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| CHANGE
Walnut Creek, Calif., November 18, 2013 — The American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter announced that it has named CSAA Insurance Group President and CEO Paula Downey as the 2014 Humanitarian CEO of the Year. The announcement was made on November 5 at a reception for the Bay Area philanthropic and corporate community at the law offices of Pillsbury in downtown San Francisco. Downey will officially accept the award at the 2014 Red Cross Gala, which takes place on Saturday, April 5, 2014, on the Great Lawn on Treasure Island.
Each year, the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter selects a local CEO to be honored at the Red Cross Gala – one who embodies the visionary qualities of a humanitarian by being a leader, an advocate and a philanthropist, who has made a significant contribution to the Bay Area community.
The American Red Cross is honoring Downey as this year’s recipient in recognition of her long-standing support of the American Red Cross. As the leader of CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer, Downey oversees a coast-to-coast operation providing AAA-branded insurance to members in 23 states and Washington D.C. The company’s 3,500 employees frequently work side by side with Red Cross volunteers to restore people’s lives in the wake of major disasters, such as Superstorm Sandy and the Moore, Oklahoma tornado.
CSAA Insurance Group and the local AAA club affiliate, AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah, have been partners with the American Red Cross for over 14 years. Together, the organizations have donated over $3 million to support disaster preparedness and training in their local communities. CSAA Insurance Group, Deloitte, and Saama Technologies are the presenting sponsors of the 2014 Red Cross Gala in San Francisco.
Keith White, Senior Vice President with Gap, Inc., and Board of Directors Chair for the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter welcomed the guests to the reception. 2014 Red Cross Gala Chairs Gwyneth Borden and Lillian Phan were on-hand to introduce Red Cross Gala Honorary Co-Chairs, Mary Cranston, Retired Senior Partner and Immediate Past Chair of Pillsbury, who in turn recognized Paula Downey for her leadership and personal commitment to supporting those in need.
In her remarks, Downey commented that her humanitarian values were instilled by her family at a young age and she brings that passion for supporting the community to her professional life. She continued, “Leaders inspire others to action. I am inspired by our generous and caring AAA employees, by all who provide financial support for life-saving Red Cross programs and by the selflessness of Red Cross employees and volunteers, who accomplish so much with every dollar raised.”
Finally, Mark Cloutier, Regional CEO of the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter, expressed his appreciation for the generous donations and support of community leaders as well as the corporate sponsorships that make the Red Cross Gala possible and help raise money to support Red Cross initiatives in the Bay Area.
CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer, offers automobile, homeowners and other personal lines of insurance to AAA members through partnerships with AAA clubs in 23 states and the District of Columbia. It is the 16th largest personal lines property and casualty insurance group in the United States and is rated A+ by A.M. Best.