When Peter Whalen, president of Whalen Insurance, considers his company’s 50 years in business, his thoughts turn to his father.

Joe Whalen, who opened Whalen Insurance in 1961, was a hard worker, running a popular service station and home heating oil business before going into insurance.

“He pumped more gas than anyone else in Western Massachusetts,” Peter says, “eight gallons for a dollar.”

When it came time to celebrate the Whalen Insurance 50-year anniversary, Peter decided to do what his father would have done: give to others as part of the celebration.

“Fifty years is significant” says Peter, who took over the company in 1982 when his father decided to play more of a supporting role. “I thought a lot about how to recognize it. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate 50 years than by supporting the United Way.”

The Whalen Insurance 50 for 50 Invitation to Lead is a $25,000 matching grant designed to inspire new, renewed and increases in Leaders’ Circle giving. With a goal to leverage $25,000 from Leaders, the match will provide a $50,000 boost to this year’s UWHC Community Campaign—a resounding celebration of the company’s 50 years in business.

For Peter Whalen, giving back is in his blood. Growing up in Northampton, he watched his father’s example of helping others, sometimes filling customers’ heating oil tanks when cash was low, knowing he might never be paid.

“So many people have come up to me and said, ‘If it wasn’t for your dad, we would have frozen,’” says Peter. “It’s my father’s legacy —giving to folks who were not as fortunate.”

Like his father, Peter volunteers his time amply, serving on several boards, giving generously to causes. A longtime Leaders’ Circle member, Whalen chaired the UWHC’s leadership giving efforts for 8 years.

For Peter Whalen, the 50 for 50 Invitation to Lead is a perfect tribute to the man whose footsteps he follows. “I feel privileged and so fortunate to be able to contribute in this way,” he says. “I think of my father—this is a way to honor him.”