7.09.2003 ET

(CSRwire) SEATTLE, WA – Safeco and the YMCA have launched a multi-year, partnership called “Neighborhood Matters!” to cultivate vibrant neighborhoods and support the successful growth and development of youth.

Safeco has made a $1.6 million commitment to work with local YMCAs in the five cities where the company has regional operations – Seattle, Atlanta, Dallas, Indianapolis and Los Angeles. The effort will bring together local Safeco employees, Safeco agents and advisors, YMCA members and other community volunteers – both adults and kids. Teams in each region will begin work this fall to conduct a neighborhood assessment that identifies the great things about their neighborhood and then design community involvement projects that engage additional volunteers to make it even better. The first round of projects will take place in May 2004.

“As a company that’s in business to protect what people value, we have a special interest in promoting strong, safe neighborhoods,” said Mike McGavick, Safeco chairman and CEO. “Through Neighborhood Matters!, we have an opportunity to work with a terrific partner in the YMCA and achieve our shared mission of building strong kids and strong communities.”

The partnership is bolstered by a number of studies, including the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, which showed how levels of social cohesion – people that know each other, watch out for each other, and care for each other – contributed significantly to neighborhood safety and strength.

Neighborhood Matters! also draws upon research by Search Institute, which has identified 40 key factors called “developmental assets” that have a great influence on young people’s lives. In surveying almost two million teens, researchers found that the more of these assets young people have, the more likely they are to act in positive ways and bounce back from difficult situations, and the less likely they are to experiment with risky and dangerous behaviors.

“We know that putting the research into practice can be as simple as adults knowing the names of the kids in their neighborhood and taking an interest in them,” said Neil Nicoll, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Seattle. “We are excited to work with Safeco to mobilize neighbors and enhance their understanding of how they can support the positive growth and development of children and teens – in their families, on their block, wherever they may encounter them.”

Safeco, in business since 1923, is a Seattle-based company that sells insurance and investment products through neighborhood-based independent agents, brokers and financial advisors. Through its Strengthening America’s Neighborhoods giving program, Safeco supports and partners with non-profit organizations that promote neighborliness by bringing people together and enhancing local communities. More information about Safeco can be found at www.safeco.com.

Collectively, YMCAs are the largest not-for-profit community service organization in America. YMCAs are at the heart of community life in neighborhoods across the nation, working to meet the health and social service needs of 18.3 million men, women and children. The YMCA partners with corporations that share its vision of building strong kids, strong families and strong communities. More information about the YMCA can be found at www.ymca.net.

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