Applied Underwriter's chairman launches St. Francis Day Foundation
The Steve Menzies Foundation committed more than $50M in cornerstone funding for the nonprofit, which is committed to addressing ‘human ecology’ issues.
With Pope Francis’ blessings, the nonprofit St. Francis Day Foundation is launching and will be chaired by Applied Underwriters Chairman Steve Menzies. The foundation will focus on “human ecology,” which was the focus of the pope’s second encyclical, or papal letter, Laudato Si, which carries the subtitle “on care for our common home.”
The St. Francis Day Foundation will initially be supported by the Steve Menzies Global Foundation, which has committed more than $50 million to the organization. The cornerstone grant will be used to help establish the organization’s New York operation, fill out the staff and fund initial projects.
“As responsible insurance executives whose companies pride themselves on having a ‘good soul’ at the center of our commerce, we have identified ‘human ecology’ as a useful, broad outline of the real environment and society in which our policyholders and our staff work each day,” Menzies said in a release. “Insurance does not exist in a void nor in a pure financial sphere: Risk is heightened when social instability and socially acceptable behavior are compromised. More than that, our use of technology must be measured for its long-term human and societal impact. There are so many ways in which human ecology affects our business that the leadership of the new foundation seemed to be a service to our industry as a byproduct.”
The first undertakings of the new foundation will be to get vaccines and medical equipment to displaced people as well as the creation of “curricula and studies that place technology into a context that offers perspective to the young and those in danger of digital addiction,” according to the Menzies Global Foundation.
Additionally, on Oct. 4, 2021, the foundation will host global events in honor of St. Francis Day. The events will feature panels and programs as well as an address outlining the new foundation’s plans.
“This entire initiative derives from the words and works of one of history’s greatest exponents of peace, brotherhood and respect for nature: Francis of Assisi,” Menzies said. “These realities were treated in the encyclical form in the 21st century by a holy man of foresight and depth, seeking to tackle the social issues of the day in a meaningful context.”
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