GEICO Announces 2005 Community Volunteer of the Year; Local Macon Woman Goes Well Beyond the Call of Duty

MACON, Ga., July 6 -- Tarras Thigpen, of Macon, was the honored recipient of the GEICO Volunteer Service Awards on Wednesday, July 5, at GEICO's headquarters in Washington, D.C., for the contributions she has made to the Macon community.

Thigpen received the John Thorne GCCC (GEICO Corporate Community Citizens) Award for her countless hours building and supporting the Macon community.

The oldest of eight siblings, Thigpen actively participates in community programs including Rebuilding Macon, Habitat for Humanity, Children's Miracle Network, Goodwill, Macon Rescue Mission, Komen Race for the Cure, Alzheimer's Association, GEICO's Social Responsibility Committee and GEICO's Safety Committee, and many others through the years. She effectively balances her volunteering with her work as a GEICO leinholder representative, church, raising two children with her husband, and studying for her associate's degree, which she expects to earn in October.

GEICO's Mary Zarcone, regional vice president in Macon, said, "Tarras was chosen because she epitomizes the spirit of volunteer service. What makes Tarras special is how she is able to fit all of her volunteer work in each day. GEICO rewards its associates who make a difference by contributing to the organizations for which they volunteer. We have donated $1000 to the Alzheimer's Association, Tarras's charity of choice."

"I love to help others," Thigpen said. "It doesn't matter if people know me or not, I just want to make others feel happy and let them know how GEICO goes the extra mile to help them. While she admits she has "a pocketbook full of sticky notes," she says, "It never seems to be too much, as long as you have a day planner, you can make anything happen."

Thigpen says she wouldn't be able to volunteer as much as she does if it weren't for her supportive husband and two children. "My husband and kids usually come with me to the volunteer events so we can all be together, but even though we keep busy with volunteering, Monday is designated as family night at home."

At the awards ceremony, keynote speaker, Darryl Pounds, a former Washington Redskins cornerback and an avid volunteer, thanked Thigpen for her work and said, "Through your selfless acts you make your community stronger and the lives of those around you better."

The GEICO Volunteer Service Awards are presented annually to recognize all the contributions GEICO associate volunteers make.

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is the fourth largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States. It provides auto insurance coverage for more than 7 million policyholders and insures more than 11 million vehicles. GEICO is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies. GEICO provides consumers with sales, service and claims capabilities on its geico.com Web site. Consumers may also contact the company at its toll free 1-800-841-3000 number. For more information, go to http://www.geico.com/.