Contributions to Education: Security Benefit

Security Benefit has been providing innovative retirement and investment solutions through independent financial planners for more than 100 years. Consistent with its core values, Security Benefit places an important emphasis on supporting the community and industry in which its associates live and work. The company provides philanthropic support to multiple organizations primarily in its headquarter city through its charitable trust as well as funds an educational matching gift program that supports associates in their contributions to qualified educational institutions. In addition to its financial support of the community and industry, Security Benefit associates volunteer thousands of hours in civic organizations, including numerous educational-related mentoring and reading programs. Security Benefit supports its associates in their volunteerism efforts through a Dollars for Hours program that allows associates to direct funds to organizations of their choice based on the number of volunteer hours served.

Security Benefit supports students, educators, and local and regional public education in the following ways:

Kansas Teacher of the Year Program—SBG has a corporate officer serving on the State Steering Committee and State Selection Committee for this program. Additionally, SBG is the main contributor to the program, which selects and recognizes 8 outstanding finalists and one Teacher of the Year each year out of hundreds of applicants.

Kansas Council on Economic Education—SBG has a corporate officer serving on the board of directors, and SBG contributes financially to this program annually. The program’s mission is to train K-12 teachers in basic economic and personal finance principles, then provide them the tools they need to teach those concepts in the classroom.

Security Benefit Group Charitable Trust Scholarship Program—this program provides scholarships to selected applicants for tuition for undergraduate or graduate level courses.

Security Benefit Group Charitable Trust Grant Program—this program awards grants to selected schools in connection with innovative programs for individual classrooms or at the school-wide level.

Security Benefit contributes annually to the National Foundation for Improvement of Education (NFIE).

Security Benefit participates in and sponsors over 40 NEA field meetings each year.

Security Benefit participates in and contributes to the annual NEA Invitational Charity Golf Tournament, which supports the Health Information Network.

Security Benefit associates participate in an e-mail tele-mentoring program for junior high school children in a local inner-city school.

Security Benefit donates computer hardware to local school districts on an “as available” basis.

A Security Benefit corporate officer sits on the board of directors for the Junior Achievement Program.

A Security Benefit corporate officer sits on the board of directors for the Kansas Action for Children.

A Security Benefit corporate officer sits on the board of directors for the Brown Foundation.

Security Benefit hires student interns at the high school and college level in order to provide both job experience and an understanding of the corporate work environment.

Security Benefit’s Human Resources department personnel participate in mock interviews, career fairs, career days, employment readiness training and programs at schools of all levels. In addition, high school, college and technical school students and teachers are provided with opportunities to visit and tour SBG facility and observe associates working.

Security Benefit provides some job shadowing opportunities for students and teachers as a look at the world of work.

Security Benefit participates in Bring Your Child to Work programs to support education of children.

Security Benefit associates participate in the Everybody Wins reading program at a nearby elementary school.

Security Benefit/NEA sales representatives participate annually in the NEA Read Across America Program.

One of Security Benefit’s corporate officers participated in the USD 501 “Principal for a Day” program in 2004.

Security Benefit associates participate on Business Advisory and Site Council Boards for local high schools, technical schools, colleges and universities, and school districts, providing input on curriculum for workforce development.

Security Benefit contributes to the annual Business Advisory Committee Scholarship to benefit area students and to help support higher education.

Many Security Benefit associates participate in their local PTOs, act as parent volunteers, participate in their local school district fund-raisers and act as room parents for school activities.