As I perused my favorite insurance sites for some noteworthy post material today, it occurred to me that here at the InsureMe Agent Blog, we haven't posted anything positive, per se, regarding the happenings in the insurance industry. Rather, in the last few days, we've posted about crooked insurance commissioners, deceitful hospitals, placenta-snatching insurers and what's looking to be a nasty hurricane season.

Where is the love, I asked myself as I read about insurance scams on Katrina victims and the recent conviction of Okla. Commissioner, Carroll Fisher.
So, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I set out to find some nice, loving insurance news. And what do you know, I actually found some.

St. Paul Travelers insurance, a Minnesota-based insurance company, and its two private foundations (St. Paul Travelers Foundation & St. Paul Travelers Connecticut Foundation) have contributed more than $15 million through over 400 grants to organizations throughout the community geared toward development, education and the arts and culture. The grants, says Marlene Ibsen, president of the St. Paul Travelers Connecticut Foundation, are a great way to help build stronger communities and economic opportunities for citizens.

Accomplishments during Travelers' fourth quarter (2005) included:

• A $90,000 gift to "The Power of YOU" program in the twin cities, designed to increase enrollment of at-risk youth at three higher learning institutions
• A $40,000 support grant for the Kingsley Commons Project in Minnesota--for the first ever model of affordable housing and services for people with Muscular Sclerosis
• A project support grant of $25,000 through St. Joseph Ballet in California to help provide mentoring and arts education for disadvantaged kids
• A $15,000 grant to support affordable housing in low-income areas of downtown San Francisco, by way of The Chinatown Community Development Center
• A $20,000 grant to the Capital Region Education Council to help a Hartford, Conn. high school assist students with college applications and financial aid

[Check out the full list of Travelers grants and awards here.]

Source: Insurance Journal