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Building a Civically Engaged Community

At Travelers, many of our employees are actively involved in the civic life in their communities as members of their local economic development commission, city council, board of education and more. They are bringing the skills and qualities that make them great employees at Travelers out to their communities and in turn are developing leadership and other skills that they can carry over to their work at Travelers.

Through Citizen Travelers, we showcase the many ways to contribute, share information and inspire others to get involved as well. Through our internal Citizen Travelers portal, our civic-minded employees are connecting across geographies and interest areas, seeking advice on mutual challenges and supporting each other’s dedication to the civic life. By creating new avenues of collaboration among civic leaders in communities across the U.S., we are working together to strengthen our communities and our country.

Employee Spotlight: Deborah

When friends first encouraged her to run for a seat on the local board of education, Deborah declined. Then she came to see it as a chance to share her knowledge and expand her commitment to her community. Now she’s the board chair, taking the leadership skills she developed at work and using them to spread positive change in her town – even shepherding the construction of a new middle school. She might have started this journey with “I’m not a politician,” but now when someone asks her about running for an office she says “Go for it.”

View Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(DESCRIPTION)
Text, Citizen Travelers. Supporting Our Schools.

A sign above a hallway in a school, Beman Middle School. Unlocking the Potential in ALL Students.

A woman waves towards a football field. Text, Middletown, Connecticut. Tables in a cafeteria. The woman sits with another woman on a set of risers. She smiles. She stands on a second-floor landing in front of the sign. Text, Deborah. Product Manager, Claim Auto Product Development, Travelers.

(SPEECH)
DEBORAH: My name is Deborah, and I'm currently serving as the Chair of the Middletown Board of Education.

(DESCRIPTION)
She walks past the football field, watching a game in progress.

(SPEECH)
I had two people contact me and said there's going to be some seats open for the Board of Ed. And I said, I'm not a politician, so I don't think that would be the right thing for me to do. So one of the callers actually called my mentor. She called me and said, Deb, I think this is a great opportunity for you to expand your horizons.

(DESCRIPTION)
She gives the thumbs-up sign to the players. She walks past the cafeteria, where students sit at the tables. She smiles and waves. She talks with the woman while sitting on the risers. They both hold stacks of papers.

(SPEECH)
I decided this is really something that I should do. I really commend Travelers because I work with great people who have been understanding of my position on the board. I carry on that same leadership skill that I have received from my managers. They work to build me up. That's

(DESCRIPTION)
She walks with two other women through an office, passing empty desks and chairs. They stand in front of a window and talk.

(SPEECH)
what I receive from Travelers-- great management, sowing the seeds of success into their workers. And then I, myself, take that and apply it to the Board of Education.

The process of building Beman Middle School was quite, I would say, challenging.

(DESCRIPTION)
A theater space being constructed. Deborah talks with the woman on the risers.

(SPEECH)
The school was starting to be built when the pandemic happened. So not only are you worried about the safety of the workers and making sure no one contracted COVID, but you also, there was like a halt on steel at one time. So people are starting to see different things shift in Middletown.

If someone at Travelers was seeking to run for office, I would say go for it.

(DESCRIPTION)
She walks past school buses towards the entrance to the school.

(SPEECH)
At Travelers, they're reaching out. They're helping schools in the community. They're always adamant about giving back to the community. And it really means a lot to me as a person that also likes to give and serve the community.

(DESCRIPTION)
Text, Citizen Travelers. To learn more visit travelers.com/CitizenTravelers. Citizen Travelers is a non-partisan initiative to empower Travelers employees to take part in the civic life of their communities.

Employee Spotlight: Ryan

People walking through his hometown and admiring the new sidewalks, lights and landscaping probably don’t know who made it all happen. Commuters on a new seaplane service probably won’t know either. That’s because Ryan is a volunteer leading the local economic development commission, and those are just some of the accomplishments he points to as helping keep the town he loves beautiful and vibrant. And he’s always looking for more help and more ideas. “Most of our communities are run by volunteers,” he says, “and without people stepping up, things just wouldn’t happen.”

View Video Transcript

(DESCRIPTION)
Text, Citizen Travelers. Encouraging Economic Development.

(SPEECH)
[MUSIC PLAYING]

(DESCRIPTION)
A clock on a street corner. Cars drive through the intersection. Text, Madison, Connecticut. A man walks down a sidewalk, past a wooden house. A bust of a man in a park. The man walks past a building.

The man stands on a sidewalk. Text, Ryan, Head of Growth offerings, P.I. Innovation, Travelers.

(SPEECH)
RYAN DUQUES: I'm Ryan and I am the chairman of Madison's Economic Development Commission. I've been at Travelers for just over two years.

I grew up here in Madison and attended Daniel Hand High School.

(DESCRIPTION)
He walks across the grass in a park, passing a farmer's market.

(SPEECH)
Serving on the commission has been wonderful, because it's allowed me to continue to provide ideas and hopefully cultivate vibrancy in our town and make it a better place to live.

There have been several big wins. Probably the most memorable one has been that we brought seaplane service to the town of Madison a couple of years ago. We were able to take people from Madison right into New York, right into Manhattan, in about 25 minutes.

(DESCRIPTION)
A car drives down a street in the town, passing shops and parked cars. Ryan walks down a cobblestone sidewalk, passing the open doors of the shops. He crosses a street. Trees and bushes in the median of the street. He walks across a wooden bridge.

(SPEECH)
In terms of impact to the town, we redid our Madison town center a few years ago and redid all the sidewalks, all the lighting, added new trees. And it's really beautiful. So the impact there has been really, really high.

Travelers has been a great place to work when you are also participating in your community, just providing an overall culture that encourages community involvement. It's surprising sometimes to realize that most of our communities run by volunteers. And without people stepping up, things just wouldn't happen.

Employee Spotlight: Krishna

As the child of immigrants who became naturalized citizens, Krishna has never forgotten the pride her parents took in voting. Now a lawyer, she’s helping others fulfill the promise of representative democracy through her work with Election Protection. She’s a guide through the registration process, getting people to the polls and ensuring they have the opportunity to vote. “It’s great to work for a company that supports civic engagement,” she says, but perhaps her biggest reward is in the eyes of those first-timers she has helped. “After they’ve voted and they come out, they’re so excited.”

View Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(DESCRIPTION)
Text, Citizen Travelers. Election Protection.

A woman walks down a city sidewalk. She sits in an office. Text, Krishna, Senior Counsel, Personal Insurance Legal Services.

(SPEECH)
KRISHNA: My name is Krishna, and I'm a senior counsel in the Personal Insurance Legal Services organization. I've been with Travelers for 12 years.

I've been doing election protection work since I was 18.

(DESCRIPTION)
A picture of a couple sitting together on a couch, smiling.

(SPEECH)
When election protection came to our campus, what it made me actually think of was my parents coming to this country and becoming naturalized citizens. They've been so proud of their right to vote, and it's something that's always stuck with me. And I want to empower others.

(DESCRIPTION)
Krishna crosses a street. She sits at a table in front of a window with a sign that reads, Equality. A hand places a piece of paper in a box. A person fills out a ballot. A sticker that reads, I voted. People in line behind tables with signs that read, Vote.

(SPEECH)
I have been helping monitor the polls, help inform people about how they can register to vote, ensuring that people actually get to the polls and have an opportunity to vote.

(DESCRIPTION)
She enters a building through a revolving door. She walks down a hallway, passing a sign on the wall that reads, Travelers Reception.

(SPEECH)
I would hope that other companies see our efforts and follow in suit, so that no matter what type of job you have or what commitments you have, you're able to hopefully set aside some time and you can go vote.

There's always the person who's voting for the first time. It's really special to help that individual go through the process for the first time, and then after they voted and they come out and they're so excited.

I think it's great to work for a company that supports civic engagement. That's why it matters to me.

Building a Civically Engaged Community

Employee Spotlight: Deborah

Employee Spotlight: Ryan

Employee Spotlight: Krishna

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