Company: Infinity Auto Insurance, Birmingham, AL
Entry Submitted By: The Conroy Martinez Group
Company Description: Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation (NASDAQ—IPCC) is a national provider of personal automobile insurance. Infinity Insurance is part of the Infinity Property and Casualty group of companies. Infinity received an A “Excellent” Financial Strength Rating from A.M. Best. For more information about Infinity, please visit InfinityAuto.com.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year - Up to 2,500 Employees

Nomination Title: Read Conmigo: A Bilingual Literacy Campaign Sponsored by Infinity Auto Insurance

Tell the story about what this nominated organization achieved since January 1 2013 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

About Read Conmigo:

Infinity Auto Insurance found that many Latino immigrant parents and grandparents may be hesitant to read aloud to their children at home, as they can only read in Spanish. Studies show, however, that reading at home, regardless of language preference, is just as effective at building good reading habits and fostering a positive learning environment which enables the students to succeed in the classroom. In response, Infinity Auto Insurance launched Read Conmigo, a parent-focused literacy program that encourages Latino parents to read to their children at home through the distribution of free English-Spanish books. Read Conmigo has distributed more than 750,000 free books to classrooms and Hispanic families across the country. Read Conmigo provides teachers and parents with the necessary tools to improve their family’s reading habits at home.Read Conmigo books feature engaging stories in both English and Spanish so that parents and children can read together.

Additionally, the program creates opportunities for up-and-coming Hispanic authors and illustrators. Ongoing manuscript contests, held by Infinity Auto Insurance, award cash and publication opportunities to new writers and illustrators. Along with the Read Conmigo authors and illustrators, Infinity Auto Insurance employees engage their communities by participating in special events at schools and libraries. At these events, Read Conmigo provides tips for families to develop bilingual literacy skills and inspires young readers through interaction with authors and illustrators. Several of these special events have boasted up to 300 Infinity Auto Insurance employees on the ground, giving back to their community.

Resources Spent on Read Conmigo Campaign:

Infinity Auto Insurance has spent more than $1 million on community events and book publishing costs, as well as hundreds of employee volunteer hours for Read Conmigo. The corporation leveraged its internal print production center and even established a small press publishing unit, named Monarca Press. To further its educational outreach, Read Conmigo has hosted 130 community events over the last year throughout several of its target markets around the United States. The campaign has engaged numerous internal resources, from Business Development to Corporate Marketing, as well as external resources, such as professional literary editors.

Benefits of Read Conmigo:

Read Conmigo has collaborated with school boards in Miami and Los Angeles, two of the largest school districts in the country. Through these partnerships, Read Conmigo can reach their core audiences of unaculturated Hispanic parents and grandparents directly. The company has promoted its cause at dozens of Back to School and PTA meetings in both Miami and Los Angeles, distributing hundreds of books at each school and registering hundreds of parents and teachers for the program.

Among Infinity Insurance’s Guiding Principles are the statements, "We believe in creating a better life for our people, customers and agents...; in sharing our blessings...and a spirit of giving and community involvement which helps make a difference in the lives of others." Infinity Auto Insurance is proud of its long history of supporting families and schools, and has developed an understanding of the unique challenges faced by many Hispanic families in the communities it serves. Bolstering the academic success of Hispanic children and families expands the pool of a skilled and educated bilingual workforce.

Upload a collection of supporting files and web addresses to our server to provide more background information to the judges. You may upload any number of attachments and URLs through the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above. (Do NOT list your URLs below.)

Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader of this nominated organization:

James R. Gober was elected Chief Executive Officer and President of Infinity Auto Insurance in November 2002. Mr. Gober was instrumental in the launch of the Read Conmigo initiative in 2011 as part of Infinity Auto Insurance's steadfast commitment to the Hispanic communities it serves.

Mr. Gober has served in various capacities within the organization since 1978, including Director and President of Infinity Insurance Company and subsidiaries, and as Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of each of the companies comprising the NSA Group. Since 1991, Mr. Gober had been the principal operating officer for some or all of the companies within the NSA Group.