Shining Star Award Kicks Off Disability Insurance Awareness Month

KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- He's appeared on Oprah, Dateline and in People's '50 Most Beautiful' issue. He is also the most-decorated skier in Paralympic history, a recent inductee into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, and is the first and only paraplegic to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. On May 5, Chris Waddell added another achievement to his list –Shining Star of Perseverance Honoree.

Waddell received the honor, awarded by Assurant Employee Benefits, because of the drive and persistence with which he recovered from a 1988 skiing accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. The award presentation kicks off Disability Insurance Awareness Month, dedicated to informing the public about the long-term effects of disability and how they can safeguard their futures.

As part of the presentation, Assurant Employee Benefits' president John Roberts presented a donation to Waddell's One Revolution, a non-profit dedicated to creating opportunity through mobility. The foundation delivers handcycles to developing countries to provide the disabled with not only transportation but a way to participate in commerce.  

"We are proud to present the Shining Star award every year, and Chris has certainly shown the world that someone with a disability can still accomplish outstanding things," said John Roberts, president and chief executive officer of Assurant Employee Benefits. "This award demonstrates our commitment as a company to helping all people with a disability do the same thing."

This marks the eighth year of the Shining Star award, which started as a way to recognize those who have demonstrated perseverance in the face of disability. As a carrier of disability insurance, Assurant Employee Benefits' is committed to helping claimants return to work, and recently earned high marks in an industry study on claimant satisfaction.

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About Assurant Employee Benefits

Assurant Employee Benefits specializes in quality employee benefits and services, including long-term and short-term disability, life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, dental coverage, and disability reinsurance management services. Assurant Employee Benefits is the brand name for insurance products underwritten by Union Security Insurance Company and for prepaid dental products provided by an affiliated prepaid dental company.  In New York, insurance products are underwritten and prepaid products are provided by Union Security Life Insurance Company of New York, which is licensed in New York and has its principal place of business in Syracuse, New York.  Plans contain limitations, exclusions and restrictions.  

Assurant Employee Benefits is a part of Assurant, a premier provider of specialized insurance products and related services in North America and select worldwide markets. Its four key businesses -- Assurant Solutions, Assurant Specialty Property, Assurant Health, and Assurant Employee Benefits -- partner with clients who are leaders in their industries and have built leadership positions in a number of specialty insurance market segments worldwide.

Assurant, a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AIZ. www.assurant.com

SOURCE Assurant Employee Benefits