Cavignac & Associates Employees Donate $17,000 to Local San Diego Charities

SAN DIEGO - Dec. 16, 2016 - PRLog -- The Christmas holiday season just became a whole lot merrier for 14 San Diego nonprofit organizations that were recipients of $17,000 worth of donations made by all 45 employees of Cavignac & Associates, a downtown San Diego-based risk management and insurance brokerage firm.

         The donations were distributed from Cavignac & Associates' Employee Charity Fund, a program established 17 years ago to enable individual employees to support and uphold the company's mission to be an "effective corporate citizen" by donating both time and money to nonprofit organizations that most deserve support.  Employees are given the option to participate by having specific amounts deducted from their paychecks throughout the year.  As in past years, 100 percent of the employees pitched in.

         The Cavignac & Associates Employee Charity Fund is governed by a committee comprised of a chairperson, secretary and interested employees. The committee meets monthly to review the bank balance, specific organizations under consideration, and requests by new ones. The underlying principles of the committee are to support under-funded, tax-deductible 501(c)3 organizations that help the under-served population of San Diego, including seniors, children and teenagers, the homeless, veterans and military families.

         "There are a vast number of very deserving, local, nonprofit organizations these days, so the committee members put a lot of thought and care into reviewing them and selecting those they feel are doing the most good," said Cavignac & Associates Senior Account Manager Celia Mondfrans, who chaired the Employee Charity Fund committee.  "The program goes a long way to open up employees' eyes to the wide spectrum of socio-economic classes that comprise our community, and stoke a desire in them to help those who are less fortunate."

         Charitable giving is intrinsic to Cavignac & Associates' corporate culture.  The $17,000 worth of donations from the employees is in addition to the agency's corporate charitable contributions as well as the individual donations of each of the six principals.

         The organizations that Cavignac & Associates employees support are mostly those with which the company's principals or employees have personal involvement. This year, Cavignac & Associates employees directed monetary contributions of between $1,000 and $2,000 to:

         In addition to making monetary donations to 14 charities, the Cavignac & Associates employees donated their time and energy to a number of organizations.  As in previous years, they participated in the SAY San Diego "Adopt A Family" program by sponsoring two families -- one a family of five and the other a family of three -- by shopping and fulfilling their Christmas gift wish lists.  Recently they gave up their lunch hour to wrap the gifts and later delivered them to SAY San Diego for presentation to the families in need.

         Cavignac & Associates also adopted the first grade class at Monarch School, purchasing gifts for the children, gift cards for the parents and snacks for the class' holiday celebration.  One Cavignac & Associates employee even dressed up as Santa while delivering the presents.

         Additionally, Cavignac & Associates employees participated this past October in the Challenged Athletes Foundation 2016 Surf Clinic / Triathlon, donating their time to work alongside children with physical disabilities and help them experience the joys of surfing and playing in the ocean.

         Each month, four or five Cavignac & Associates employees volunteer their time to serve lunch to seniors at the downtown Senior Community Center.  The Charity Fund Committee also supported the Senior Community Center's Hidden Hungry campaign, and provided funds for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.

         Cavignac & Associates employees also held a donation drive to benefit theAlpha Project, to which the company also made a $10,000 corporate donation.

         With Mondfrans serving as chairperson of Cavignac & Associates' Employee Charity Committee, Susan McFarland served as secretary and Darcee Nichols served as treasurer.  Other committee participants included Bonne Mongold, Bethany Mongold, Jolinda Kramer, Joyce Hsaio, Kelly Potter, Ariana Benavente, Carolyn Konecki, Christopher Malicki, Cristina Lopez, Dan Smith, Erin Greene and Heather Stone.

         "Community philanthropy is an important part of our work culture here," said Mondfrans.  "It's deeply rewarding for the employees to have the means to mirror the company's values and support the causes closest to our hearts.  It makes the spirit of the holidays a lot more meaningful, both to us and those we're able to help."

About Cavignac & Associates:

         Founded in 1992, Cavignac & Associates is a leading risk management and commercial insurance brokerage firm providing a broad range of insurance and expertise to design and construction firms, as well as to law firms, real estate-related entities, manufacturing companies and the general business community. Company principals are Jeffrey W. Cavignac, CPCU, ARM, RPLU, CRIS, MLIS; James P. Schabarum II, CPCU, AFSB; Scott A. Bedingfield, AAI, CIC, CRIS; Patrick Casinelli, RHU, REBC, CHRS; Matthew Slakoff, CIC, CRIS; and Matthew Noonan, RHU, CIC, CHRS, CCWS. The firm employs a staff of 45 at offices located at 450 B Street, Suite 1800, San Diego, Calif., 92101.  More information about the company can be found on the Web atwww.cavignac.com.