NCCI Marks Its First 100 Years and Looks to the Future with the Kids’ Chance Community
NCCI Marks Its First 100 Years and Looks to the Future with the Kids’ Chance Community
The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has much to celebrate this year: 2023 marks its 100th year in business. And for more than two decades, NCCI has been an enthusiastic and invaluable partner of Kids’ Chance of America (KCOA).
NCCI has done much to advance the Kids’ Chance mission to give the kids of workers who have been injured on the job a chance at a better future by providing scholarships and support.
And this partnership continues to get stronger.
“It is quite an amazing milestone,” Mark Mileusnic, NCCI Chief Customer Operations Officer and KCOA Advisory Board Member, said of his organization’s centennial. “NCCI's history follows that of the workers’ compensation system as a whole, and our contributions to the ongoing success of the system over the last century and what those contributions mean for all of its stakeholders—particularly injured workers—are something we're very proud of.”
Through its longstanding partnership with Kids’ Chance at the national and state levels, NCCI helps make sure that the children of injured workers are cared for, too.
“Kids’ Chance closely aligns with NCCI’s mission to foster a healthy workers’ compensation system,” said Bill Donnell, President and CEO of NCCI, as well as the recipient of the 2022 Robert M. Clyatt Distinguished Service Award.
“Our purpose is helping injured workers and their families— something Kids’ Chance is committed to doing and does so well. Together we can create more opportunities and help change the trajectory of lives.”
One example of these opportunities is the annual golf tournament NCCI hosts each May, which directly benefits KCOA and raised $25,000 this year alone.
Kimberly Helwig, NCCI Strategy and Risk Management Director and Kids’ Chance of Florida (KCFL) Vice President, also cites the company’s annual care package initiative during Awareness Week in November.
“Kids’ Chance of Florida scholarship recipients receive boxes of goodies and words of encouragement prior to their fall finals,” she said. “This is an opportunity for NCCI employees to connect directly with the students on a level deeper than giving a financial contribution.”
NCCI further amplifies the reach of Kids’ Chance at its Annual Insights Symposium (AIS), now in its 35th year.
"It’s important to us to bring awareness to Kids’ Chance in creative and meaningful ways,” Mark said. “At our annual symposium, our keynote speakers have incorporated Kids’ Chance messaging and highlighted their positive impact on the industry. Recently, Malcolm Gladwell reflected on Kids’ Chance during his keynote address and proudly showcased his Kids’ Chance pin.”
Dana Genheimer, President of Kids’ Chance of America, was in the room when Malcom Gladwell spoke at NCCI’s AIS and deeply appreciates this rewarding collaboration.
“NCCI provided significant awareness-building opportunities across their events that put Kids’ Chance in the center of a room of more than a thousand people who have both an interest in workers’ compensation and the opportunity to support, find, and fund more children,” she said.
“The partnership is critical because it just makes sense,” she continued. “NCCI is a primary leader in the workers’ compensation industry — the space where Kids’ Chance belongs. Their partnership has been instrumental to our success—not just at the national level but even more importantly at many of the states’ levels in building awareness across the country and across the workers’ compensation community of what Kids’ Chance is all about.
“Our guiding principle is More Money for More Kids. That would not be possible without partners such as NCCI, who are committed to both finding the kids and also helping to support building infrastructure across the country.”
Megan Grant, NCCI’s Managing Attorney and KCOA Board Member, echoed Dana’s sentiment. “NCCI strives to be a good corporate citizen and the partnership with Kids’ Chance provides a meaningful opportunity to give back that also aligns with our mission,” she added.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together throughout our 20-year partnership,” Bill said. “Kids’ Chance represents the heart of our industry — the injured workers and their families — and we are committed to championing this organization now and in the future.”
NCCI’s leadership team looks forward to continued involvement at both the national and state levels, as well as continued financial support via the AIS golf tournament and state sponsorships.
Indeed, Dana is even more thankful for NCCI’s standing in the workers’ compensation industry, now that Kids’ Chance has a presence in all 50 states.
“Kids’ Chance of America is here to support the states,” she said. “We have initiatives across our organization to meet them where they are. Several state organizations have been in place for a long time and have a significant amount of infrastructure, and some are just getting started.
Working with NCCI and all of our partners, we are continuing to build robust programs and support infrastructure so that states can take advantage of these opportunities and unlock more of their mission, which is focused on finding the kids. I think NCCI, in particular, with their broad network can continuously help us improve the process of identifying children across the country.”
Since 1988, Kids’ Chance organizations have awarded over 9,300 scholarships totaling over $33.2 million dollars.
Our work matters at the human level. If your organization is interested in supporting the Kids’ Chance community, Mark has some advice.
“Get involved!” he said. “Offer financial support, serve on a local Kids’ Chance Board, with Kids’ Chance of America, or just attend a Kids’ Chance event to learn more. Kids’ Chance is such a natural fit for our industry and as an extension of our support of injured workers, it’s easy to see why partnering with Kids’ Chance brings benefits to its supporters, their companies, and to our work comp system.”
Photographed, from left to right: Mark Mileusnic, Chief Customer Operations Officer, NCCI; Dana Genheimer, President of Kids’ Chance of America, and John Shea, Managing Director, Guy Carpenter, at the AIS golf tournament on May 8 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Grande Lakes in Orlando, FL
