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How do you bring together a group of busy attorneys and business services colleagues - passionate about supporting children and families in their local communities - plus - get fit, and spend time with colleagues?
Bring forward the iconic Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s (IICF) annual ‘Step-Up Challenge’ uniting over 200 colleagues, forming 23 teams across 12 U.S. offices, for collective action through our global Thrive Together volunteer programme.
About the IICF
The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) is a non-profit funded by the insurance sector. Companies across the insurance industry support the charity through sponsored board memberships, event sponsorships and fundraising. The money raised funds grants for projects in education, food security, disaster relief and social mobility.
Kennedys has been a member of the IICF UK since 2022, joining as an Affiliate Board member and joining the full Board in the US in 2023.
Stepping out in support of local communities
Each year, IICF US runs the Step Up Challenge, a global activity that raises funds for local charities and community groups across the US to ensure children have access to enough food. Our challenge goals were to:
- Link the challenge with our internal wellbeing campaign
- Make it easy for colleagues across our US offices to take part, wherever they’re based
- Show how small actions can lead to real impact.
Getting things started
In early April, we joined forces with our office managers and promoted the challenge across all our US offices.
Here’s what we did:
- All 12 US offices signed up, making it a firmwide effort
- We partnered with the @WomenatKennedys to co-promote the challenge
- Participants could take part solo or as a team
- Any kind of movement counted, including walking, swimming, yoga, cycling, household chores, visiting the store
- A specially designed app helped us to track activity and showed real-time leaderboards
Here are the magic numbers:
- Globally, 1000s of participants took part across 19 countries
- Kennedys raised over $11,000 in support of children and families across the US facing food insecurity
- 206 U.S. colleagues logged an incredible 30,847,480 steps!
- A special congratulations to our winning team, the New York Red Hot Chili Steppers, who led the way with an impressive 3,237,679 steps and a team average of 402,534 steps!
This is a powerful reflection of our shared commitment to wellness, social connection, camaraderie and community support. Thank you for stepping up – literally – and showing what is possible when we Thrive Together! Kennedys’ contribution to the IICF for this challenge is going to help food insecure children across the U.S.
"With 23 teams registered, Kennedys raised approximately $11,000 – an amazing show of support. Based on our estimates, that contribution will help provide approximately 44,000 meals to children and families facing food insecurity. The funds raised through the Step Up Challenge support IICF’s Children’s Relief Fund, which helps provide meals and resources to underserved children and families through nonprofit partners in communities where our industry lives and works." Rachel Boulton, Associate Director, Northeast Division
"Kennedys support the IICF in so many ways – through board leadership, employee engagement, volunteering and financial contributions. This partnership truly reflects your values: approachable, straightforward, distinctive and supportive. Your involvement has enabled us to unlock additional grant funding and deliver more projects across the communities we serve" Betsy Myatt, Executive Director, IICF Northeast Division.
Volunteer spotlight
Justin Perry, Office Manager in Philadelphia coordinated the challenge across the U.S. and played a key role in bringing all 23 office managers on board. He helped streamline sign-up, shared weekly reminders, and kept the tone light and encouraging!
“It started as an initial idea, and can we pull this off with so many people to get together and coordinate - and before long we had every office supporting. It just worked!” Justin Perry, Office Manager, Philadelphia.
Volunteer feedback
"It was helpful for encouraging a more healthy lifestyle. I felt more motivated to work out and move my body because I looked forward to watching my team's numbers grow each day. It was even better knowing that a charity would also benefit from our movement!" Volunteer participant.
"This was such a wonderful opportunity to engage the offices in the U.S. in a meaningful way. I saw so many people take this and run with it (pun intended) and I am thrilled to see so many having fun and for a good cause." Volunteer participant
90% of survey respondents reported that the activity strengthened their relationships with colleagues
90% also indicated it contributed to their personal development
Coming up this October ….
We’ll be taking part in IICF’s Month of Giving 2025 this October - a global volunteering month where insurance professionals around the world give time and support to local non-profits.
Step Up will return in Spring 2026.
About Thrive Together
This initiative forms part of Thrive Together, Kennedys’ global volunteering and pro bono programme. It’s a flexible programme that supports colleagues to support causes they care about and take part in activities that support under-resourced communities.
In this case, we supported families through our charity partner’s wider work – helping to fund approximately 44,000 meals for under-resourced children and families facing food insecurity across the U.S.
Insurance and reinsurance
United States