[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12830-12831]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   CELEBRATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PHOENIX HOME LIFE MUTUAL 
                           INSURANCE COMPANY

 Mr. DODD, Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate the 
Phoenix Home Life Mutual Insurance Company as it celebrates its 150th 
anniversary.
  From its modest birth in 1851 as the Hartford-based American 
Temperance Life Insurance Company, the Phoenix has evolved into one of 
the largest and most well-respected insurance companies in the world. 
It has weathered many global watersheds of the nineteenth and twentieth 
centuries--including civil war, depressions, and world wars. But true 
to its name, the Phoenix has emerged from these and other trials with 
an unswerving commitment to corporate innovation, social progress, and 
community service.
  The Phoenix's corporate ethos thrives on a unique and important 
principle--one that encourages employees to invest human capital as a 
means of promoting community development. As a result, Phoenix serves 
as a paradigm for businesses truly committed to improving the quality 
of life of the people they serve. In 2000 alone, the Phoenix Foundation 
contributed $1.6 million to charitable organizations across the 
country.
  The Phoenix encourages its employees to devote 80 hours of company 
and personal time to community activities each year. The company also 
rewards its top 20 professional advisors through the Donor Award 
Program, which enables award recipients to designate up to $2,000 to a 
local charity. Over the years, the Donor Award Program has provided 
vital funds to many organizations, including the Juvenile Diabetes 
Foundation, Lou Gehrig Baseball, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 
Furthermore, Phoenix field offices have established a plethora of 
independent donation programs--many of which have benefited 
organizations such as the American Cancer Society, Habitat for 
Humanity, the YMCA, and the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.
  I am proud that the Phoenix's commitment to community development has 
helped many local organizations in the State of Connecticut. By lending 
their professional expertise, leadership, and time to a number of local 
outreach initiatives, Phoenix employees have worked assiduously to make 
a difference in their communities. For example, Phoenix employees in 
the Hartford office work in conjunction with Foodshare each summer to 
deliver vegetables donated by Connecticut farmers to area soup kitchens 
and homeless shelters. And in 1999, a group of Phoenix employees 
planned and organized Connecticut's first Adoption and Foster Care 
Exposition--an event that successfully promoted greater public 
awareness of these two important social issues.
  The Phoenix has made significant contributions to the education of 
children. Through long-term partnerships with local schools such as the 
Fred D. Wish Elementary School in Hartford, Phoenix employees have 
worked individually with students in grades three through six to 
sharpen math skills and proficiency in the language arts. As a result, 
schools are seeing improved student attendance and higher student test 
scores. Phoenix also contributed $75,000 toward the establishment of 
the Trinity College Boys and Girls Clubs--two Hartford-based 
organizations that provide education, culture, citizenship, health, and 
physical education programs for neighborhood children and

[[Page 12831]]

adolescents. In terms of higher education, the Phoenix annually 
contributes $250,000 to a matching gifts program. The company has also 
spearheaded a $3 million ``Legacy Campaign'' to sustain and cultivate 
the Walter J. ``Doc'' Hurley Foundation. Phoenix's generous 
contribution to this worthy campaign will assist high school students 
in Connecticut and across the country through various scholarship and 
guidance programs.
  In recent years, Phoenix has made a strong commitment toward 
promoting the Special Olympics. In 1995, the company pledged an eight-
year commitment to Special Olympics International as its first Official 
Worldwide Partner, setting a new and unprecedented standard for civic 
responsibility, a standard that few corporations can match. When the 
Special Olympics World Games were held in New Haven, CN, six years ago, 
over 60 percent of Phoenix employees volunteered their time while field 
offices across the country raised money to assist local chapters with 
travel and lodging expenses.
  Over the past decade, much of the Phoenix's financial vitality and 
community commitment can be attributed to the hard work and vision of 
Robert W. Fiondella, the company's President and Chief Executive 
Officer. Since taking the reigns of Phoenix in 1992, Mr. Fiondella has 
successfully undertaken the challenge of further molding and guiding 
the company in this new evolving era of business. With more than 30 
years of experience, Bob Fiondella represents the epitome of the 
Phoenix tradition by dedicating himself to both the company and the 
surrounding community.
  In its 150 years of existence, the Phoenix has become an 
indispensable asset to people and businesses of Connecticut and the 
country. Its contributions to both the business world and surrounding 
communities have been tremendous. It is therefore with great 
appreciation that I offer congratulations to the Phoenix Home Life 
Mutual Insurance Company on its 150th anniversary, and wish the company 
and all those associated with it continued success for many years to 
come.

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