Philly Phil-anthropy

Oct. 17, 2008 - Hundreds of pencils and dozens of notebooks filled the break area of the Philadelphia claims office in late August. Twenty-five branch Employees gave up their break and lunch times to stuff over 300 backpacks full of supplies for local Chester, Pa., children.

The supplies were donated to Just Friends, a local community service organization formed by six Chester-area retirees. The group aims to reach out to young people in the community and holds an annual back-to-school picnic to deliver school supplies to needy children.

“We want to encourage these kids to stay in school and show them that there are people who care about them,” said Earl Foster, a member of the Just Friends group. The city of Chester, located right outside Philadelphia, has fallen victim to poverty and violence in recent years.

With no place to house the truckload of donated supplies, Philadelphia Claims Manager Coakley Lewis suggested the Philadelphia office and offered up a team of ERIE volunteers to assemble the backpacks. “We wanted to do something to show the community we are interested in them and we do care,” said Lewis. “We take for granted purchasing a pen or a piece of paper, but it’s a big deal for people who can’t.”

Employees broke down the donated goods and divided them by grade level. They donated their time and spent several days stuffing the packs with everything from Wite-Out to glue.

The filled backpacks were delivered to students from kindergarten through 12th grade at a community barbeque hosted by the Just Friends organization on Aug. 30. Nearly 500 people turned out for the free event held at Chester Park.

“Erie Insurance was a great help to us,” said Foster. “There were a lot of thank yous from the kids and they really did appreciate it. We try to do what we can and connect with these kids in a positive manner to keep them out of trouble and off the streets.”

“For me, personally,” said Lewis, “I feel we must step up and give back. There is no choice. We are charged with helping those who need it, and everyone who volunteered felt very good about making a personal sacrifice to help others. We plan on making this an annual event.”

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