WESTFIELD CENTER, OHIO ? July 24, 2008 ? As part of Westfield?s focus on leadership development, educational and networking opportunities are frequently provided to employees. This year, organizers opted to utilize one such opportunity to impact the local community. Following a discussion around leadership development, participants will install three Born Learning Trails^SM, a tool used by United Way to enhance early childhood education.

"Research shows that investing $1 in a child?s success early on saves $17 down the road, with tangible results measured in lower crime, fewer single parents, and higher individual earnings and education levels," says Julie King, director of United Way of Medina County. "Some Medina County school districts are reporting that less than 50% of their incoming kindergartners are ready to learn; our goal is to see 75% of students passing kindergarten readiness exams."

A national initiative, Born Learning Trails^SM are a series of expert-approved learning activities that boost language and literacy development. By building these free and accessible trails at city parks, elementary schools and nonprofits; parents, grandparents and caregivers learn fun, easy ways to be the best teachers of their young children, from birth to five years of age.

"Our investment in succession planning and leadership development is driven by our commitment to our customers," stated Debra Lyons, chief human resource officer. "United Way has identified a need in this community, where many of our customers are living. Having our employees participate in a community service project is an excellent way to give back to those customers who place their trust in Westfield and in the process; they can learn and apply leadership skills."

All of the Medina County locations chosen for the trails are located where parents and families often travel with younger siblings; demonstrate a high need for the public school free lunch program; or have no ?educational recess component? on their playgrounds. The three locations chosen for installation on Thursday, July 24 are Memorial Park (Kaleidoscope Playground) in Wadsworth, the Medina Kindergarten Center and YWCA Medina County.

For more information about Born Learning Trails^SM, contact jking@unitedwaymedina.org. For more information about a career at Westfield Insurance, visit www.westfieldinsurance.com.

In business for 160 years, Westfield Insurance, a member of Westfield Group, provides commercial and personal insurance in 18 states and surety services to customers in 28 states. Westfield is one of the nation?s 50 largest property and casualty insurance groups, represented by a network of over 1,200 independent insurance agencies. Westfield Group provides banking through Westfield Bank^SM and agency support through Westfield Services, Inc.

Contact:
Terri Grimm, Westfield Insurance, 330.887.0515, TerriGrimm@westfieldgrp.com

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