The Legacy Project began after Connor Payne, EVP at Brown & Brown of New Mexico – Albuquerque office – was inspired by Scott Mautz’ book titled Make it Matter. Mautz explained the importance of making work purposeful and creating a legacy.
With the help of the New Mexico teammates and leadership team, The Legacy Project was created. Each year, the office will select one organization whose efforts teammates can commit to supporting. Not only does the office sponsor the foundation, but teammates can volunteer their time and directly see the impact they are making.
This year, the team at Brown & Brown Insurance of New Mexico has chosen to partner with Holmans Foundation for Autism. Holmans has a rich tradition of giving back to the community with a primary focus of helping Autism specific programs in the public-school systems. They are on a mission to positively impact the educational development of Autistic children by putting iPads in their classrooms and working hand-in-hand with teachers who have developed special curriculums using this technology.
In addition to a $7,500 sponsorship, teammates have the opportunity to volunteer for two hours a day, twice a month, in classrooms with children at different ends of the autism spectrum. By the end of the year, the team aspires to have up to 1,150 volunteer hours. Although this program includes seven schools, with grades ranging from kindergarten to high school, once a teammate commits to volunteering, they will stay with the same classroom throughout the year. This allows the students to create a bond and become comfortable with their volunteer. This also allows teammates to truly experience the impact they have on the students they are helping, which is the most rewarding part of The Legacy Project.
The Legacy Project is inspirational and an amazing example of our Brown & Brown culture of community involvement.