For more than 160 years, the business of New York Life has centered around one fundamental promise: We will be there, in times of need, for those who have placed their trust in us.

This is the pact that an insurance company makes with its policyholders. But it is also part of a greater social contract. As adults, all of us have an obligation to the next generation – an obligation to be there for the children in our communities who place their trust in us.

Just as people buy insurance because they can't shoulder all of life's financial risks alone, it is also true that children can't be expected to navigate all the challenges of growing and learning on their own. Their success in life depends not just on their parents or caregivers, but also on the availability of resources and the involvement of other adults in their neighborhoods.

Through our Company's charitable arm, the New York Life Foundation, and our award-winning Volunteers for LIFE program, we provide support to a multitude of nonprofit organizations. Today, the majority of our resources are dedicated to helping young people as part of a Company–wide initiative we call Nurturing the Children.

And while each of the Foundation's grants funds a specific project, the conclusion, for us, is always the same: When you touch a child's life, you transform your own.

Every day, these young people inspire us with a deeper understanding of what it means to serve others with humanity, integrity and strength. Furthermore, they remind us that the value of any enterprise is ultimately measured not by the immediate returns of the day, but by the legacy you leave for tomorrow.

In the end, I'm not always certain who is nurturing whom. But I can tell you that it is a very great honor to help children who are so deserving of our support. It is an honor, as well, to work alongside New York Life's employees, agents and retirees who very generously give of themselves. Their genuine spirit of compassion and caring is at the very heart of our philanthropic mission.

Sy Sternberg
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer