26 Oct

Starkweather & Shepley: Annual Celebration Honoree

Larry Keefe, chairman and CEO of Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage. S & S is the recipient of the 2021 Partners United Award.

It takes a village

We’ve all heard the saying, "There’s power in numbers." It’s a statement that particularly resonates here at United Way of Rhode Island, where we take great pride in our role as a convener, bringing community stakeholders together to address our state’s most important issues. And we are tremendously fortunate to have partners that support not only our work, but also our vision for a Rhode Island that is the best it can be.

Among those partners is Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage, the recipient of this year’s Partners United Award.

"What truly makes Starkweather & Shepley a champion in our community is the sheer breadth of the ways they are committed to giving back, and it all starts at the top," says Cortney Nicolato, United Way of Rhode Island’s president and CEO. "Whether corporate or employee giving, volunteerism, contributing to special collections and drives, or providing in-kind educational trainings to nonprofits, you can always count on S & S."

For more than 25-years, S & S has hosted an annual United Way campaign, with employees topping a total of $1 million raised for initiatives and programs that help to improve the lives of Rhode Islanders. In addition, the company’s Charitable Fund has awarded some $300,000 in grants to local organizations whose work focuses on serving children, while employees have proudly helped to build homes with Habitat for Humanity.

"Our approach and commitment to community is embedded in our DNA – we’re fortunate to be able to be in this position to support diversity and equity, and it’s a responsibility," says Larry Keefe, chairman and CEO of S & S. "It’s a privilege to be recognized and aligned with United Way of Rhode Island. Being a recipient of this award is an accomplishment that belongs to every one of our associates. As a company, we’re all in on this work."