Zurich Celebrates its U.S. Centennial, Supports Focus Charities with Furniture Collection Sale

More than 30 pieces sold at auction benefit six different charities
Oct 11, 2012 1:50 PM ET
Campaign: A Time for Giving
This camelback upholstered sofa is one of 33 piece Zurich auctioned off to support its core charities

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., October 11, 2012 /3BL Media/ – To celebrate 100 years of insuring America, Zurich, a leading provider of property and casualty insurance in North America and globally, recently auctioned off 33 pieces of furniture from WWI through Depression era that was sitting in storage, including desks, hutches, tables, chairs and paintings raising $8,900 for charity.

All funds raised through the auction will be donated evenly among Zurich’s six focus charities: American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, Make a Wish Foundation®, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and United Way. On Oct. 11, a ceremony will be held to honor the employee volunteers who helped raise more than $700,000 during the company’s month long “A Time for Giving” program. The money was raised via cash donations given during special events, employee payroll contributions and Zurich’s donation matching program.

“Discovering and cataloging this collection of classic furniture, accumulated throughout Zurich’s rich 100-year history, gave us an opportunity to celebrate our past as well as support our communities,” said Hannah Warmanen, project manager for Zurich’s U.S. Centennial Program. “We’re proud to see these items come out of storage and be put to good use.”

As the company prepared for the auction, Zurich uncovered the desk President Franklin D. Roosevelt sat behind while he worked as the New York City office manager of Fidelity & Deposit Company of Maryland, now a Zurich-owned company. In order to preserve the FDR presidential legacy, the company donated the desk to the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York.

For more information about Zurich’s 100-year anniversary insuring America, visit www.Zurichna.com/100.

About Zurich
Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) is a leading multi-line insurance provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East as well as other markets. It offers a wide range of general insurance and life insurance products and services for individuals, small businesses, mid-sized and large companies as well as multinational corporations. Zurich employs about 60,000 people serving customers in more than 170 countries. The Group, formerly known as Zurich Financial Services Group, is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, where it was founded in 1872. The holding company, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (ZURN), is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and has a level I American Depositary Receipt program which is traded over-the-counter on OTCQX. Further information about Zurich is available at www.zurich.com.

In North America, Zurich is a leading commercial property-casualty insurance provider serving the global corporate, large corporate, middle market, specialties and programs sectors. Life insurance offered in the United States is issued by Zurich American Life Insurance Company, an Illinois domestic life insurance company. For more information about the products and services it offers and people Zurich employs around the world, go to http://www.zurichna.com/zna/aboutzurich/zna-home.htm. 2012 marks Zurich's 100 year anniversary of insuring America and the success of its customers, shareholders and employees. Further information about Zurich's 100 year anniversary of insuring America is available at http://www.zurichna.com/100.
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Media contact:

Jennifer Nowacki
Zurich, North America
(847) 605-6511
jennifer.nowacki@zurichna.com