The Power of Blue Jeans to Help Kids in Need

PORTLAND, Ore., March 4  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Every year The Standard offers its employees the opportunity to wear jeans on Fridays in exchange for a donation to a local nonprofit. Organizers were skeptical that employees would be interested, much less willing, to dig into their pockets so that they could wear jeans. But, in just two years, more than $140,000 has been donated to local charities ChristieCare and the Make-A-Wish Foundation(R) of Oregon.

In 2006, The Standard selected ChristieCare (then the Christie School) as the beneficiary and ultimately donated $69,000 by the end of the year. The Standard then selected Make-A-Wish(R) in 2007 after reaching out to the 1,000-plus The Standard employees across the country in addition to the 2,200 employees here in Portland. Locally, employees donated more than $63,000 to the Oregon chapter of Make-A-Wish(R) while chapters across the country received $10,000.

Companies that raise $5,000 or more for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oregon are able to Adopt-A-Wish(R) for children with life-threatening medical conditions. The Standard employees' donations adopted the wishes of thirteen children and their families throughout Oregon and SW Washington. The following children's wishes came true with the help of The Standard's jeans day program:

  Mackenzie, age 5, of Beaverton I wish to go ...  to Walt Disney World(R)
  Resort.
  Michael, age 16, of Astoria I wish to go ...  to Hawaii.
  Crystal, age 12, of Salem I wish to go ...  to Walt Disney World(R)
  Resort.
  Jeremiah, age 4, of Portland I wish to have ...  a dolphin experience.
  D'Marius, age 8, of Portland I wish to go ...  to Walt Disney World(R)
  Resort.
  Ashley, age 13, of Aloha I wish to go ...  on a Caribbean cruise.
  Rebekah, age 4, of Banks I wish to meet ...  Dora the Explorer.
  Morgan, age 14, of Springfield I wish to have ...  a gaming laptop.
  Kennedy, age 9, of Amity I wish to go ...  shopping at the American Girl
  Place.
  Alina, age 3, of Vancouver I wish to have ...  a play structure.
  William, age 12, of Oregon City I wish to have ...  a bedroom
  redecoration.
  Dustin, age 13, of Philomath I wish to go ...  to Walt Disney World(R)
  Resort.
  Hayden, age 6, of Portland I wish to go ...  see my Granny in Florida.




"Providing an opportunity for The Standard's employees to engage in the communities where they live and work is a priority for our company," says Eric Parsons, Chairman, President and CEO, The Standard. "Our employees' generosity has exceeded what we ever believed a jeans day program could generate. It is powerful to see what a little 'out of the box' thinking can produce in terms of corporate philanthropy, and the difference it can make in the lives of others."

The Standard will continue to support and grow the jeans program in 2008.

This year, organizers have invited employees to choose which organizations will receive the funds. So far, 875 employees have donated $87,500 to 619 organizations locally and across the country.

About StanCorp Financial Group, Inc.

StanCorp Financial Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries marketed as The Standard -- Standard Insurance Company, The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York, Standard Retirement Services, StanCorp Mortgage Investors, StanCorp Investment Advisers, StanCorp Real Estate, StanCorp Equities, and StanCorp Trust Company -- is a leading provider of financial products and services. StanCorp's subsidiaries serve approximately 8.7 million customers nationwide as of December 31, 2007, with group and individual disability insurance, group life, AD&D and dental insurance, retirement plans products and services, individual annuities and investment advice. For more information about StanCorp Financial Group, Inc., visit its Web site at http://www.stancorpfinancial.com/. 

DATASOURCE: StanCorp Financial Group, Inc.



CONTACT:  Jodi Jordan of StanCorp Financial Group, Inc., [phone],

   



Web site:  http://www.stancorpfinancial.com/

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