College of St. Vincent Students Supported by Insurance Industry Veterans

Together with Mary Griffin, President and CEO of the Life Insurance Council of New York (LICONY), our CEO, Richard White, was honored by the College of Mount Saint Vincent at its annual Scholarship Tribute Dinner at Cipriani at 25 Broadway on Wednesday, May 1^st. Given the two honorees’ backgrounds, this year’s event saw an impressive representation of who’s who in New York’s insurance industry.

A remarkable part of the College’s scholarship initiative is the Mott Street Scholarship Program, which is very near to Rich’s heart. This scholarship covers tuition, year-round room and board, fees, books, a computer, and insurance for gifted young students who have persevered through foster care or homelessness.

Steve Acunto, President of CINN Group, Inc. (which publishes the Insurance Advocate Magazine), and a corporate director, producer and trustee of educational and other non-profit institutions, introduced Rich at the event as “unflappable – one of the sharpest individuals: having Rich White analyze something is like having a scalpel.  He is insurance leadership beyond the job description.”

While Rich explained during his speech that he grew up with all the support he needed and loving parents who saw him through college, he asked, “What if I did not have a family? Would I be here today?” This is where we need to think about the teenagers who are homeless or in foster care; without a family to support them. The barriers to overcome are enormous without family support. Through the Mott Street Scholarship program, Mount Saint Vincent becomes the family these kids need.

As part of the evening’s program, attendees heard first-hand the touching, personal story of senior nursing student Samannie Estriplet: from surviving a natural disaster in Haiti as a child, to leaving for the U.S. to further her education and having the opportunity to thrive at the College.

Rich extended his recognition to his entire team at ShelterPoint during his acceptance speech: “I see this honor as a recognition of great contributions that a group of people decided they would make to a worthy cause. This worthy cause is the new Paid Family Leave program in the State of New York. My associates and I decided to take the lead in educating the New York community about this important expansion of the social contract. We decided to work proactively with our industry, government, employers and employees to make sure this was a win-win for all involved. Tremendous thanks to my wonderful, hard-working and smart team of associates from ShelterPoint for making this honor possible – several of whom are here tonight.”

Rich attributed the success of the Paid Family Leave implementation to the commitment to a public-private partnership with New York State and the close collaboration with then-Superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services Maria Vullo, who – as a College of Mount Saint Vincent alumna – was at the event as well.

View Photo Album on Facebook

The current fundraising tally shows that this event has generated well over half a million dollars – in fact, nearly $560,000 -  to help ensure the College continues to serve deserving and talented women and men, regardless of their financial means. We would like to thank our ShelterPoint employees and Board of Directors for their support as well as the many supporters who have donated on behalf of Rich, including these corporate contributors (listed in alphabetical order):