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This work matters to the core of my being.
-Melissa M. MacDonnell, Founder & President/ Liberty Mutual Foundation
You’ve probably seen the commercial on television a million times for Liberty Mutual (liberty liberty, liberty). But did you know that this Boston based insurance company founded in 1912 also has a philanthropic arm called the Liberty Mutual Foundation? Created by the company’s Vice President, Melissa M. MacDonnell in 2003, the Liberty Mutual Foundation has committed approximately 200 million dollars to 1,150 organizations through direct grants, with a focus on accessibility, homelessness and education. And let’s not forget the countless contributions made by an employee population of 50,000 people in 900 locations worldwide through a giving and service program called “Liberty Torchbearers”. With a focus on accessibility, youth homelessness and education, the Liberty Mutual Foundation recently funded Liberty House, a 10-bedroom home for homeless youth which opened its doors in Boston just one year ago. What does it take to do this work? That’s just one of the many questions we asked Melissa in this up-close and personal interview. She’s one of 11 children, who was taught at an early age to always be “genuine, fair-minded and to do the right thing”. A graduate of UMASS Amherst with a Master’s in Business Administration from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and in Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School, Melissa is hard-wired to do the work she does. A constant mentor to young women, she is a passionate believer in giving a voice to those who have been silenced. On the wall in her office, Melissa keeps a poem written by her late mother whom she describes as her role model. “The essence of who we are is achieved in the manner in which we live, the lives we make stronger and our love for neighbor as ourselves.” #GivewithLiberty @BWME #storybehindhersuccess #16LifeLessons #mydoveproductions @LibertyMutual