Paradigm has been a long-time corporate supporter of Kids’ Chance of America. The reason for their continued support? Their leader, Jim Hudak.

“I think one of the difficult things about catastrophic accidents in the workplace is that they don’t happen very often. And because they don’t happen very often, it’s hard to recognize the impact it has on the family,” Jim shared in an interview with Kids’ Chance.

“When a worker gets badly injured or killed on the job, it’s not just that person who gets affected. It’s the whole family - it changes the family forever.”

Jim Hudak served six years as Paradigm’s Chief Executive Officer before moving into the Executive Chairman role. He was introduced to Kids’ Chance by his then head of sales, Kevin Turner, who’s now the president of Kids’ Chance of America.

“I thought, ‘This is perfect. We manage the care of catastrophically injured workers. This organization provides scholarships to the children of catastrophically injured workers.’”

Jim is deeply aware that a workplace injury – especially a catastrophic one – affects the entire family.  “The first question they ask when they know they’re going to live but their life will be very different is ‘What’s going to happen to my kids?’ Now we can say to them, ‘There is this organization that will make sure they get an education so they can earn a good living going forward.’”

Paradigm became one of Kids’ Chance of America’s first major partners, and Jim’s efforts to embed the cause in the fabric of his company has kept them engaged.

“It’s amazing what the organization has done. When we first got involved, I think Kids’ Chance was in fourteen states and gave out a couple hundred thousand dollars in scholarships. We’re now in forty-seven states—all but three – which is just fantastic growth over the span of a few years.”

With that growth, Jim recognized that Kids’ Chance would need more funding to meet the need across the country.

So, he decided to start an endowment with a personal donation of $1 million dollars. The endowment will support scholarship efforts and serve as the first step toward the next level of sustainable funding.

But Jim isn’t stopping there. What he really wants to do is get other executives who’ve been successful in workers’ compensation to give to the endowment so that it grows.

“I have been very personally involved in this, and I would like to see other executives get very involved. You know, come to the annual meeting, go to fundraising events, talk it up in your company, and talk to your clients about it. I talk to a lot of my clients and other people in the industry about it. It has grown from being something almost nobody knew about to becoming the charity for the industry. And that’s what I’d like to continue seeing.

“What I think is most important for senior executives is for them to add to this endowment that I created. That’s what I’d like to see as a long-term legacy for Kids’ Chance.”

Looking at the long-term doesn’t stop Jim from connecting on a personal level – especially with the kids.

“The kids who benefit from this program are just amazing. They have been through unimaginable tragedy, and yet they are poised, confident, and articulate.

“Kids’ Chance really provides the support for these children to get a good education that then allows them to have a productive job in the future. It’s so critically important that their work continues.”