Carrying on a 15-year tradition, all 45 employees of the firm pooled their money and time to make the holidays happier for those served by 17 local nonprofit organizations

A long-standing tradition of giving back to the community played out within the office walls of one downtown San Diego-based company last week. For the 15^th year in a row, the employees of Cavignac & Associates pooled their funds to help those less fortunate, donating a combined $16,500 to 17 San Diego nonprofit organizations as part of the company’s annual “Charity Fund” employee gift-giving program.

A San Diego-based risk management and insurance brokerage firm, Cavignac & Associates employs a team of 45 people. The company established the Charity Fund program in 2000 when employees decided they wanted to emulate the company’s corporate practice of giving back to the local community in a meaningful way. The Charity Fund allows employees to deduct specific amounts from their paychecks each pay period throughout the year and direct monies to nonprofit and civic organizations they believe are doing the most good. This past year, as in previous years, all the firm’s employees opted to participate.

“The Charity Fund gift-giving program has enabled our employees to mirror the company’s corporate values and, together, make a tangible difference in the lives of those less fortunate,” said Jeffrey Cavignac, president and principal of Cavignac & Associates. “The employees themselves decide which causes they want to support, and divide the funds accordingly. I feel very proud and fortunate to employ a team of such talented and benevolent individuals.”

This year, Cavignac & Associates employees directed monies toward:

Just in Time, which addresses the needs of foster children transitioning to adulthood;
Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, which provides the gift of reconstructive surgery to disadvantaged infants;
Mama’s Kitchen, which delivers meals to men, women and children living with AIDS or cancer.
PhotoCharity, providing emergency shelter to homeless teens ages 12-17;
Monarch School, which helps homeless youth by providing programs and services not offered at traditional schools;
Toussaint Academy, which partners with Father Joe’s Villages to serve homeless youth ages 14-18;
Veteran’s Village of San Diego, helping local veterans;
Senior Community Center, which helps senior citizens by providing nutrition, health, mental health, advocacy, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing. Additionally, a group of Cavignac & Associates’ employees volunteered once a month this past year, as in previous years, to serve lunch to the seniors at their downtown San Diego location;
Freedom Station(Wounded Warrior Foundation), helping injured service members;
STARS (Surviving Together Achieving and Reaching for Success), which helps teen girls between the ages of 12-17 involved with commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking;
Alpha Project, helping the homeless community by offering affordable housing, residential substance abuse treatment, supportive housing for people with special needs, basic and emergency services, and emergency shelter;
Voices for Children, which helps local children passing through the foster-care system by providing them with a court-appointed special advocate who advocates for the rights and wellbeing of these children;
Emilio Nares Foundation, assisting families with children who are battling leukemia and other forms of childhood cancer by providing transportation for these children and their families to and from their treatment;
San Diego Center for Children, assisting San Diego children ages 3 to 18 with behavioral health programs; and
Operation Caregiver(Nice Guys), supplying relief to our deployed troops with “Caregiver Kits” consisting of basic hygiene and comforts from home.

Once again this year, Cavignac & Associates employees also participated in the SAY San Diego “Adopt A Family” program by sponsoring two families and assisting them with their Christmas gift needs for their immediate family. Employees volunteered their time to shop for the families, wrap the gifts on their lunch hour last week, and deliver them to SAY San Diego to be presented to the families in need.

Additionally, employees participated this past October in the Challenged Athletes Foundation 2014 Surf Clinic / Triathlon. The employees volunteered to staff the event and work alongside the children with physical challenges to help them experience the joys of surfing. Some of the firm’s partners also participated in the 2014 Triathlon swim/bike/run event to raise money for the organization.

Once again this year, Cavignac & Associates Senior Account Manager Celia Mondfrans chaired the Charity Fund committee that selected recipient charities and determined the donation amounts for each. Other committee members included Barbara Carter, Bethany Mongold, Bonne Mongold, Darcee Nichols, Jolinda Kramer, Kelly Potter and Susan McFarland.

“From the company’s inception, Jeff Cavignac and our other principals have made community philanthropy an integral part of the company’s culture,” said Mondfrans. “It’s deeply gratifying for the company’s employees to be able to follow their lead and, collectively, support the causes that are closest to our hearts. It really helps make the spirit of the holidays more meaningful to all of us.”