Chattanooga-based Unum giving tops $13 million in 2012

The Unum headquarters in downtown Chattanooga.

Photo by John Rawlston.

Chattanooga-based Unum and its employees gave more than $13 million in charitable support in 2012, with $3 million going to nonprofits in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia.

In addition, employees in Unum's Chattanooga office volunteered 25,000 hours of time to their favorite local causes, according to the disability insurer.

"The needs in our communities continue to be greater than ever," said Joe Foley, Unum's chief marketing officer.

The company primarily focuses its charitable efforts on supporting public education initiatives that provide more opportunity for students to learn.

Now in its fifth year, Unum continued its partnership with the Hamilton County Department of Education through grants to support mentorship programs, improve achievement levels and increase the use of technology in classrooms.

In addition to classroom grants, the company supported the Principal Leadership Academy, which was launched in 2010 to prepare aspiring school principals with leadership training and business mentorship from Unum executives. Unum also provided $100,000 to help fund the build-out of Chattanooga's new STEM school.

The company additionally strengthened its commitment to public education through charitable giving and employee engagement with organizations such as Big Brother Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, Girls Inc. and Urban League. The United Way was another big beneficiary of Unum's corporate giving last year.