This week Citizens Insurance proved to be a good corporate citizen of their home town Howell, Michigan. Partnering with the local parks and recreation authority, the financial firm opened the Howell Teen Center Internet Cafe. Let’s hope the impressionable young people spend a little of that online time building financial literacy.

In addition to a $15,000 grant from Citizens’ parent company’s foundation, The Hanover Insurance Group Foundation, several Citizens employees along with other community members worked together to help build and furnish for the teen resource.

“I am very pleased that Citizens was able to support our community’s youth through this donation. But, I am even more proud to see the number of our employees who helped create the vision of the Internet Cafe and stepped up and volunteered to bring the project to fruition,” said Paul J. Mueller, regional president for Citizens and The Hanover Insurance Group. “Clearly, the Howell Area Parks and Recreation Authority’s goal to offer students access to the internet to enhance their studies, aligned well with our organizations’ commitment to helping teens recognize their potential by providing the education, social support and the academic tools that they need to succeed.”

This is the type of good news we like to see from the financial sector. If you know of some good corporate citizens, send them my way and together we’ll spread the word!

Image Credit: jared, Flickr

Seth Goldman is the TeaEO of Honest Tea, one of the most successful organic bottled beverage companies which after just a decade of brewing up business has become a hot commodity in a very crowded industry. In February 2008, Honest Tea sold 40% to Coca-Cola for $43 million.

Behind the success of the USDA organic Honest Teas is a sustainable philosophy, but there’s a lot more to it says founder Seth Goldman and he’s sharing his secrets of sustainable success over at Green Biz:

More and more entrepreneurs are striving to strike such a balance between profit and principle, asking themselves, “Can I do the same in my company? Is my green dream really feasible?” Freelance writer and fair trade entrepreneur April Thompson spoke with Goldman recently to tap the leader for his secrets to start-up success.

Find out what it takes to be green from the get go: Seth Goldman’s Ten Great Tips for Socially Responsible Startups.