Step Up For Students applauds significant contributions to improve student lives
Florida insurance companies are providing a record level of support for the Florida Insurance Industry Scholarship Program, which makes it possible for low-income families across the state to send their children to schools best suited to meet their needs. To date in 2017, Florida insurance companies have committed $61.2 million to fund 9,380 scholarships – the highest level of support ever.
Step Up For Students, the nonprofit organization powering the Florida Insurance Industry Scholarship Program, which helps manage the needs-based Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, praised insurance companies’ significant support for the program. Step Up For Students provides genuine opportunity for struggling students across Florida, and recently enrolled the program’s 100,000th student and expects to serve 102,000 students this year.
“We are grateful for the invaluable support of the Florida insurance industry, especially major contributors like Tower Hill Insurance Group and UnitedHealthcare,” said Doug Tuthill, president of Step Up For Students. “These generous organizations are true leaders for supporting innovative education initiatives in Florida, and we hope other companies and industries follow in their footsteps by providing students with a better opportunity to succeed.”
Since 2009, Tower Hill and UnitedHealthcare have contributed more than $86 million to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, funding more than 19,000 scholarships, and this year alone their contributions totaled a combined $12.3 million.
Peter Corrigan, president of Florida Family Insurance Company and chairman of the Florida Insurance Industry Scholarship Program, which launched in February to coordinate and promote the insurance industry participation in the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, said Florida’s insurance industry is on track to double its contributions to the program this year.
“We’re extremely proud of Florida’s insurance industry for providing such an unprecedented level of support for this tremendously worthwhile program,” said Corrigan. “We are on track to double our level of support this year, and I strongly urge insurance companies that aren’t currently participating to join us as a way to give back to our great state.”
Representatives from Tower Hill Insurance Group and UnitedHealthcare participated in a media conference call to explain their support for the program.
“Our company understands the importance of giving customers options so they can make the best choices to meet their needs,” said Don Matz, president of Tower Hill Insurance Group. “In the same way, these scholarships provide students with a choice so they can find an approach to learning that works best for them. We’re proud to support this program and Florida’s families.”
Added Nicholas Zaffiris, CEO of UnitedHealthcare: “Our commitment is to quality care for our members. At Step Up For Students, that same level of commitment produces quality care for kids. That’s why we’re so proud to support this wonderful program, which helps children right now to give them a better chance in the future.”
