For 130 middle school students in Rhode Island, a performance of Disney's The Lion King may have been their first Broadway production - and it came at no cost to them. Rhode Island-based insurance brokerage Starkweather & Shepley covered the cost of attendance in partnership with the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), Roger Williams Middle School, and Joseph Jenks Middle School, giving students access to one of Broadway's most prominent productions.
Roger Williams Middle School is a participant in Turnaround Arts, a national program operating in more than 100 schools across the United States that integrates the arts into school culture and academic life. PPAC has operated arts education programs across Rhode Island for a number of years, with an established focus on expanding access to live theater beyond those who can readily afford it. The collaboration extended that reach further, to students for whom a Broadway production would not typically be within reach.
For Starkweather & Shepley, the initiative reflects a direct alignment between client relationships and community investment. The brokerage operates a dedicated Arts, Culture and Entertainment practice that works with performing arts organizations - making PPAC not just a community partner, but a client community the firm knows well.
"At Starkweather & Shepley, we believe that access to arts and cultural experiences can have a profound impact on young people," said Stefan Petrella, senior vice president and arts, culture and entertainment practice director at Starkweather. "We are proud to partner with PPAC and our local schools to help provide students with opportunities that inspire creativity, broaden perspectives, and encourage a lifelong appreciation for the arts."
Starkweather & Shepley's initiative is part of a broader pattern of US insurance companies investing in youth education and community programs, with arts access emerging as a recurring focus alongside mental health and general educational outreach.
In March, Pan-American Life Insurance Group marked its 115th anniversary with a day of service in partnership with KID smART, a New Orleans nonprofit that expands access to arts-rich learning for public school students, bringing together 115 employees, families and friends for school beautification projects and outdoor classroom enhancements.
The trend extends beyond arts-specific programs. The Cigna Group Foundation has committed $9 million over three years to its Improving Youth Mental Health grant program, reaching over 34,000 young people, families and professionals in underserved communities across two grant cycles. Its 2026 program focuses on social-emotional learning, trauma-informed services, and family-school partnerships.
The investments reflect a growing recognition across the industry that community engagement - particularly around education and youth development - has become a meaningful component of corporate identity for insurance firms operating at the local and regional level. For specialty brokerages like Starkweather & Shepley, that identity and their client relationships point in exactly the same direction.
