LANCASTER, Pa., Dec. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Suzanne Emmet, CPCU, CCEP, ARe, Senior Vice President of Claims and Corporate Compliance at Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. (Eastern) in Lancaster, was recently named president of Kids' Chance of America (KCA).  The mission of KCA is to create, assist and support all Kids' Chance organizations and other similar programs nationwide that provide educational opportunities and scholarships for the children of workers seriously injured or killed on the job. 

Emmet was elected president of the all-volunteer board of directors at KCA's annual meeting in May, and will serve a two-year term.  She will be responsible for leading the development of a strategic plan for the organization, which is still in its early stages. 

Emmet has more than 24 years of experience in the insurance and claims industry, and has worked at Eastern for 15 years.  She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers' Compensation's Conference Program Committee and a contributing author for the PA Chamber of Commerce's 2011 and 2013 editions of the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Guide. Emmet was recognized as a member of the 2002 Lancaster MS Leadership Class and is a two-time Athena Award finalist. She received her B.A. degree in Government from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA.

KCA is not a typical national non-profit organization in its structure.  The first Kids' Chance organization was founded in Georgia in 1987.  Several more state organizations were established in the following years.  In 2007, a group of state organizations joined together to create an overarching national organization to facilitate the sharing of ideas and fundraising at the national level.

"This is an exciting time for KCA.  Now that the framework for the national organization is in place, we are gaining momentum with our fundraising efforts and increased awareness in the workers' compensation industry, and our Board can now focus on a strategic plan and operating as a cohesive country-wide organization," said Emmet.

To that end, KCA has enlisted the services of The Burkhart Group to manage the organizational, strategic and day-to-day functions of the national group.  Vicki Burkhart will serve as executive director of KCA.

"In addition to utilizing the resources of The Burkhart Group to support our infrastructure, we are thrilled that externally, on the national level, KCA now has a voice in Washington, D.C.," notes Emmet.  "Jeremy Bethancourt, one of our Kids' Chance of Arizona board members, was recently appointed to the U.S. Secretary of Labor's Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH)."

About Kids' Chance

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately 4,000,000 workplace injuries each year in the United States, resulting in approximately 1,000,000 disabling injuries and 5,000 deaths. These serious work-related accidents can have a devastating effect on families, especially children. Already overwhelmed with difficult emotions, these children must now confront the hurdle of funding their education.  The mission of Kids' Chance is to help these children reach their potential by providing them with educational scholarships, so that they can pursue their dreams of graduating from various institutions of higher education.  For more information, visit www.kidschance.org.

SOURCE Kids' Chance of America