John Hancock Financial Donates 35,000 Trees to Michigan Forest
December 17 2009 - 10:37AM
PR Newswire (US)
Part of Corporate Celebration in Honor of Parent Company Manulife
BOSTON, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- John Hancock Financial
will donate 35,000 trees to the American Forests' 2010 Kirtland's
Warbler Habitat Creation project in the Huron Manistee Forest. The
project is designed to provide habitat restoration for the
Kirtland's Warbler, an endangered species song bird which requires
both the particular Jack Pine species to nest in and scattered
openings of land to fulfill their habitat needs. As part of a
celebration of ten years as a public company, John Hancock's
parent, Toronto-based Manulife Financial Corporation, pledged to
donate a tree for each of its employees, agents and retirees
(75,000 total) and allotted 35,000 to John Hancock for planting in
the U.S. John Hancock elected to plant its trees in support of an
American Forests project in Michigan. "John Hancock and Manulife
Financial have a longstanding relationship with the state of
Michigan. In fact, Manulife Financial established its U.S.
operations in Michigan in 1903, so we want to give back to the
state that has become so important to the company," said Jim
Gallagher, Executive Vice President, John Hancock Financial. "We
are proud of the growth that these trees symbolize and hope that
they too grow to rebuild this habitat." "It is thanks to the
generosity of our corporate partners and our individual members,
that we are able to accomplish so much," said American Forests Vice
President Greg Meyer. "We thank John Hancock for deciding to work
with us on this project." The trees are expected to be planted in
the spring of 2010. About the Huron-Manistee National Forests The
Huron-Manistee National Forests comprise almost a million acres of
public lands extending across the northern lower peninsula of
Michigan. The Huron-Manistee National Forests provide recreation
opportunities for visitors, habitat for fish and wildlife, and
resources for local industry. About American Forests American
Forests' mission is to grow a healthier world with trees by working
with communities on local efforts that restore and maintain forest
ecosystems. Our work encompasses planting trees, calculating the
value of urban forests, fostering environmental education, and
improving public policy for trees at the national level. We have a
goal of 100 million trees planted by 2020. About John Hancock
Financial and Manulife Financial Manulife Financial is a leading
Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of
customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as
Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily through John
Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse
range of financial protection products and wealth management
services through its extensive network of employees, agents and
distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial
and its subsidiaries were Cdn$436.5 billion (US$407.1 billion) as
at September 30, 2009. . Manulife Financial Corporation trades as
'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK.
Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at
http://www.manulife.com/. The John Hancock unit, through its
insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in
the United States. John Hancock offers a broad range of financial
products and services, including life insurance, fixed and variable
annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, long-term
care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business
insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found
at http://www.johnhancock.com/. DATASOURCE: John Hancock Financial
Services CONTACT: Melissa Berczuk of John Hancock Financial
Services, +1-617-663-4750, Web Site: http://www.jhancock.com/
Copyright