Kids Take to Work at ERIE

Erie, PA -- What's it like for moms or dads to spend their day at what Fortune magazine calls the 26th Best Company to Work For in America? More than 110 Erie-area students in grades 7 through 12 found out on Thursday, April 23 as Erie Insurance Group once again hosted "Take Our Kids To Work Day."

In addition to inviting parents to bring their children to work, ERIE also introduced a "shadowing" program that involved 10 students from East High School.  The 10 East High School students were paired with employee mentors.

The students spent the morning learning about ERIE, its products, markets and corporate culture. Students explored everything from working with new digital cameras, processing claims, and making decisions about underwriting, to designing publications and purchasing supplies. They also participated in workshops like "Put the Fix on Fraud," where they reviewed surveillance tapes for the company's Investigative Services Department.

Students had the opportunity to join mom or dad in their work areas for a first-hand look at their parent's role in the company.

Commenting on the Take Our Kids to Work Day program, ERIE President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen A. Milne noted "we were proud to welcome members of ERIE's 'extended family' to our offices to show them what our company is all about." Mr. Milne added "this provides the students with an experience that can't be learned in a classroom. And it affirms many of the workplace disciplines that teachers have been explaining to them for years."

This is the first year ERIE conducted a shadowing program for the East High School students, and ERIE Assistant Vice President and Employment Department Manager Ann Scott had this to say about the added participation: "The idea of the shadowing experience is to match the student with the career field they are most interested in pursuing."   Scott added that the students may be motivated  to pursue a particular profession and to investigate other career alternatives. "Our ultimate goal is to motivate and inspire the students," she said.

Each of the company's twenty field offices, located in nine mid-Atlantic states, joined ERIE's Home Office in hosting Take Our Kids to Work Day.

Erie Insurance Group includes the Erie Insurance Exchange, Erie Indemnity Company, Flagship City Insurance Company, Erie Family Life Insurance Company, Erie Insurance Company, the Erie Insurance Property and Casualty Company and the Erie Insurance Company of New York.

Erie Insurance Exchange, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, is the 12th largest insurer of private passenger automobiles and the 24th largest property and casualty insurer in the United States.

Photo captions, top to bottom:

1) John Bender, senior vice president of Information Management Systems, takes some time to have fun with Maureen and Mary Ita Musato.

2) Graphic Designer Bob Sajewski demonstrates a new computer program to Sarah and Sharon Giblin.

3) Three generations of the DeDad family work together in the Erie Branch Claims Department.  Standing are Sarah DeDad and her granddaughter,Carla Freeland; seated is Sarah's daughter, Gina Freeland.

4) Tom Hamilton and his son, Shane, review a marketing brochure for ERIE's Roth IRA program.

Photos by Beth Gensheimer