In September 2007 ACE Tempest Re Bermuda employees took part in the ACE Tempest Re Employee Volunteer Program. In a coordinated effort with KBB (Keep Bermuda Beautiful), the team spent the day at Lagoon Park / Lodge Point in Sandy’s Parish.

This picturesque spot on the island’s west end has been marred by illegal dumping and careless disposal of trash. The first half of the day was spent cleaning up the area where the illegal dumping takes place, as well as the park and beach. After lunch the team set back to work picking up articles that had been discarded in the bushes and trees along the roadside.

Even though the concept of Keeping Bermuda Beautiful is something that ACE believes everyone should aspire to on a daily basis, all the volunteers were able to walk away after a hard day's work with a sense of accomplishment, while contributing to the betterment of one of Bermuda’s best attributes, its beauty.

ACE Beautifies Philadelphia Parks

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware; and Cherry Hill, New Jersey employees participated in two annual neighborhood park clean-up events in Philadelphia as part of ACE’s continuing support of the Fairmount Park Conservancy’s Growing the Neighborhood initiative.

Working with local residents and our Growing the Neighborhood partner, NovaCare Rehabilitation, the ACE volunteers made a significant impact at the two parks – Penn Treaty Park, in the city’s Fishtown neighborhood and Cobbs Creek Park in West Philadelphia.

At Penn Treaty Park, volunteers removed trash and invasive plant growth, weeded around trees and park sculptures, cleaned up the parking lot area, trimmed shrubs and swept sidewalks. These efforts will enhance the improvements planned through the Growing the Neighborhood program, which include tree maintenance and removal, ornamental plantings at the park entrance, additional benches around the playground and possibly an artistic piece related to the history of the park or the adjacent Delaware River.

At Cobbs Creek Park, volunteers planted a symbolic tree for the beginning of the clean-up, removed invasive plant growth and picked up trash in the Callowhill section of the park. These activities will complement the planned Growing the Neighborhood-funded improvements, which include beautification along the street side of the park, gateway improvements with new plantings, benches and litter receptacles, trail improvements, invasive plant removal and tree planting.

About the Growing the Neighborhood initiative:
Launched in the fall of 2003, the Fairmount Park Conservancy's Growing the Neighborhood (GTN) initiative seeks to revitalize Philadelphia's community parks through financial and volunteer support from local companies. ACE is contributing $100,000 over four years to the program, which will help strengthen and support Philadelphia ’s neighborhood parks while also showcasing ACE’s commitment to the communities in which our employees live and work. Each June, ACE employees are invited to show their support for the initiative by volunteering to participate in clean-up events at the parks chosen to receive GTN funds. To date, nine city parks have been revitalized through the GTN program.