[February 26, 2013]

Arbella Celebrates 2012 Corporate Giving Initiatives

The Arbella Insurance Foundation ("Arbella Foundation") is proud to announce the donation of $2.13 million as well as the Arbella Insurance Group's ("Arbella") 1,068 employee volunteer hours in 2012 to not-for-profit organizations throughout New England.

Once again, Arbella employees turned out in force to support their local communities through volunteering, organizing and contributing to a variety of causes close to their hearts. "Our employees truly understand and embrace the meaning of community," said John Donohue, chairman, president and CEO of the Arbella Insurance Group and chairman and president of Arbella's Foundation. "Whether they're walking to raise money for cancer research, donating winter coats to kids in need or serving lunch at a local homeless shelter, Arbella employees consistently give of themselves to make their communities better places. We're so proud that our Foundation can augment their support with meaningful donations. Giving back is part of who we are as a company."

Highlights of Arbella and its Foundation's 2012 charitable giving initiatives include the following:

• Homelessness and Hunger: For the fifth year in a row, Arbella's Foundation proudly served as a major corporate sponsor for Project Bread's annual Walk for Hunger. A record 492 "Team Arbella" walkers turned out for the annual hunger relief and prevention walk, raising $64,000. Arbella's Foundation donated $50,000, for a total Walk for Hunger contribution of $114,000. For the fifth year, the Foundation was the presenting sponsor of Interfaith Social Services' Feed the Hungry gala. Arbella's employees also volunteered at Interfaith's food pantry and conducted food drives to help fill its shelves. The Foundation provided more than $35,000 in support of Father Bill's & Mainspring (FBMS). Arbella employees also volunteered their time serving lunch monthly at FBMS residences in Quincy and Brockton.
• Veterans Causes: The Arbella Foundation has supported the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans for five years as the gold sponsor of the Leave No One Behind event. Arbella also participated in the Shelter's "Adopt a Vet" holiday program, fulfilling the wishes of three veterans by donating clothing, gift cards and books. For the first time, Arbella's Foundation provided financial support and Arbella employees volunteered for Back on My Feet - a nonprofit organization that uses running to help those experiencing homelessness change the way they see themselves so they can make real change in their lives that results in employment and independent living. In addition, in 2012, Arbella's Foundation supported several other organizations dedicated to assisting veterans, including Father Bill's and MainSprings' housing for veterans at the Brockton residences as well as Cell Phones for Soldiers and Carepacks of Weymouth, which is dedicated to sending care packages to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Youth and Families: Arbella's Foundation proudly supported several organizations committed to supporting local children and their families, including the Boys and Girls' Clubs, YMCA, Catholic Charities, Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), the Big Sister Association and the SMILES mentoring program, which places volunteer mentors in the lives of at-risk children. Numerous Arbella employees continued to donate time and money to Cradles to Crayons, which provides clothes, shoes, books, toys and school supplies to low-income or homeless children in Massachusetts; employees also organized several donation drives and the Foundation offered financial support.
• Cultural and Educational Causes: Arbella's Foundation continued its support of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, including the Holiday Pops Family Matinee, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Harbor Island Alliance and the Quincy Public Schools. The Foundation also provided grant money for local schools to provide transportation for field trips to the Commonwealth Museum, which offers high tech exhibits that bring history to life. In addition, the Foundation served as presenting sponsor of art exhibits "Norman Rockwell - Beyond the Easel" at the Heritage Museum and Gardens and "Duende: The Art of Anthony Quinn" at the Narrows Center for the Arts.
• Partnership with Arbella's Independent Agents: This past year, as part of the Arbella Foundation's "Let's Drive out Hunger" initiative, which partners with local food pantries to help alleviate hunger in New England, Arbella's independent agents helped raise nearly $62,000 to support soup kitchens, food banks and pantries throughout New England. In 2012, the Foundation once again maximized its contribution to the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon by offering an agent matching gift program in which the Foundation matched donations on a two-to-one basis, up to $500 per agency. 38 of the Arbella Insurance Group's agents participated this past year, raising nearly $24,000 for the cause. Arbella Foundation also continued attacking the problem of multitasking at the wheel by funding the groundbreaking Distractology 101 tour, an educational program for new drivers developed in partnership with UMass and Arbella Foundation-funded research at UMass. Many Arbella agents volunteered to be hosts for the Distractology trainings. More than 4,000 new drivers have completed the program to date. Additionally, through its matching gift program, Arbella's Foundation, along with Arbella's independent agents, provided more than $260,000 to support causes identified by Arbella's agents in their communities.
• Supporting Arbella Employees in Charitable Giving: Arbella employees continued to take advantage of the Foundation's matching gift programs, taking part in more than 50 charity events and raising more than $65,000 for various causes. Arbella also provided regular opportunities for employees to become involved in their community through workday volunteer events and donation drives. Additionally, the Foundation's Employee Giving Program provided all Arbella employees with the opportunity to personally present a check in the amount of $1,000 to their favorite charity - 5 winners of $1,000 each were drawn randomly twice this past year. Arbella and its employees continued to support cancer research and treatment, most notably with the company-wide Pink Day, an annual fundraising event designed to raise breast cancer awareness. During Pink Day, many employees show their support by wearing pink to work, donating money to dress casually, contributing to departmental gift baskets and participating in the donated basket raffle. As a result of Pink Day efforts in 2012, Arbella employees and the Foundation donated $30,000 directly to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
• Bearingstar Insurance Charitable Fund: A member of the Arbella Insurance Group, Bearingstar Insurance formed its Charitable Fund to support local causes. A fund of the Arbella Foundation, the Bearingstar Insurance Charitable Fund distributed $55,000 in 2012 to more than 70 Connecticut charities, including Bridgeport Rescue Mission, Brookfield Education Foundation, Danbury Youth Services and the Torrington Volunteer Fire Department. Bearingstar employees also conducted a donation drive to benefit four local food pantries - with the Foundation's matching support, more than $5,000 was donated.

Established in 1988, the Arbella Insurance Group (www.arbella.com) is a company with more than $600M in revenue with approximately $1B in assets, headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts. Arbella is a customer-focused regional property and casualty insurance company, providing personal and business insurance in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and business insurance in Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Arbella Insurance Group founded the Arbella Insurance Foundation in 2004. The mission of Arbella's Foundation is to engage in activities and to support not-for-profit organizations that have a significant positive impact on the people and communities served by Arbella.

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