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UnitedHealth Group, which has a headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is giving back in the memory of George Floyd. The healthcare group announced this week that it will be donating a whopping $10 million to George Floyd’s family and to rebuild small businesses that have been damaged during the protests, according to a press release.
“George Floyd’s death is an unspeakable tragedy. Communities all across America are struggling to make sense of what’s happened and how we as a society pull together to move forward, heal, learn and grow,” said David S. Wichmann, chief executive officer of UnitedHealth Group. “The 325,000 people of UnitedHealth Group remain steadfast in our commitment to not only build a culture of inclusivity and diversity within our own organization but to ensure our actions help create a more equitable society for the people we serve.”
The company is set to donate $5 million and up to 25,000 hours of its employees’ volunteer time.
To help the family, UnitedHealth Group is establishing a Diverse Scholars trust fund to support Floyd’s children’s education through undergraduate college in an effort to help his kids reach their full academic potential.
“We all have a lot of work ahead of us to address long-standing inequities, and it’s going to take individuals, governments and private enterprises like UnitedHealth Group to achieve our goals of a more inclusive society,” said Glen Gunderson, president and chief executive officer of YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities. “We’re grateful for this contribution, which will help us accelerate our efforts to drive positive change in our communities.”
Floyd was killed after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on the back of his neck for nearly 8 minutes while Floyd pleaded for air. The ex-officer, Derek Chauvin, has been arrested for third-degree murder. The three other officers involved — Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao — have been fired by the Minneapolis Police Department and remain under investigation.
