The Company That Cares

Western & Southern is a passionate corporate citizen determined to promote a strong economy, exceptional health care, educational achievement and a rewarding quality of life in Cincinnati.

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Community Impact

Making Cincinnati Great Together

At the heart of everything we do are the needs of our customers and our associates. And in successfully serving them, we create opportunity to help others. We focus our efforts on causes that improve and advance our community, economic development, human services, health care, education and the arts.

Community Impact Brochure (PDF)

$55 Million

in sponsorships & donations over the past five years

300+

organizations & nonprofits supported

Building Our Community

Through several major sponsorships, we are helping make Cincinnati the best place to live, work and celebrate life.

$68.6 Million

economic impact to the region, benefitting hundreds of businesses

$1.2 Million

raised for Freestore Foodbank, equal to more than 3 million meals

$1 Million+

raised through Zoofari, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's largest annual fundraiser

$1 Million

raised in 2019 benefitting cancer research in Cincinnati

$120,000+

raised for 10 local charities, such as UC Health Barrett Cancer Center, Girls on the Run & Keeping Cincinnati Beautiful

$73,000

raised for The Salvation Army

Growing Economic Development

We are committed to helping our community grow, and we strongly believe that the community prospers when its individuals and businesses succeed. That’s why we support local businesses and the economy through sponsorships of major Cincinnati pastimes such as the Western & Southern Open and the Western & Southern/WEBN Fireworks.

The 2019 Western & Southern Open, a U.S. Open Series tennis tournament, generated $68 million in regional economic impact to local businesses and since 1974 has helped raise more than $11 million for local nonprofits, including Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the UC Health Barrett Cancer Center and Tennis for City Youth. The 2019 Western & Southern/WEBN Fireworks, a Cincinnati tradition for 40 years, raised almost $1.2 million for the Freestore Foodbank, equal to 3.5 million meals.

Expanding Human Services

A compassionate community knows how to take care of each other, especially those most in need of human services. Our associates and corporate foundation donated $1.34 million to United Way in 2019, making Western & Southern the fourth largest corporate contributor in Cincinnati.

The company and our associates also volunteered 377 hours to complete a Habitat for Humanity house for a local family in 2019. The home was constructed for a single mother of four who worked alongside Western & Southern volunteers during the build. We also supported 63 families and 43 seniors in the region during the 2019 holidays through our Spirit of Giving campaign.

Promoting Education

Building strong communities involves creating solid educational foundations for our children and recognizing and rewarding excellence among our educators. Western & Southern invests in the next generation of Greater Cincinnatians with our donation of more than $1 million to nonprofits promoting education and youth development. We also matched associate donations to 19 colleges and universities and funded the Western & Southern Lobby at Xavier University's Williams College of Business.

Rewarding Local Educator Excellence With the Hawkins Award

In 2020, Western & Southern presented the 14th annual Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins Educator of the Year Award, a $10,000 gift to an outstanding Cincinnati Public Schools educator who has elevated the educational process in our public schools to an exceptional level through personal commitment, dedicated focus and outstanding results.

Established by Western & Southern in 2007, the Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins Educator of the Year Award is a way for us to recognize and reward these educators for their commitment to inspiring Cincinnati’s children to excel in the classroom and beyond.

Hawkins Educator of the Year Award

Touching Lives Through Generosity

Our associates are generous with their time and resources, too.

$940,000+

donated to United Way

1,230

largest Walk MS team in the country

$216,000

contributed to the arts

Improving Health Care

We help drive the vitality and support the wellness of our hometown by donating to local causes that improve health care and provide basic resources to those who need it most. In 2019, the corporate foundation donated more than $4 million to local nonprofits promoting health and human services.

Since 1992, Western & Southern has been the title sponsor of Cincinnati's Walk MS, which raises money for research funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Our corporate foundation and our associates, friends and family have contributed more than $2 million to fund valuable research and bring help and hope to those living with this chronic and often disabling disease of the central nervous system.

Supporting the Arts

Arts education — cultivating personal creative expression and appreciation of dance, music, theatre and art — not only plays an essential role in the lives of our children but also helps strengthen future generations. Keeping the arts alive is critical to maintaining vibrancy throughout our communities. Western & Southern continues its tradition of promoting the local arts community to help connect people from all walks of life for the sharing of creative ideas and experiences.

We are among the top 10 corporate partners of Greater Cincinnati's ArtsWave campaign, which financially supports more than 100 arts and community organizations in our region. In 2019 our associates pledged nearly $300,000 to ArtsWave. In addition, Western & Southern is honored to sponsor galleries at the Cincinnati Art Museum and makes significant contributions to the Taft Museum of Art, Music Hall and many other local arts initiatives.