founder and chairman of
Diversified Insurance Solutions. “In the past, our SPARK grants have made nature accessible to
special needs children and their families, provided intense reading assistance to teenage boys
who were significantly behind their grade level and helped launch a safe and loving summer
camp for foster children.”
According to McCormack, each time a SPARK grant was awarded, the nonprofit visited
Diversified so the company’s associates could learn more about the organization and what the
money would accomplish.
“Having the nonprofits tell us firsthand about their programs and who they were helping
was inspirational and moving. You’d look around the room and see people tearing up and
nodding their heads in support,” he explains. “Based on that, we knew we wanted to continue to
engage our associates and build on our culture of community support and involvement.”
This January to kick-off SPARK internally, Diversified hosted a blood drive with its
associates. The blood drive exceeded its participation goal by 15 percent and collected enough
red cell donations to impact the lives of 87 local patients.
Diversified Insurance Solutions is one of Wisconsin’s largest, full-service insurance
brokers, providing employee benefits, risk management and business insurance to area
companies. For more information, visit www.div-ins.com.
