Cathi Cullen Champions Hope In El Salvador
March 7, 2017
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We want to give a STANDING OVATION to Cathi Cullen, our very first Excalibur team member to help others through our Defender Difference Program.
We created the Defender Difference Program to champion defenders on our team who want to give back to others. As a team, we finally got to see the new initiative in action when Excalibur Insurance supported Cathi’s volunteer efforts in El Salvador, by providing her with time off and funds to help with a project that is extremely close to her heart.
In February, Cathi traveled to El Salvador to help build homes through an organization called Shelter Canada. She learned first-hand, during a previous trip to the country with a team from Huron Chapel in Auburn in 2009 – that being part of a team focused on helping others reminds you what’s really important in life. “Helping people isn’t about material things,” says Cathi, “it’s about making meaningful connections and experiencing the intangible rewards of making someone’s day.” In many ways – it’s no different from the way she helps her teammates and insurance clients on a daily basis.
During her time in El Salvador, Cathi, with the help of Shelter Canada, was able to assemble 8 kit homes. The cost of one of these was completely covered through fundraisers organized by supportive co-workers and the Defender Difference Program™.
“We were excited to hear about her experience and the long-term impact of this project.” says Jeff Roy “It goes without saying that we are extremely honoured to have someone like Cathi, with such a passion for giving back, on our Excalibur team”.
Building the 8 homes that Cathi’s team took part in, is part of a larger project called Transforma Cabañas and is designed to drive sustainable development in rural communities. As a direct result of this project in El Salvador – 174 children have access to improved nutrition, 18 families have been set-up with sustainable goat farms, employing 106 people, and local women now have access to vocational training.
“Just knowing that we can help improve someone’s life situation is an incredible feeling,” says Cathi, “It just goes to show that when a group of people all contribute in a small way, the sum of those efforts can have a massive long term impact.”
If you would like to learn more about Shelter Canada, or how you can get involved, please visit the Shelter Canada website.
