American Family Insurance and Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) have announced a new community partnership, with American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation investing $750,000 over a three-year period to support CPLC Workforce Solutions in delivering education, training and job placement, case management and career pathways programs in the Maryvale neighborhood in Phoenix.
The mission of CPLC Workforce Solutions is to empower economic mobility of youth, adults and families through workforce development efforts. CPLC seeks to move individuals toward self-sufficiency, facilitate long-term careers, and ultimately support the local economy by upskilling the labor force to meet the needs of employers. This includes offering bilingual programs in Spanish and English and focusing on high-growth fields like advanced business services, banking, healthcare, and tech.
“As a large employer in the Greater Phoenix area, American Family is proud to partner with CPLC Workforce Solutions to support their comprehensive, innovative and successful approach to job training and placement,” said Jim Buchheim, American Family Insurance corporate and social impact officer. “Through the American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation, we invest in community partners whose programs produce measurable impact and also help close equity gaps that disproportionately affect communities of color. CPLC has excelled at both.”
American Family is also exploring how to partner with CPLC to hire care center representatives for its El Centro bilingual sales and service care center in Phoenix.
CPLC Workforce Solutions has become one of Arizona’s leading nonprofit workforce development teams, serving 4,174 clients in 2019 alone. CPLC Workforce Solutions focuses on strong case management (including additional services to assist households) the use of technology, and programs and services that are personalized to the client.
“Since the onset of COVID-19, we immediately adapted to meet our community needs. We successfully transitioned our in-person programs to online and adapted programs to address the changing needs of our clients,” said Victor Contreras, CPLC Director of Workforce Solutions. “We appreciate the support and trust of American Family Insurance in helping us maximize impact and provide resources to support a more competitive and qualified workforce.”
American Family also has a presence in Maryvale as sponsor of American Family Fields of Phoenix, the spring training complex of the Milwaukee Brewers. American Family and the Brewers are looking at ways to collaborate with CPLC to offer employment opportunities at the complex in various seasonal, part-time capacities during spring training.
Investment part of larger American Family initiative
This community investment partnership is part of the Free to Dream initiative announced Feb. 23, 2021. American Family has pledged $105 million over the next five years to further its already deep commitment to closing racial equity gaps and affecting social impact and positive change in communities across the country. Free to Dream focuses investments on five societal issues: Economic empowerment; education and health equity; climate resilience; criminal justice reform; and workforce diversity, equity and inclusion.
Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. (CPLC) is a community development corporation that provides services in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. Since 1969, CPLC has been changing lives by developing self-sufficiency and instilling empowerment in those we serve. Our focus areas are economic development, education, integrated health & human services, and housing. CPLC provides a better life through offering business and employment opportunities; ensuring everyone has the solid foundation of an education; providing hope through a pathway of recovery, restoration, and resiliency; and ensuring that a safe, secure, affordable home is available to every individual we serve. Today, we have more than 30 programs & services, approximately 1,500 employees, and 130 offices, making CPLC one of the largest community development corporations in the nation.
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, American Family Insurance has been serving customers since 1927. We inspire, protect and restore dreams through our insurance products, exceptional service from our agency owners and employees, community investment and creative partnerships to address societal challenges. We act on our belief in diversity and inclusion by constantly evolving to meet customer needs and preferences. American Family Insurance group is the nation’s 13th-largest property/casualty insurance group, ranking No. 254 on the Fortune 500 list. The group sells American Family-brand products, primarily through exclusive agency owners in 19 states.
The American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation, Inc. builds on our long-standing commitment and support of our communities. As our mission has evolved from corporate giving to community investing, we’ve turned our focus to creating strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations that have helped us strengthen both families and communities. For more information, see the Making a Difference page.
Speak Your Mind
You must be logged in to post a comment.