Liberty Mutual to Award $100,000 to Area Causes Funding Through ‘Like My Community’ Facebook Campaign

Liberty Mutual Insurance, one of the nation’s leading auto and home insurers with three greater Milwaukee offices, today launched the return of its ‘Like My CommunityTM Project,’ a Facebook-based campaign to provide $100,000 in support to local Milwaukee non-profit causes. Seven organizations identified by Liberty Mutual’s local employees will vie for residents’ votes on Facebook, with the top three charities each receiving $30,000 and the four runners-up each earning $2,500. Milwaukee residents can cast one vote daily for their favorite causes from June 25 through August 20 at facebook.com/libertymilwaukee. An additional daily vote can be cast by texting “LMMIL” to 61698 and selecting the preferred cause. Liberty Mutual will announce the winners in late August.

This marks the second year Liberty Mutual Insurance has presented the Like My Community Project in Milwaukee. In 2011, area residents chose the following organizations to receive $30,000 in funding from Liberty Mutual Insurance: the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Rescue Mission and Washington County Humane Society. Last year’s runners-up, each earning $2,500, were the Albrecht Free Clinic, Ozaukee Interurban Trail Advisory Council, Prevention & Protection of Abused Children (PPAC), and the West Bend Baseball Association. This year’s seven non-profit nominees are new to the Like My Community Project.

The Liberty Mutual Milwaukee branch offices nominated this year’s causes for their tremendous impact on the local community. “Our employees and agents are committed to helping customers protect their cars and homes, and are equally passionate about this community as a great place to live and work,” said Adam Boston, area manager for Liberty Mutual Insurance, the nation’s eighth-largest auto and home insurer. “The Like My Community Project received overwhelming support from the Milwaukee community last year, and we look forward to raising awareness of these inspiring causes and engaging with the local residents to provide much needed funds to support their programs and services.”

Large, three-dimensional Facebook “Like” buttons have been installed at four locations across the city to promote the campaign and to prominently identify the nominated Like My Community causes. The installations are located at the Brookfield Square Mall; the Johnson Creek Premium Outlets; the Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa; and the Southridge Mall in Greendale.

Milwaukee Like My Community nominees include:
•COA Youth & Family Centers – Helps Milwaukee children, teens and families reach their greatest potential through a continuum of educational, recreational, and social work programs.
•Hope House – An emergency and transitional living facility which provides temporary refuge for people in need of a place to sleep.
•Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer – Aims to help find a cure for childhood cancer and blood related disorders.
•One Heartland – Serves suffering and at-risk children in the United States, including those who experience poverty, HIV/AIDS, grief, foster care, Tourette's Syndrome and other obstacles.
•Pearls for Teen Girls (PEARLS) – Serves at-risk African American and Latina girls, ages 10 to 19, by helping them achieve in school and avoid teen pregnancy.
•Repairers of the Breach – Supports homeless people to act collectively to change their present living conditions through advocacy, education and direct action.
•Running Rebels – Dedicated to developing Milwaukee's youth mentally, physically and spiritually.

Each of these worthy organizations also are featured in a short video on the Like My Community Milwaukee Facebook page, offering a behind-the-scenes look at each cause and the people they serve or missions they accomplish.

More than 20 Liberty Mutual Insurance sales and customer service agents serve the auto and home insurance needs of greater Milwaukee residents from three local offices: two in the city at 11800 West Park Place and 330 East Kilbourne Avenue, and one in Brookfield at 15700 West Bluemound Road.