The Insurance Library of Boston’s Training Center held its first program at Roxbury’s Project Hope
On Wednesday May 7, 2013, eight women graduated from the first Introduction to Property and Liability Insurance Course held at Roxbury’s Project Hope. This educational course, provided by the Boston Insurance Training Center program of the Insurance Library of Boston, is an outreach program funded by grants from the Arbella Insurance Foundation, and Eastern Insurance with the aim of introducing “…insurance career opportunities to women, minorities and underrepresented individuals by providing quality, professional insurance education.” The one month course, taught by veteran teacher Herbert Fuchs, introduced these eight women to insurance related topics, including, but not limited to, how various jobs in the insurance industry interrelate to the basic principles underlying insurance as well an introduction to property & casualty coverages.
Upon completion of this course, these newly minted graduates are now eligible to further their education under the grant by taking further classes at the Insurance Library of Boston to deepen their knowledge and to obtain employment in the insurance industry. For Project Hope, this Insurance Library course has provided a new and exciting opportunity to help achieve its mission of aiding low-income women with children by providing them with needed access to education, housing and emergency services with the goal of helping these women to better support themselves and their families. Founded in 1981 by the Little Sisters of the Assumption and lead by Executive Director, Sr. Margaret A. Leonard, LSA since 1985, Project Hope has grown from a house serving 8 homeless families to a multi-service center housed in the first LEED-certified building in Roxbury.
Arbella and Eastern Insurance funded the first Insurance Program held at Project Hope
Glenn Cryan, Executive Director of the library, is clear that without the funding from Arbella’s charitable foundation and Eastern Insurance, this pilot program would never have gotten off the ground.
“This Grant allows us introduce insurance career opportunities to underrepresented individuals and provide the foundation of quality, professional insurance education,” explained Glenn Cryan, Director of the Insurance Library of Boston. “We will continue to further develop the program to include additional education and seek agency, broker and company partners to provide internships and career opportunities.”
For Arbella, the Project Hope program perfectly complemented the aim of its charitable foundation as wellas to help introduce new blood into the Massachusetts insurance industry.
“We at Arbella are proud to support the Insurance Library and Project Hope in their efforts to provide women with the training they need to enter a stable and rewarding industry,” said John Donohue, chairman, president and CEO of the Arbella Insurance Group, and chairman and president of the Arbella Insurance Foundation. “Insurance companies today face the challenge of recruiting qualified individuals for their teams. The Boston Insurance Training Center is providing the resources necessary to develop the next generation of insurance professionals and ensure the career success of the women participating in the Project Hope program.”
The graduates
The following are the eight graduates from the Project Hope program. We wish them well and hope this will be only the first stop on their way to a career in the insurance industry. For more information on Project Hope click here.
