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American Red Cross Presents Circle of Humanitarians Award to The Hartford Financial Services Group


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WASHINGTON — The American Red Cross has announced that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has (NYSE:HIG) received the Circle of Humanitarians award in recognition of its generous gift in support of disaster relief following the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

The Hartford’s employees donated more than $308,000 to the Red Cross, which was matched by a corporate contribution, for a total donation of more than $617,000. Donations such as this helped the American Red Cross provide hurricane survivors with food, shelter, physical and mental health services and other assistance. The Red Cross continues to provide other ongoing support to people that were affected by these disasters.

The Circle of Humanitarians award, one of the organization’s highest honors, recognizes companies and individuals whose contributions provide life-saving support through Red Cross programs.

Jack McGuire, the American Red Cross’s president and CEO, today presented the award to Ramani Ayer, The Hartford’s chairman and CEO, at the company’s annual employee volunteer recognition ceremony at its world headquarters in Hartford, Conn.

“When hurricanes ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005, our employees responded quickly and generously to help those affected by the storms’ devastating destruction. The company was proud to match their contributions dollar for dollar,” said Ayer. “At The Hartford, we have a long tradition of supporting our communities through financial and employee volunteer support. On behalf of The Hartford’s 31,000 employees worldwide, we are honored to receive the Circle of Humanitarians award from the American Red Cross, which does so much to help those in need.”

In addition to donations in support of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma relief efforts, The Hartford is a supporter of the Charter Oak Chapter of the American Red Cross, located in Farmington, Conn., near the company’s headquarters and several other major office locations. Since the early 1950’s, The Hartford has sponsored American Red Cross Blood Drives at its offices to help maintain a healthy blood supply. In 2006, the company ran 40 days of blood drives at its Connecticut locations, collecting nearly 2,500 units of blood. Currently, some 700 Connecticut-based employees are milestone donors, having donated 1, 5, 10, 15 or 20 gallons of blood at company-sponsored blood drives. The Hartford also runs regular blood drives at its major offices in other cities, including Charlotte, N.C., San Diego, Calif., Woodbury, Minn., and Syracuse, N.Y.

“We are thankful to the entire Hartford family for the generous donation which allowed the Red Cross to provide help to our neighbors affected by these storms and their aftermath,” said Jack McGuire, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. “The American Red Cross also responds to more than 70,000 disasters a year, a majority of which are home fires. The support that The Hartford provides to its local chapter, as well as their support of blood drives, is critical to ensuring that the Red Cross is ready to help those in need. By helping the Red Cross, The Hartford and its employees are helping America.”



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