Community and contributions news and comment by David Logan
News and comment for December / January from CCB 103
The United States has an unrivalled history of corporate community involvement (CCI), one which stretches back to the days of Andrew Carnegie and beyond. In the 1950s and 1960’s US companies dominated the Fortune Five Hundred list of global multinationals and as American business began to spread around the world in the 1960s and 70s, it took the tradition of CCI with it. Britain and Europe benefited greatly in the 1980s from the example of American companies at home and abroad. What American companies have always excelled at is identifying innovative new programmes to address social problems and mobilising their employees in support of community initiatives. The stories in our community contributions section show how this tradition continues to spread around the world. Companies that were admired names in the 1980s, such as Levi Strauss, IBM and AT&T are still active in creating innovative programmes in Europe and the developing world, despite down sizing and re-structuring due to intense global competition. Companies like Intel and Gap are still promoting employee volunteering at home and abroad. Corporate philanthropy existed in most societies around the world but corporate volunteering and the large scale use of in-kind giving are truly American innovations.Today, commercial leadership of the world’s multinationals has passed to Europe and Asia. Companies based in Europe, make up 50% of the top 100 multinationals in the Fortune list and 37% of the top 500; Asia is 26% of the top 500 and the US now only 33%. There are some real leaders in international CCI based in Europe but it sadly has to be said, that as a group, the European multinationals and their Asian counterparts are not as consistent and creative as their US counterparts in developing community based responses to humanity’s problems. That has to change as the credit crunch bites and we continue to fail to meet the basic needs of billions in the developing world.
BSR expands factory women’s health initiative to Egypt
To address the need for health education among women in Egypt’s rapidly growing garment industry, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) has partnered with Levi Strauss & co and the Levi Strauss Foundation to expand the HERproject peer health education training program to six factories in Cairo, Ismailia, Giza, and Port Said. BSR’s HERproject connects multinational brands and their suppliers with health educators who train women in factories to act as “health ambassadors” by teaching their peers about reproductive health, maternal health nutrition, disease prevention, and how to access health services. The project represents an important first step in improving workplace health and awareness programs in Egypt, and in ensuring that female workers’ health needs are being addressed. The announcement was made on December 3.
Contact: BSR http://www.bsr.org
IBM partners with EU consortium to help aging population
IBM announced on November 18 a collaborative effort with European Union partners to develop new technology that will help support active aging and prevent cognitive decline in the elderly population. Based on intelligent audio and visual processing and reasoning, the “HERMES Cognitive Care for Active Aging” project will develop a combination of home-based and mobile device-based solutions to help older people combat the natural reduction in cognitive capabilities. The three-year project includes a special focus on developing an interface that will be comfortable for technology-averse users.
Contact: IBM http://www-03.ibm.com
Rice project on IBM world community grid yields promising results
A joint project between IBM and the University of Washington to develop new strains of rice that could produce crops with larger and more nutritious yields is now set to analyze data on the genes – three months ahead of schedule – according to a press release on December 10. The project is aiming to identify the function of rice proteins and enable researchers to identify which proteins could help produce more rice grains, ward off pests, resist disease or hold more nutrients. Ultimately, the project plans to create the largest and most comprehensive map of rice proteins and their related functions, helping rice researchers pinpoint which plants should be selected for cross-breeding to cultivate better crops.
Contact: IBM http://www-03.ibm.com
AT&T supports the Smith family’s Learning For Life Program
AT&T announced, on December 10, a contribution of £15, 618 to The Smith Family’s Learning for Life Program (LFL) to support disadvantaged children in Australia. This is the fifth consecutive year that AT&T has supported the Smith Family. Founded in 1922, The Smith Family is a national, independent and social enterprise that supports disadvantaged Australian children to create a better future through education.
Contact: AT&T http://www.att.com/
Gap employees honored with global founders’ award for dedication to giving back to their community
On December 9, Gap announced it will award a $50,000 grant and 80 hours of total paid time off in recognition of three of its employees as part of Gap’s annual Founders’ Award. This award honors the philanthropic legacy of Gap founders Doris and Don Fisher and is given to employees who best demonstrate personal community involvement and propose innovative solutions that deliver a positive social impact. The three employees, all based in San Francisco, received this year’s award for commitment to their community partner, Family Service Agency of San Francisco (FSA) and their innovative program pilot which focused on early intervention for schizophrenia. The grant money will help fund a new program to provide early diagnosis and cutting-edge treatment of schizophrenia for teens and young adults.
Contact: Gap Inc http://www.gapinc.com
Deloitte and Museum of Innovation team up to create renewable energy exhibit
On December 3, as part of its commitment to invest $50 million in skills-based pro bono professional services, Deloitte announced one of its first Silicon Valley pro bono clients, The Tech Museum of Innovation; a nonprofit hands-on technology and science museum in California. The Tech and Deloitte will team up to develop a new exhibit tentatively called “Choices,” which will feature innovative renewable energy technologies that are alternatives to today’s fossil-based fuels. The cross-functional Deloitte team will be comprised of consultants who specialize in clean tech, alternative energy and sustainability. Deloitte will assist the The Tech in the conceptualization of the exhibit, help recommend energy resources to be featured and connect The Tech with leading technology innovators to generate ongoing support of the exhibit.
Contact: Deloitte http://www.deloitte.com
Abbott calls for greater prevention, testing and treatment on world AIDS day
On the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, December 1, Abbott and the Magic Johnson Foundation called on the public to educate themselves, their family and friends about HIV/AIDS and its impact on the African-American community. A new social networking tool allows Facebook users to learn the facts about HIV/AIDS, get tested and seek treatment. Abbott and the Magic Johnson Foundation, partners in the “I Stand With Magic, Campaign to End Black HIV/AIDS,” aim to address the rate of HIV/AIDS spread among the African-American community.
Contact Abott http://www.abbott.com
Communities benefit from 1 million Intel volunteer hours in 2008
Intel Employees have honoured the company’s 40th anniversary by volunteering 1 million hours and raising $8 million, according to an announcement by the company on December 5. During 2008, 47,000 Intel employees volunteered in more than 40 countries (a more than 50% increase over 2007), for nearly 5,500 local schools, community support organizations and other non-profits. Increased volunteering where employees live and work has spurred the development of a new skills-based volunteer programme at Intel, matching employees who have specialized skills with community needs.
Contact: Intel www.intel.com
Mastercard and Meda pioneer financial services for youth
The MasterCard Foundation and Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) announced on December 15 a $5 million program to create inclusive financial services and education for youth in Morocco and Egypt. This five-year program, called Youth Invest, will enable microfinance institutions to develop and test innovative products, reaching approximately 50,000 people between the ages of 15 and 24, especially those living in rural areas. Until recently, microfinance institutions have not focused on poor youth, in part due to the perception of risks associated with serving young people who may lack collateral or work experience.
Contact: The MasterCard Foundation www.themastercardfoundation.org
Toyota gives root to UNEP’s billion tree campaign in Europe
The Toyota Fund for Europe with support from NGO partners and Toyota companies – will plant 1.2 million trees in Europe by the end of 2009 as part of UNEP’s Billion Tree Campaign. The initiative, launched in 2007 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is calling on citizens globally to plant seven billion trees – roughly one tree per person – by the end of 2009. Since 2007, Toyota has helped plant some 350,000 trees and invested an equivalent amount in related activities, as part of a company wide response to climate change.
Contact: Toyota www.toyotafund.eu
Procter & Gamble and Population Services International responding to cholera outbreak
Procter & Gamble and global health organization Population Services International (PSI) announced on December 23 that they will provide 10 million litres of safe drinking water to help prevent cholera in Zimbabwe. Developed by P&G, PURTM Purifier of Water is a powdered water clarification and disinfectant technology that comes in small packets. Using some of the same ingredients as municipal water systems, the PUR water purification packets remove pollutants and cysts, as well as killing viruses and bacteria, including the bacteria that cause cholera. PSI has the staff, infrastructure and resources to distribute the PUR packets provided by partner non-governmental organization, AmeriCares. The packets will be distributed for free to those living in areas with high cholera outbreaks in and around Harare, Beitbridge and Mudzi, Zimbabwe.
Contact: Procter & Gamble; Children’s safe drinking water campaign www.csdw.org.
Dow promotes healthy eating in local community
The Dow Haltermann’s Middlesbrough site is sponsoring a school allotment to be built by the Cleveland Fire Brigade on land surrounding its station in Grangetown with the target to promote health and wellbeing in the local community. The facility will allow local children to learn about the fruits and vegetables grown on the premises and develop healthy eating habits. In addition healthy cooking classes will be offered to the children and their families using the harvested foods. The initiative will also be supported by the participants of the Prince’s Trust Team Programme who will undertake a number of projects and tasks at the allotment relating to food hygiene and healthy cooking as part of their programme. The announcement was made on January 9.
Contact: Dow www.dow.com
Orange Foundation supports activities for visually impaired at Domaine de Chantilly Foundation
The Foundation to preserve and develop the Domaine de Chantilly has launched a new programme of activities for the visually impaired. On Thursday 27 November, with help from the Orange Foundation, the Chantilly Foundation invited two classes of schoolchildren, one sighted and one visually impaired, to visit the Grand Stables. The event was also sponsored by Nathalie Bizet, a visually impaired bronze medallist of the European championships in 2005. The children also attended a workshop entitled “Modelling with a portrait” which aims to make sighted children aware of the learning techniques used daily by those who are visually impaired. These activities were designed to complement initiatives already in place on the Domaine de Chantilly and reflect the Orange Foundation’s commitment to making culture as widely available as possible to the visually and aurally impaired.
Contact: Orange http://www.orange.com
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