Aviva Canada partners with the Canadian Red Cross to support disaster preparedness and response

Aviva Canada announced on Tuesday that is has become the first insurance company to join as a national corporate partner of the Canadian Red Cross’ Ready When the Time Comes program, committing over $500,000 to the partnership over the next three years.

Ready When the Time Comes recruits and trains corporate employees as disaster volunteers to provide assistance following natural disasters, including floods, house fires and forest fires, tornadoes, and extreme weather conditions, the Red Cross noted on its website. Their priority is to help the people affected by offering comfort and meeting their basic needs including shelter, food, clothing and personal items.

“This program provides a way for organizations to be involved in their communities by responding to community needs after a disaster,” the Red Cross said. “It also contributes an organization’s name and brand with the Canadian Red Cross – one of the world’s most trusted charitable organizations.”

The program was developed in 2001. Today, over 13,000 reservists are trained and ready to volunteer.

Related: Red Cross officials: Ebola spreading, and it’s hard to recruit health workers to go fight it

“We are extremely grateful for the generous involvement of Aviva Canada in our Ready When the Time Comes program,” said Conrad Sauvé, secretary general and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross in a press release. “We look forward to the contribution and support of their employees as volunteers in times of disasters.”

Greg Somerville, CEO of Aviva Canada, added in the release that “we’re looking forward to having our employee volunteers trained and ready to assist, and extending Ready When the Time Comes to our broker partners, allowing the program even greater reach. We are excited about partnering with the Red Cross to make a difference not just for our customers, but for all Canadians who are affected by disasters,” he added.

Aviva Canada Partners With the Canadian Red Cross to Support Disaster Preparedness and …: Ready When the Tim… http://t.co/JPXJRl8jmU

— Make Us Strong (@makeusstrong) March 31, 2015

Aviva Canada is one of the country’s largest property and casualty insurance groups, providing home, auto and business insurance to more than three million customers. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc and has more than 3,000 employees, 25 locations and 1,700 independent broker partners. Aviva Canada also invests in positive change through the Aviva Community Fund, Canada’s longest running online community funding competition. Since its inception in 2009, the fund has awarded $5.5 million to over 100 communities nationwide.

The Canadian Red Cross is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which includes the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and more than 189 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.