Burnham Benefits Helps Raise Nearly $50,000 for Insuring the Children

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - Jul 11, 2011) - Burnham Benefits Insurance Services, one of the largest employee benefits brokerages in Southern California and one of the few to specialize solely in strategic employee benefits consulting and brokerage services, joined insurance professionals from across Orange County to raise over $50,000 for Insuring the Children, a Southern California program of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation dedicated to raising awareness of child abuse and neglect.

The Insuring the Children program is a partnership of individuals and companies in the life, health, title and property/casualty insurance industries and those associated with the industries. The group's efforts support prevention programs, emergency care and other assistance to children in the local community. Its short-term goal is to significantly reduce the number of reported child abuse cases, with a long-term goal of eliminating child abuse and neglect.

Kristen Allison, President of Burnham Benefits, and Frank Robitaille, President of Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle, will join Melissa Duncan, Director of Development of the IICF in presenting a $25,000 check to Cal State Fullerton's Centers for Insurance Studies and a $25,000 check to the Orangewood Children's Foundation at their corporate offices in Santa Ana on July 20 at 2 p.m. on behalf of Insuring the Children.

"We're particularly proud of our involvement with Insuring the Children, because it's a priority for us to make a positive impact in our community -- especially when it comes to making life better for children," says Allison. "This is a great opportunity to band together with our peers and use our resources to make a real difference."

Burnham Benefits is no stranger to philanthropy. Allison's commitment to charitable works is one that penetrates the company culture. She is the Chairperson for Insuring the Children, and works with The Woman's Philanthropy Fund and Mustard Seed Ranch to give back to her community. The company matches employee donations to charities up to $500 to encourage the entire staff to take an active role in making Orange County better. When a staff member lost a young child to leukemia, Burnham Benefits rallied around the family and organized a Disneyland walking event to raise money for Children's Hospital of Orange County in their name. The company's visionary leader says that putting the community first even helps her attract employees who work well as a team and infuse everything they do with compassion.

For more than 50 years, clients have relied on Burnham Benefits to provide tailored employee benefits programs. The firm prides itself on retaining the flexibility, creativity and consultative service of a boutique firm, coupled with the industry knowledge and resources of a much larger company. Its integrated approach to managing the full spectrum of employee benefits has led to 20-percent annual growth for the past 10 years and $300 million in premiums under its management.

ABOUT THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION AND THE INSURING THE CHILDREN PROGRAM:
The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation was established in 1994 and is completely directed and funded by the insurance industry. The Foundation seeks to help communities and enrich lives by uniting the collective strengths of the industry to provide grants, volunteer service and leadership. To date, the Industry Foundation has contributed over $17 million and 140,000 volunteer hours to hundreds of community nonprofits.

Founded in 1994, the Insuring the Children program is dedicated to raising awareness of child abuse and neglect in the Southern California region. Efforts support prevention programs, emergency care and other assistance to all children in the local community. Since its inception, Insuring the Children has contributed over $1 million to the nonprofit community of Southern California.

To learn more about either the Insuring the Children Program or the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation visit www.iicf.org or contact Mary Reynolds, Director of Programs, 925-280-8009; mreynolds@iicf.com.

ABOUT BURNHAM BENEFITS INSURANCE SERVICES: Based in Irvine, Calif., Burnham Benefits Insurance Services, Inc., is one of the largest employee benefits brokerages in Southern California and one of the few to specialize solely in employee benefits. Kristen Allison, President of Burnham Benefits and a 30-year industry veteran, acquired the firm in 1995 from John Burnham Insurance Services, an Orange County mainstay for more than 50 years. Boasting the in-depth industry knowledge and Fortune 500 resources of a large firm, Burnham Benefits prides itself on retaining the flexibility, creativity and consultative service of a boutique. After steady growth of 20 percent annually for the past 10 years, the company serves more than 280 corporate clients throughout the United States and manages more than $300 million in premiums. Working with its colleagues at Burnham Gibson Financial Services, and having the added expertise of in-house underwriters, compliance officers, and communications specialists, Burnham Benefits provides an integrated approach to managing a client's full spectrum of employee benefits. The company has three offices in California: Irvine, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara; as well as offices in Oregon and the Washington D.C. metro area. For more information, visit www.BurnhamBenefits.com.