Preferred Mutual managers visit residents at Chase Nursing Home in New Berlin during the company's annual volunteer-driven Ignite Leadership Conference. (Photo submitted by Preferred Mutual)

NEW BERLIN – Preferred Mutual Insurance Company honed its commitment to community engagement on Tuesday, sending dozens of employee volunteers to places around the New Berlin area to lend a helping hand.

All 50 managers of Preferred Mutual offered a leg up to a number of nonprofits and likeminded community organizations, including the Unadilla Valley School District, Chase Nursing Home, The Place, and the Unadilla Valley Food Pantry.

This marks the second year that Preferred’s volunteer day has fused with its quarterly leadership gathering, creating what’s been dubbed the "Ignite Leadership Conference.” The event is an excellent opportunity for higher-ups at the company to directly foster local connections and strengthen community relations, explained Preferred Mutual President and CEO Benedikt Sander.

“It’s something that’s important to us, to all employees, to be able to give back,” said Sander, pointing to Preferred’s status as a mutual company owned by its policy holders. “Part of what defines success for us is our relationship with the community. There is no Wall Street, no shareholders. There are different rules and community is a big part of it.”

Preferred Mutual managers worked alongside staff at the Unadilla Valley School District and The Place in Norwich this year to stuff backpacks with school supplies and provide UV Elementary School with essential clothing needed throughout the year, such as socks, underwear, and athletic pants. Several more Preferred employees visited Chase Nursing home equipped with Bingo prizes and snacks for residents.

“One event that was popular last year was Chase Nursing Home Bingo,” said Sander. “Some of our leaders got feedback on their Bingo calling skills, and it can get quite competitive.”

Preferred employees also helped stock shelves of the Unadilla Valley Food Pantry this year. The company made food and monetary donations to aid individuals and families in the New Berlin community. What’s more, the company partnered with the United Way of Mid Rural NY to assemble packets of tooth care educational materials for every pre-K through fifth grade classroom in Chenango, Otsego, Delaware, and Madison counties.

“It’s a good way to get students off to the right start in the school year,” Sander said. “There are lots of hands-on activities where we can work together and do something for the community. Everybody is excited to be a part of it.

In a new partnership with Madison County Rural Health Council, Preferred built four Community Care wooden display boxes for individuals and families in need, thereby supporting the Rural Health Council’s mission to improve individuals’ health and wellness. Boxes were stocked with food and other essential items on Tuesday, and placed in areas of need around Chenango County.

Preferred Mutual will continue its partnership with the Madison County Rural Health Council to offer company employees “mental health first aid” training next month.

“What we do helps the community, but it also speaks to the people we want to attract,” Sanders said. “We want to signal to the broader community that that’s the kind of person we want to have on our team. It helps to perpetuate a cycle of getting people who care about the community to work here, then carried forward to the next generation.”

The New Berlin area volunteer day is one of Preferred Mutual’s biggest organized efforts. The company’s enmeshed in dozens of community events that take place throughout the year, including another volunteer bid recently organized to support the SPCA in Cooperstown.

Preferred Mutual was founded in New Berlin in 1896. The company provides property and casualty insurance coverage to more than 232,000 individual and business customers through a network of more than 560 independent agents and 300 employees located in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The company is rated “A” (excellent) by AM Best for financial strength and “A+” for issuer credit. Preferred Mutual is headquartered in New Berlin, NY.