Soaring Generosity

By Matt Toyama

The relationship between the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen's Fund and Farmers Insurance began in 2010 through an event with the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. Farmers and the Sparks organized a police/firefighter day. After recruiting members from the LAFD, LA County Fire Dept., LA Sheriff's and LAPD to fill the seats of the Staples Center and to participate in a dribble and shoot contest, Farmers Insurance learned of the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen's Fund.

As the charity's golf tournament drew near, the sagging economy caused a shortage of sponsorships. Luckily, Farmers stepped up at the Major Emergency Sponsor level, contributing more than $7,000. They also added an extraordinary donation of an airship ride in the company "Zeppelin" for the live auction. For those who may not be aware of the Zeppelin experience, the winner of the prize is enjoys an once-in-a-lifetime cruise at 10,000 feet!

When asked about the motivation and circumstances surrounding Farmers' clutch sponsorship last year, Marketing Manager, John Slavinski replied, "When we do something, we don't like to do it little. We don't want to be the little apple somewhere — we want to be the big apple."

The Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is a personal lines property and casualty insurance group providing homeowners insurance, auto insurance, life insurance, and financial services all throughout the United States. It is the third largest insurance group in the U.S., servicing over 10 million households in 41 states. Farmers Group, Inc. is headquartered in Los Angeles, operating under the parent company, Zurich Financial Services based in Zurich, Switzerland.

For more on Farmers Insurance, please call (805) 231-0363 or send an email to john.slavinski@farmersinsurance.com.

(Zeppelin image courtesy of airshipventures.com)