RF&G’s Impact of Community Stewardship in Belize
Being ethical stewards of local communities, customers, and employees safeguards an organization’s own future—but RF&G Insurance doesn’t just talk about change, they’re the ones walking it too, even if that means paving a new path. “We like to tell our staff that change starts within, and it starts with us,” says Operations Manager Toni Chanona-Bradley, “Our community, the environment, and even civic pride; it’s all connected.” As a non-profit membership organization, the Belize Game Fish Association happily falls within RF&G Insurance’s pillar ethos of ‘giving back’ in campaigns geared towards youth, sports, and the environment. As we welcome RF&G Insurance as a Platinum Sponsor for the 14th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic fishing tournament, we’re elated to learn just how wide their encouragement of community stewardship spans in Belize!
Stewardship Starts At Home (& The Workplace)
RF&G celebrates Staff Appreciation Day with fun freebies, including reusable water bottles.
“Being socially and environmentally conscious has been a core focus for us internally since our inception,” Chanona-Bradley continues, “But we’ve really committed to other elements to complete a more holistic take on sustainability and stewardship.” After all, their vision is to be a leading world-class insurer in Belize, satisfying the ever-changing needs of customers through integrity and innovation while providing continuity for clients, shareholders, employees, and the community. Regarding the environment, RF&G is markedly paperless wherever possible (within the red tape of procedures) through any renewals, invoices, or receipts to actively reduce the company’s carbon footprint.
RF&G staff regularly participates in coastal clean-ups.
Beyond internal initiatives to contribute back to the environment (like internal coastal clean-ups), RF&G’s contribution to social causes with positive and measurable community efforts goes beyond monetary contributions. Instead, staff contributes their most important resource instead: time. Physically participating and getting involved means enacting change and inspiring civic pride within their own organization; the goal is to take this new experience home with them, positively impact their friends and family, and then have the ripple effects seemingly endless.
For example, RF&G’s desk calendars are themed yearly, with each page representing an important social, environmental, or economic cause in Belize that’s distributed to every customer—an impressive feat considering the company holds 50 percent of the general insurance market share in Belize. Last year, the 2023 calendar’s pages were a voice for grassroots projects across the country that align with the company’s values, like Allison Ifield’s Caye Caulker Strong Mangrove Project. Staff ventured out to help contribute to the island’s climate resiliency by planting mangroves on Caye Caulker, a high-impact weather event island, and witnessing the Ifield’s work firsthand. In one swift move, RF&G’s support of the Caye Caulker Strong Mangrove Project, in turn, supports the nature-based solution of mangrove restoration and coastal protection of the island.
Encouraging Community Through Sportsmanship
E. P. Yorke High School inaugurated a New Basketball Court, made possible through the collaborative efforts of RF&G Insurance, BTB, and EP Yorke High School. RF&G proudly employs eight E.P. Yorke alums, with six serving in Key Supervisory and Managerial roles.
Our General Manager, Andrew Roe, has always highlighted the significance of sports in Belize. Internally, that looks like encouraging staff and youths to stay active within a community—wherever their passion leads them, whether into running, basketball, or even rugby. Take RF&G’s General Manager Andrew Roe, BGFA’s own past president from 2010-2020, is an avid fisherman.
Roe (L) teaches the next generation the beauty, stewardship, and camaraderie of sportfishing in Belize with.
“Fishing has been my passion since I was a very young child. It started out as just enjoying being on the water and slowly morphed into what I found as a purpose to protect the incredible marine biodiversity Belize has been blessed with. Now that I have children of my own, I am reliving the enjoyment of fishing through their eyes, and am passing on my passion for conservation to them. The Belize Game Fish Association is made up of an incredibly diverse network of people who all share this passion for fishing and the sea. Long before it was hip and trendy, the BGFA has been a steward for both conservation and good sportsmanship, which is why RF&G has and will continue to support the organization for many years to come!”
With a community we’ve built to over 100 members today, the Belize Game Fish Association takes this opportunity to thank RF&G Insurance for their uninterrupted and keen support to make that possible, especially as a Platinum Sponsor in our 14th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic!
