It takes great commitment to do what you do day in day out. We appreciate your efforts, and are proud to be a partner organization. In addition to our commitment to serving your insurance needs, California Casualty also sponsors, attends, and even creates programs that support you, your colleagues, and your families.
FFAM Firefighter Memorial
To celebrate our 25-year partnership with the Fire Fighters Association of Missouri, California Casualty provided a memorial wall sponsorship to the Fire Fighters Memorial Foundation of Missouri.
Field Marketing Manager Katelyn Hoffman and Strategic Account Manager Rebecca Stumpf just recently had a chance to see our etching. They had attended the FFAM Board Meeting the day before, and made a special stop on their way home.
Originally the duo had planned to celebrate our 25 year anniversary at the FFAM Annual Convention, but both the 2020 and 2021 conventions were canceled due to the pandemic
NFFF FDIC Memorial Stair Climb
Our team attended and sponsored the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation FDIC 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in Indianapolis, IN. This year marks 20 years since the September 11th attacks. These stair climbs are put in place to remember and honor those that we have lost, and to help raise funds for the families of other fallen or injured heroes.
2019 Firefighter of the Year
In July, the Los Angeles Firefighters Association and California Casualty honored retired Capt. Rick Godinez as the “2019 Firefighter of the Year” in L.A. after the initial ceremony was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic. Senior Field Marketing Manager, Charlene Rowens, had the privilege of handing Godinez his award on stage. He retired from the LAFD in April of 2020.
Educator $2,500 Jackpot
Shannon, an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher and California Teachers Association member from Palmdale School District, heard about the $2,500 Giveaway on the California Casualty Facebook page. She plans to use a good portion of the funds for her classroom and students, and the remainder to financially help her daughter who will be attending college in the fall.
Shannon has been a teacher for 30 years, attributing the kids as her reason for joining the profession. When asked what advice she would give to anyone interested in joining the field of education, Shannon, stated, “Be patient and flexible. This work requires you to be adaptable and always willing to learn.” She also shared that her CTA membership provides many resources and the support that she needs to do her job.
NJEA Member, Angela M., received the news that she was a winner virtually. Angela is a retired educator who taught Fourth and Fifth Grade for over 25 years in Bergen County, New Jersey. At age 93, and retired from the profession since 1990, Angela says she will most likely donate a part of her $2,500 winnings, but otherwise does not have plans for the money.
Angela recalls that when she was actively teaching, she and her students were a team – they worked together and learned from each other. She said that June and September were her least favorite months during the school year. She hated September because she had to pretend to be a big bad ogre so that the students thought she was tough, but she hated June because he meant she had to say goodbye to all of her friends.
One of our Q2 winners, Autumn Erickson, is a 5th-grade teacher at Mt Vernon School in Springfield, Oregon. Autumn was very surprised to find out she won a $2,500 Educator Jackpot from California Casualty. When asked how she wanted to spend the $2500, she said that she has some home improvement projects waiting, including painting. She also wants to buy raised garden beds for the yard.
Our second Q2 winner has not received the surprise news that they are a winner. Our Field Team is working diligently to schedule that presentation.
Operation Backpack
Throughout the entire month of July, our Kansas City gathered school supplies and donations for Phoenix Family’s Operation Backpack. This initiative gives school supplies to low-income families in the Kansas City community. Our Kansas employees donated a total of 31 backpacks completely stuffed with school supplies, like kleenex, paper, pens, sharpens, glue, etc. to help local students succeed and make them feel confident as they walk through the door on that first day of school.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
Many of our policyholders know that until recently, our company has been led by four generations of the Brown family. But the family ties do not end there. California Casualty has had a number of family members working together at our company over the years. However, not many have had the honor of sharing a 25+ Year Anniversary in marriage and at work.
Meet Lisa and Dave Pearne, a husband and wife duo that have reached this impressive milestone.
Q: How long have you been with the company? Who started first? How did you BOTH join the CalCas family?
A: Lisa – 27 years; Dave – 25 years
It was my (Lisa) first job out of college. I never thought I would be in insurance, but loved what I saw in the company and the group members they served. They were willing to take a chance on me being so new to the workforce – just out of school. I started as a sales rep in Orange, CA in our smaller branch offices. I loved the people I worked with and the company as a whole.
When they (California Casualty) decided to open a service center in Colorado, Dave and I decided to give it a try. It was hard to leave our family but absolutely loved the outdoor life that CO had to offer. Our coworkers and friends quickly became our family here. We were newly married and thought if we didn’t like it, we could just move back to CA. That was in 1996, and we’ve been here ever since.
We love it here and it’s been an amazing place to raise a family.
Dave left his job with Conde Nast Traveler in CA to join me in CO. He was looking for a job here in CO when a Finance position opened up at CalCas, he interviewed and has been with the company ever since.
He is currently in a manager role and has an amazing team here in CO. They are small, but mighty and he feels fortunate to work with such a great team.
We both feel incredibly lucky to be here, and in the roles we are in.
Q: What are your favorite moments/important contributions to the company since you’ve been here?
A: (Lisa) Helping to start the Colorado Service Center for Sales from the ground up is my favorite contribution. My favorite part of my job is helping others aspire to be the best they can be-incredible people. I love our team, who continually look for ways to take care of our group members.
(Both) We are proud to work with a leadership team that has created high integrity, trust, and a true desire to help our group members and protect their greatest assets, being there for them in their greatest time of need.
(Lisa) A favorite moment was when I was a Sales rep 20+ years ago, I was helping a group member close on a new house and get the proper insurance. It’s exciting, but very stressful to purchase a new home. This member had many obstacles come her way, yet we stayed close and worked together to walk her through the process. After she closed on her home, she was so incredibly thoughtful and sent me flowers as a thank you. It was such a special touch I needed and. I have her note at my desk to this day and to remind me of the impact we can have helping our group members.
(Dave) My most memorable contribution is now – while working with an amazing team to transition to Guidewire. There is so much involved, but getting to be part of something that will help propel our company forward is incredibly satisfying. A favorite moment was receiving the Pride in the Code award and getting to be part of solutions to help our group members while helping the company.
Q: How do you manage to separate work life and family life – how do you keep the boundaries separated so you don’t think about work 24/7?
A: Funny, many times we do bring work home, but we can balance each other.
It takes incredible teamwork, as a married couple, to work together when both parents are working and kick in to help with whatever needs to be done. We have different seasons where one of us may be more busy and working longer hours at work, so the other one will pick up more with home life and vice versa.
We’ve always been supportive of each other’s careers while prioritizing family. We also have a lot of family support that has encouraged us in our careers and been instrumental with our kids.
We believe in work hard, play hard. We are passionate about what we do and give 100%, while valuing time away with family. We work for vacations. We have so many wonderful family memories, as the kids get older and schedules are busy, it sometimes takes work to coordinate, but family is so important and time away together is critical – it makes us better at what we do at work.
We all need time away to re-energize to be our best. California Casualty has always done an amazing job with encouraging work/life balance and we are very grateful!
Q: What makes “working together” (we know you have very different roles, but you still see each other in the hallways) easy, and what makes it challenging?
A: It’s great when we are working similar hours and can carpool.
Once here at work, we don’t see each other much as on different floors and busy with our own areas. We love if we can sneak in a lunch together, but doesn’t happen very often. It’s usually a quick conversation about what child has what and where they are.
It is great when there is an issue that has overlap in our areas, we can ask each other for further clarification to really understand the other side of things, to be able to make a more efficient decision.
Q: And finally…what do you love about the organization and having your family proudly represent it?
We love California Casualty and are grateful for all the opportunities they have provided us and our family. Our kids have grown up with CalCas and we have lifelong friends because of CalCas.
We love what Cal Cas stands for- a company with high integrity and a passion for our group members and so proud of who we serve.
We believe in our why statement and are proud to work for a company like CalCas: “People who commit to making a difference for our communities deserve financial protection with the highest levels of care, service, compassion, and understanding… which is why we exist.”
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
NEA Member Benefits recently added siblings to the list of family members eligible to access the NEA Auto and Home Insurance Program provided by California Casualty. Referred to as an NEA Member’s “Extended Family,” parents, in-laws, adult children, and now siblings can take advantage of the special rates, deep discounts, and personalized service available through the NEA Auto and Home Insurance Program.
California Casualty offers policyholders special benefits, such as:
Rates good for a full year, not six months like many insurers offer
Auto insurance that covers $500 for non-electronic items taken from your vehicle
$0 deductible for accidents in a rental car
Broad policy protection for anyone they allow to drive your vehicle
Free ID defense
Free pet injury coverage up to $1,000
Holiday or summer skip payment options
Exceptional towing and roadside assistance availability
Plus, as an NEA Member, you have more exclusive benefits, including:
Waived/reduced deductible for collision or vandalism while parked on school property
Educators excess liability coverage for protection in the classroom
Fundraising coverage with $0 deductible for goods/funds valued up to $500 while under your care at school
And more!
Tell your family (and colleagues) about the NEA Auto and Home Insurance Program. Members who switch see an average of $423 in savings.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.800.800.9410 or www.calcas.com.
An attractive nuisance is anything on your property that is attractive to children, but in turn, could also put them in danger.
Examples of common backyard attractive nuisances include:
Pools
Hot tubs
Trampolines
Swingsets
Firepits
Fountains
Treehouses
Playgrounds
While these nuisances all serve as great ways for children to get outdoors and enjoy the summer sun, without the proper precautions, they can become problematic. In fact, attractive nuisances cause so many injuries when kids are out of school that summer is also known as “trauma season” among public health officials in the U.S. This is because unintentional deaths and serious injuries increase dramatically among children in the summertime.
Not only will these objects of entertainment put your own child at risk for serious or fatal injury, if one of their friends comes over to play one day and gets hurt on an attractive nuisance in your yard, you will be held liable for their injuries.
How to Minimize Your Risk
An attractive nuisance isn’t just limited to objects of entertainment like pools; they can also be anything that is on your property that draws curiosity like construction, weapons, grills, landscaping, lawn equipment, ponds, old cars, or appliances, etc.
This doesn’t mean that you will have to go and give all of your nuisances away, instead take the proper precautions to prevent the nuisances from causing harm.
Minimize the risk of an accident or injury by understanding what you have on your property that could be considered an attractive nuisance and take the necessary steps to safeguard against any future accidents.
Keep your property clean. Pick up dangerous debris and clean up after projects that you have completed. If you have old items that you are using anymore, sell or get rid of them.
Make dangerous items inaccessible. Keep dangerous weapons locked away in a safe, equipment, and vehicles in a garage or shed, and put a cover on pools, fire pits, grills, and hot tubs.
Install a gate and lock system. If there is no way tomake items in your yard inaccessible try installing a fence or locked gate with a no trespassing sign to help keep curious children out.
Always supervise. If you have an attractive nuisance in your yard, never let your children or their friends play outside without adult supervision.
If you fail to minimize the risk of injury and a child in your neighborhood harms themselves (or worse) on your property, you may be subject to legal action. Read your local laws and use good judgment, if you feel like you have an item of concern in your backyard, use the steps above to help prevent an accident.
How an Attractive Nuisance Affects Your Insurance
Insurance agents look at your property to determine your home insurance rate. Certain features of your home or property could impact your rate because of their degree of danger. For instance, if you have an in-ground pool in your backyard you will likely have a higher rate because a pool increases the risk of danger.
When you speak to your home insurance agent you will need to disclose if you have any attractive nuisances on your property to protect you from getting future claims rejected, if an accident were to happen on your property.
Many people assume that their homeowner’s insurance will provide them the protection they need if someone gets injured at their home, but this isn’t always true. If you have an attractive nuisance, protect yourself and your family, talk to your insurance agent and ask about increasing your liability protection or about adding a personal umbrella policy to your homeowner’s insurance.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
It’s no secret that spring storms can bring heavy rainfall in short amounts of time. This not only can cause rivers and lakes to rise outside their banks, but it can also cause flooding in city streets and near homes.
Contrary to what many may think is covered under their insurance policy, a Home or Renter’s insurance policy will not cover a flood. If you live in an area prone to flooding, you need to also purchase flood insurance. Floods are one of the most dangerous disasters in the United States, and if you don’t purchase flood insurance, they can cost you big time. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) estimates that just one inch of water in a 2,000 square foot house will result in $23,000 in damage.
Flood season has arrived. Here are five reasons you need flood insurance now:
1. It’s not just for homeowners and businesses. Flood coverage is available for renters. Condo owners can also purchase it. It will cover damage to your possessions from a flood.
2. Flooding is not covered under your standard policy. Homeowners and renters need to purchase separate flood policies. Umbrella insurance does not usually cover flooding, either.
3. Floods aren’t limited to flood plains. Every state has experienced flooding, and it can happen anywhere. The NFIP estimates that 25 percent of flood claims come from areas outside of high-risk flood zones.
4. Flood insurance doesn’t take effect immediately. There is a 30-day waiting period from the date you purchase the insurance until you are covered, in most cases.
5. It’s often not as expensive as you think. The average policy costs about $700 per year. The higher your risk, the higher your premium. Costs do vary depending on your flood risk and the year and type of construction. Keep in mind, the average residential flood claim amounted to more than $38,000.
Don’t delay, there is a 30-day waiting period before flood coverage goes into effect. Call a California Casualty advisor today at 1.877.652.2638 to make sure you’re covered. Or, contact our Agency Services department at agencyservices@calcas.com.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
Each year the California Casualty Partner Relations Department recognizes employees for their commitment and dedication to serving our group partners by developing and nurturing relationships and creating leader advocates. In a year of so much uncertainty, the efforts of these individuals shined as they adapted to a virtual environment. Nominated by their fellow managers or their peers, the 2020 Partner Relations Advocate Award recipients were Angela Morgan (WA), Bonnie Harber (NJ), Brandon Watson (TX), Inez Morales (CA), Justine Sallee (IL), Michelle Hawkins (WA), Norma Alfaro (CA) and Stephanie Whitmore (CA). Read on to learn more about each award recipient and why they were nominated.
With nearly six years of experience, Bonnie Harber has become a permanent fixture at events throughout her territory in New Jersey and is well respected by association staff, leadership, fellow business partners, and her colleagues. Her dynamic personality, teamwork, and dedication have generated exceptional production results and strong relationships internally and externally.
Michelle Hawkins’s manager noted that she is simply the best. She completely understands advocacy and how leveraging her relationships publicly affects her field access, retention, business growth, and overall marketing plan. It’s all intertwined and she knows exactly what she is doing.
Stephanie Whitmore moved at the start of the pandemic from Iowa to California. She used her tenacity and creativity to introduce herself to group leaders in her new territory while she continued to be present virtually in her previous territory of Iowa and Nebraska. It was written of her, “The great thing is about her tenacity and creativity, is that she does not keep it to herself. She constantly shares what she is doing with her teammates and department”.
Countless hours were dedicated by Norma Alfaro to ensure her fellow California field team members staff and our partner, the California Teachers Association, had all they needed to make it through 2020 successfully. Norma was nominated from two different Partner Relations employees, with one noting, “With every challenge comes an opportunity to adapt, persevere and demonstrate one’s inner strengths. In 2020, Norma proved that she could not only weather the storm but thrive.”
Inez Morales’s sense of responsibility towards her customers and her groups is amazing. Although she works with all our group partners in California, Inez was specifically nominated for her work as a PORAC Back-Up Account Manager. Inez has a gift with relationships that have helped her to keep doors open to new opportunities and the ability to quickly address policyholder and group concerns.
Brandon was nominated for his attitude of service and advocacy as a representative in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Since he started with California Casualty in 2011 he has exhibited great advocate qualities. He cares for the members of the associations we serve and it is welcomed, respected, and appreciated by the leaders and members of these associations.
As one of our field representatives in Illinois since 2012, Justine Sallee’s, ability to develop and maintain relationships has served her well. She recognizes the value of service and care for the leadership and members of our partner associations. This has enabled her to leverage these relationships to gain access, maintain visibility and generate policyholder growth in her territory. She is a well-rounded field marketing manager and is liked and respected by her association leadership and members.
To round out the 2020 Partner Relations Advocate Award recipient is Angela Morgan. Angela has embraced and led the way in building sustainable business practices to market throughout her territory. She is consistent and relentlessly couples short-term and long-term wins throughout her day. She understands the need for the immediate while teeing up future relationships and opportunities to leverage.
Congratulations to all the recipients!
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
