The Pacific Life Foundation’s 3T’s of Education program doesn’t just benefit children and specific schools. It helps change entire communities.

Each year, the Pacific Life Foundation gives education grants to schools with concentrations of children or grandchildren of Pacific Life employees for three specific uses: teacher training, textbooks and technology. These tools are vital ingredients in helping children grow into citizens who can make a difference in the world themselves.

The 3T’s program was set up in 1998 to cope with a flood of requests from Pacific Life employees to help fund various local education initiatives. “Every year we would get requests from all employees. ‘Can you give to my PTA? Can you give to my book drive?’” said former SVP of Public Affairs, Bob Haskell. “We just couldn’t do every little tiny thing.”

Fortunately, he had an idea for a remedy. Pacific Life surveyed employees to find out where their children and grandchildren went to school. Pacific Life began giving grants directly to the schools where there were concentrations of three or more students from the families of Pacific Life employees.

Since its inception, the program has given over $7.2 million for use in K-12 schools nationwide, with 2017 donations adding up to more than half a million dollars for 158 schools.

“Donations to our schools through the 3T’s of Education grants are just one example of giving back to the community,” said Debbie Huber, who worked in the Group Health division in the early 2000s. “It also makes parents and grandparents very proud their company is helping to make a difference in the education of our children.”