Protective Life Foundation has made a $1 million commitment to support both immediate and longer-term coronavirus (COVID-19) relief efforts.
The contribution, announced in a release last month by Protective Life Corporation, will be directed to community partners across its company footprint, providing relief, support and recovery solutions for those who need it most.
Protective Life is headquartered in Birmingham, where Protective Life Insurance Company was founded in 1907.
Rich Bielen, president and CEO of Protective, stated, “As COVID-19 began to spread in the United States, the Protective Life Foundation immediately started working in our local communities to identify ways we can support those most impacted by this crisis.”
“Serving others is part of our corporate DNA, and now more than ever, we feel a sense of responsibility to help lead in the response to these challenging times,” he added.
The foundation will reportedly work with a range of nonprofit organizations to meet critical needs, including food security, education, childcare for essential workers and economic recovery.
As of April 15, the Protective Life Foundation had already made commitments to the following:
- Birmingham Strong Fund, an emergency loan fund for small businesses in Birmingham, our headquarter city, that is focused on stabilizing employment, stimulating economic vitality and offsetting losses related to COVID-19.
- University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) fund focused specifically on COVID-19 research and treatment development.
- Organizations supporting childcare for essential frontline workers, including YMCA of Greater Birmingham and the Rapid Operating and Relief (ROAR) for Women Fund.
This comes after the foundation in 2019 provided $4.5 million of financial grants to support organizations that impact the company’s communities and create a social safety net, including many whose work will support COVID-19 relief and recovery.
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Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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