Helping Herd logo

This round of employee-driven donations focuses on nonprofits in the mental health area.

Richmond, Va. (August 24, 2021) – Elephant Insurance announced today the first recipients of the Helping Herd program, an employee-driven, COVID-relief initiative funded by Elephant’s parent company, Admiral Group. The first round of donations focused on nonprofits that serve the community in the mental health area. Several rounds of donations will follow, with each round focusing on a specific area, including diversity, equity, and inclusion; physical health; and community health.

Elephant team members are involved in the Helping Herd selection process, either by nominating deserving groups by survey or by participating in the voting process to finalize the recipients.

For the first round of Helping Herd donations, NAMI Central Virginia and its local chapters received the most votes and the largest donation amount. The full list of first-round recipients and donations includes:

  • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Virginia Chapter – $2,500
  • Beacon Tree Foundation – $5,000
  • Blue Sky Fund – $3,000
  • James House – $5,000
  • Jeremiah Foundation/Robin’s Hope – $2,500
  • Richmond CASA (a Richmond SCAN program) – $15,000
  • NAMI Central Virginia – $10,000 and NAMI Local Chapters – $2,000 each ($24,000 total)
    • NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore (Maryland)
    • NAMI Jackson County (Illinois)
    • NAMI Lake County (Indiana)
    • NAMI Dekalb (Georgia)
    • NAMI Greater Cleveland (Ohio)
    • NAMI Davidson County (Tennessee)
    • NAMI El Paso (Texas)

“We are happy to offer the donations to nonprofit organizations who have been impacted or are serving those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Alberto Schiavon, Elephant CEO. “Elephant is grateful we can provide extra support to these organizations with the help of our parent company Admiral Group. We are very proud to kick off the Helping Herd program with such a deserving group of nonprofits.”

NAMI Central Virginia Interim Executive Director, April Spencer said she is “elated that the company and staff voted for NAMI Central Virginia.” The NAMI affiliate intends to use the funds to increase technological capacity to meet the need for virtual, in-person, and hybrid support groups across the region. “Funds will also be used to expand recruitment and training of program leaders so NAMI CVA can serve more people than ever before,” reports Spencer.

“We are thrilled to learn of this generous gift from Elephant Insurance,” said Jeanine Harper, Executive Director of Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now). “This support will directly fund SCAN’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) work to promote safe, permanent homes for all children and seek to educate the community about the needs of abused and neglected children. With the ongoing stressors surrounding COVID, this gift comes at a critical time.”

“This generous gift from Elephant Insurance will be used to further our work in the community to save children from the pain and darkness of mental illness,” said Thomas Leahy, founder of Beacon Tree. “Our programs provide quick and easy access to appropriate service providers, give families educational material about mental illness and ensure families whose children need behavioral or mental health treatment have the financial resources necessary to complete that treatment plan.”

Through the Helping Herd, Elephant’s aim is to reach at least 50 organizations or programs with the donations, with gifts ranging in size from $2,000 to $20,000. A large portion of the donations are anticipated to be distributed in Virginia, where Elephant is headquartered, but Helping Herd donations will also go to organizations in other states where Elephant services are offered, including Texas.

The program was made possible by Elephant’s parent company, Admiral Group, who shares in Elephant’s mission of making a positive impact on local communities during challenging times.

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About Elephant Insurance

Elephant Insurance is a customer-centric auto insurance carrier headquartered in Richmond, VA. Elephant provides auto insurance policies to consumers in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Elephant is a wholly owned subsidiary of Admiral Group, plc., an FTSE 100 company and one of the U.K.’s leading insurers with a presence in eight countries and millions of customers worldwide. Elephant is a certified as a Great Place to Work®.

Article last updated on August 7th, 2023 at 3:07 pm