Giving & Getting Back: Ameriprise, Cambridge, Commonwealth

With the holiday season in full swing, Investment Advisor asked broker-dealers and financial advisors to describe how they have donated time and other resources over their careers. Reading through these vignettes, we have been touched by the generosity of organizations and individuals and impressed by the incredible variety of their non-profit partners.

Here is part 2 of 5 highlighting three of the 14 stories Investment Advisor received from broker-dealers and advisors.

Ameriprise Financial

Brian Mora running the New York City Marathon in 2017 on behalf of Race 4 Chase.

To honor the memory of 2012 Sandy Hook shooting victim Chase Kowalski, age 6, Brian Mora, senior franchise field vice president at Ameriprise Financial, runs marathons, raising money for the CMAK Sandy Hook Memorial Foundation, started in 2013 to honor the life of Chase.

According to Mora, already at age 6, “Chase was an avid athlete and particularly loved running and triathlons. Each summer, CMAK takes a group of kids through a triathlon training program, and at the end of the summer, the kids participate in the Race 4 Chase Kids’ Triathlon,” he said.

Since 2013, Mora has completed more than 40 races, including the New York City Marathon and Ironman Florida, to raise awareness and funding for the foundation. To date, he’s raised more than $50,000 for the organization.

Kelly Fox at the Christmas Is for Kids donor center.

For 26 years, Kelly Fox, Ameriprise private wealth advisor, has supported the Greater Attleboro Area Council for Children and is chair of one of the council’s programs — Christmas Is for Kids, a non-profit that helps to make this time “a little brighter for those in need,” she says.

Through this work, Fox raises awareness of the need in the community, encourages hundreds of volunteers and donors to help out and ultimately coordinates gifts for 1,000 local children in Southeastern Massachusetts, ensuring they have new warm clothes and toys. The holidays are meant to be joyful, but for many, the pressure to make ends meet intensifies as the season approaches.

Cambridge Investment Research

Jeff Vivacqua at the Cambridge 2018 Ignite conference presenting a donation to IWIN.

Jeff Vivacqua, senior vice president of marketing at Cambridge, has been on the board of Invest in Others Charitable Foundation since 2016, although he notes that Cambridge has supported the program for years. Invest in Others recognizes individuals and firms across the advice industry that are making a difference by donating their time and money to causes that matter to them.

Vivacqua explained: “By sharing their stories and awarding funding to these organizations, we raise awareness, encourage others to get involved, channel additional resources to those in need, and demonstrate the generosity of the financial advice industry.”

A Walk in the Vines event for Our Nicholas Foundation.

He added that, “We’re also proud of the independent advisors choosing Cambridge who have also been recognized and honored for their dedication in giving back across the country and globally.”

Mark Anselmo, president of Anselmo Investment Management, based in San Diego and Temecula, California, launched the Our Nicholas Foundation in 2005, with his family, following his son Nicholas’ diagnosis of autism.