SOURCE:America's Charities

DESCRIPTION:

Twenty five years ago, Michael W. Weiner, M.D., decided to make it his life's mission to find a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. “I had to choose one disease to focus on, because in science that’s the way you have the most impact and it was a very deliberate decision to go after Alzheimer’s. It was obviously a disease of great importance with a lot of people affected.”

More than five million Americans suffer from this progressive brain disorder. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It is almost certain that all Americans will know someone who is affected by the disease, or is diagnosed themselves. It is a painful experience for everyone involved, emotionally and financially. The symptoms range from memory damage to hallucinations, which can translate into a loss of independence and even self-identity. “You may have a grandparent now who can’t manage their own finances, or who can’t shower on their own independently,” explains Dr. Weiner. “It is a big problem with huge costs to society.”  

With the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease expected to triple by 2050, Dr. Weiner’s research has never been more critical. He has served as the Principal Investigator of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) since its launch 12 years ago, when the National Institute on Aging and the private sector, lending support through the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), funded the study. A first-of-its-kind partnership between the federal and the private sectors in Alzheimer’s disease, ADNI brings together scientists and leaders from academia, biomedical companies and not-for-profit organizations to uncover the biological markers (biomarkers) that track disease progression. The study, now in its third incarnation after consistently being renewed and expanded, uses imaging, biochemical and genetic data to identify changes taking place in the brains of 800 individuals with normal cognition and at different stages of disease. Most significantly, the data are made immediately available to any researcher at any organization. This means no one “owns” the study’s data, and researchers worldwide can use them to publish papers and lay the groundwork for further discoveries.

ADNI is revolutionizing the way scientists study and understand Alzheimer’s by helping to define its earliest stages before clinical symptoms appear and by sharing data with scientists as they are collected. The data have been downloaded for research purposes more than 14 million times and used to publish more than 1,200 scientific papers. “Someday when there are successful treatments for Alzheimer’s disease all of us are going to know that it was done, in part, because of ADNI data.” 

You can help the FNIH advance critical research for diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Make a donation to support ADNI by clicking here or learn more about FNIH giving opportunities here.  

Support FNIH's work through a well-designed employee giving & corporate philanthropy program:

As FNIH's workplace giving partner, America’s Charities can help your company design and implement a program centered on supporting their work - through workplace giving campaigns, employee fundraising, cause-focused signature programs, volunteerism, Dollars-for-Doers, In-Kind Giving and other employee engagement and philanthropic initiatives. Click here to request a demo and learn how we can help you do this.

Tweet me:.@AmerCharities: @FNIH_Org + partners = revolutionizing the way scientists study & understand #Alzheimers w/ ADNI http://impact.ac/2oyG8rG

KEYWORDS: Health & Healthcare, Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, America's Charities, Corporate Social Responsibility, Crowdfunding, Fundraising, corporate giving, employee giving, Alzheimer's Disease Research, FNIH, ADNI Study

SOURCE:ReportAlert

DESCRIPTION:

G4S, the world’s leading global integrated security company, has published its corporate social responsibility report for 2016.

G4S plays an important role in society. It’s 585,000 employees deliver services across six continents, which create a safer and better environment in which millions of people live and work.

Reflecting the focus and importance it places on ethics and sustainability, G4S has an integrated CSR reporting framework, led by its Integrated Report and supported by its CSR Report and the relevant social responsibility sections of its website.

“As a global company operating in many different and sometimes complex environments, it is important that we work in a way which is sustainable and ethical and has a positive social and economic impact on society.

Whether we are protecting assets and people, managing cash and valuables or playing a part in rehabilitating those in custody, it is important that we do so to the highest standards and with integrity and respect.”

Ashley Almanza, Group Chief Executive Officer

In this years report, G4S highlights its approach to ethics and sustainability matters and focuses upon its activity across three CSR priority areas:

• Health and Safety

• Human Rights

• Anti-Bribery and Corruption

2016 CSR Report Highlights:

• How G4S’ new corporate values have been defined and are being embedded into the heart of the Group’s day-to-day business activities.

• Identifies the positive social impacts G4S brings to the communities in which it operates, and maps the Company’s key sustainability programmes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

• Provides an update on G4S’ global health and safety strategy and the steps it is taking to achieve its goal of zero harm.

• Describes the progress it has made to embed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights into its business policies and processes.

• Details the implementation and usage of Speak Out, G4S’ global whistleblowing system.

Contacts:
CSR Dept: csr@g4s.com
Media Dept: media@g4s.com / +44 (0)20 7963 3333

Read the Report

Tweet me:.@G4S publishes 2016 #CSR Report, highlights approach to ethics & #sustainability matters http://bit.ly/2p9ctDc via @ReportAlert

KEYWORDS: Research, Reports & Publications, Health & Healthcare, G4S, ReportAlert, sustainability

Lowe's Heroes employee volunteers to rebuild homes, community centers for residents in need

SOURCE:Rebuilding Together

SUMMARY:

Rebuilding Together, a leading national non-profit rebuilding communities in need across the country, will partner with Lowe's to launch its Rebuild-a-Block program and restore homes and neighborhood service centers in Tampa, Fla., Henderson, Nev. and Fayetteville, N.C. 

DESCRIPTION:

Washington, D.C., April 13, 2017 /3BL Media/ – Rebuilding Together, a leading national non-profit rebuilding communities in need across the country, will partner with Lowe's to launch its Rebuild-a-Block program and restore homes and neighborhood service centers in Tampa, Fla., Henderson, Nev. and Fayetteville, N.C. Nearly 200 Lowe's Heroes employees will provide critical home repairs to their neighbors in need at no cost to them.

Additionally, Lowe's is providing 33 Rebuilding Together affiliates with $450,000 in grant money to increase their impact and rebuild homes throughout the country.

"Lowe's has made a significant commitment to provide our neighbors with the necessary repairs to remain in their home," said Caroline Blakely, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "Our continued partnership has been crucial to Rebuilding Together's mission of rebuilding our communities and serving individuals in need."

In Tampa, Fla. Lowe's Heroes will provide critical repairs for five homeowners and revitalize the Rosa Valdez Daycare Center in Old West Tampa on April 19 and 20. The center has been serving the neighborhood for over 100 years by providing daycare and developmental services to disadvantaged children.

On May 16 and 17, Lowe's Heroes will rebuild 4 homes and a community center in Henderson, Nev., southeast of Las Vegas. Henderson was first incorporated during WWII and was a major production hub for munitions and airplane parts. Along with nearby Boulder City, the area housed many of the workers who built the Hoover Dam.

On June 13 and 14, Lowe's Heroes will also rebuild 4 homes and a community space serving the Fayetteville, N.C. community. The area was struck by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, causing $1.5 billion of flood damage to 100,000 homes, businesses, and government buildings in the state.

With the support of Lowe’s Heroes, Rebuilding Together has completed over 1,500 projects, impacting 16,000 of our neighbors since 2007.

“Lowe’s shares Rebuilding Together’s vision in providing a safe and healthy home for every person,” said James Frison, Lowe’s Community Relations Director. “It takes dedicated, hard work to keep a house in good condition. Our Lowe’s Heroes love being part of the Rebuild-a-Block program that helps homeowners make the necessary repairs to ensure a safe environment and keep a house feeling like a home.”

For the latest information about the initiative, follow #RebuildABlock on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

###

About Rebuilding Together
Rebuilding Together is a leading national nonprofit in safe and healthy housing with more than 40 years of experience. Together, with our corporate and community partners, we transform the lives of low-income homeowners by improving the safety and health of their homes and revitalizing their communities. Rebuilding Together’s local affiliates and nearly 100,000 volunteers complete about 10,000 rebuild projects nationwide each year. Learn more and get involved at rebuildingtogether.org.

About Lowe’s in the Community
Lowe’s, a FORTUNE^® 50 home improvement company, has a 60-year legacy of supporting the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. In the past decade, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together have contributed nearly $300 million to these efforts, and for more than two decades Lowe’s Heroes volunteers have donated their time to make our communities better places to live. For the latest news, visit Newsroom.Lowes.com or follow @LowesMedia on Twitter.

Tweet me:.@RebldgTogthr & @Lowes to #RebuildABlock in communities throughout the country http://bit.ly/2nEVoEm

KEYWORDS: Responsible Business & Employee Engagement, Green Infrastructure, Lowe's, rebuilding together, Rebuild A Block, volunteer engagement, Lowe's Heroes, disaster relief

SOURCE:Aflac

DESCRIPTION:

Giving back is a core value for us here at Aflac. In 2015, 275 employees from our headquarters in Columbus, Georgia, volunteered a total of 2,062 hours, building our 10th Habitat for Humanity home since 2007.

Learn more about Aflac's #duckprints 

Tweet me:275 @Aflac employees headquartered in Columbus, Georgia volunteered a total of 2,062 hours http://bit.ly/2nwdd4R #duckprints

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The School Food Support Initiative (SFSI) was created to support medium sized school districts who are eager to transform their school lunch programs from processed foods to scratch-cooked meals.

SOURCE:Whole Foods Market Foundations

DESCRIPTION:

Whole Kids Foundation has joined forces with The Life Time Foundation and Chef Ann Foundation to provide support for this journey through technical assistance grants.

School Food Support Initiative will work with the selected districts through a technical assistance program that includes a workshop for food service directors, on-site assessment and on-site assessment debrief and strategic planning, along with peer-to-peer collaboration and access to a food service program Assistance Grant. 

The program has a value of nearly $200,000 per participating district (depending on district size).

Why is it important?
Serving children scratch-cooked meals allows districts to offer healthy and delicious breakfast and lunch, but it’s not always an easy task—there are financial, procurement, management, education, and staffing hurdles to jump over. Oftentimes, school districts need the guidance from school food experts to overcome these challenges.

According to a recent Pew study, directors whose school food programs prepared more foods from scratch and increased the use of salad bars were more likely to report that student participation rose.  And the SFSI guidelines support scratch cooking that is far healthier and more nutritious than processed foods.

Participating Districts
The school districts that applied had to disclose all aspects of their operations and demonstrate to the review committee through their application and interview that they are ready for change.

2017 Recipients:

            Brewster Central School District (Brewster, NY)

            Fridley Public Schools (Fridley, MN)

            Norwood City School District (Norwood, OH)

            Ocean View School District (Oxnard, CA)

            Oxford School District (Oxford, MS)

            Staunton City Schools (Staunton, VA)

            Tempe Elementary School District (Tempe, AZ)

2016 Recipients:

            Bellingham Public Schools (Bellingham, WA)

            Buford City Schools (Buford City, GA)

            Passaic School District (Passaic, NJ)

            Watertown Public Schools (Watertown, MA)

These school districts have begun implementing the recommendations from their on-site assessments, and are in the midst of transitioning to healthier, scratch-cooked school food and meeting program goals of eliminating the specified ingredients, including trans fats & hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, hormones and antibiotics, processed and artificial sweeteners, artificial colors and flavors, artificial preservatives and bleached flour.

Stay in Touch
If you are interested in applying for the School Food Support Initiative, sign up for our newsletter, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive updates!

Email grants@wholekidsfoundation.org with any questions.

Tweet me:Learn more about @WholeKidsFnd school food support initiative http://bit.ly/2p9fgvF

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

SOURCE:AkzoNobel

DESCRIPTION:

Located in four cities in the State of São Paulo – Santo André, Santos, Guarulhos and São Paulo itself – the pieces are famous for their bright and energizing colors and will now be restored to the artist’s original vision.

The launch of the project coincides with a call for entries for the prestigious Instituto Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Architecture Award, which is now in its fourth year. Open to Brazilian architects – or foreign architects who have lived in Brazil for at least two years – the competition is designed to showcase Brazilian architecture in its most varied contexts.

Commenting on the restoration program, Heder Frigo, President of AkzoNobel Brazil, said: “As a company, we are committed to improving, energizing and regenerating urban communities across the world. Participating in projects such as this through our global Human Cities initiative means we can offer residents the chance to contemplate art as it was originally intended by the artist.”

This year’s Instituto Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Architecture Award will be judged by architects Carla Juaçaba, Gustavo Penna, Nabil Bonduki and Priscyla Gomes. They will select ten finalists, who will take part in an exhibition at the headquarters of the Instituto Tomie Ohtake between August 10 and September 17. The three winners will be announced at the opening of the event.

Added Frigo: “We are delighted to continue our relationship with this fourth event. Being able to highlight urban design and recognize innovative solutions that are both sustainable and integrated into the environment could not be more rewarding for us.”

All submissions for this year’s contest (which are free of charge) must be made online between March 23 and April 30 via the Instituto Tomie Ohtake's website where full details of the rules and how to enter can be found. 

Read the full article here via AkzoNobel.com 

Tweet me:.@AkzoNobel to restore five artworks in Brazil ahead of 2017 Architecture Award http://bit.ly/2p8loot #HumanCities

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, AkzoNobel, Human Cities

A pioneer in rescuing produce that would otherwise go to waste, FareShare helps feed half a million people each week. CEO Lindsay Boswell tells us how.

SOURCE:Cargill

DESCRIPTION:

Lindsay Boswell knows how to find a use for discolored apples and lumpy carrots. But protein powder? The CEO of FareShare had no clue.

“We had recently had a large volume of these protein substances the body builders use,” he said. “You see them in these big white tubs in the health shops. We thought we were really going to struggle to find anybody who wanted to take those.”

They turned out to be in demand by a certain group: homeless shelters trying to help the people they serve gain weight. “They were saying, that’s perfect for us,” he said.

It was a found connection in a complex landscape of food and nutrition – FareShare’s specialty. The organization supports about 2,500 charities across the UK and helps feed a half-million people a week by capturing and distributing food that would otherwise go to waste. Cargill has supported FareShare with funding and volunteer hours since 2009.

Boswell spoke recently with Cargill about waste in food supply chains and the latest strategies to address it, from embracing ugly vegetables to a centuries-old harvest practice.

All of the food that FareShare provides to UK charities is surplus food. Where does all this excess food come from?

Whether it’s right or wrong – and I should think it’s probably wrong – we live in a world where people want to be able to eat strawberries in the middle of winter and they want to be able to buy smart ciabatta with little bits of olive or walnut sprinkles on the top of it at 11 o’clock at night. That creates a supply chain designed to make sure that you never run out – whether that is at the distribution centers, in the processing plants, right back to the field and the farm gate. The vast majority of surplus food in the United Kingdom is not in the supermarkets where you or I would guess. It’s in the supply chain before the supermarkets.

FareShare takes advantage of what you call “Cinderella vegetables” – produce that has been rejected by supermarkets simply because of its appearance. Is this idea catching on?

It is. This is produce that for some reason does not meet what is regarded as commercial cosmetic standards: the bananas are too bendy, the cucumbers are not straight enough, the apples are too red or too green or not green or red enough. Those sorts of products traditionally have been discarded before they make it into the food system.

Over the last 12 months in the UK there has been much more of a movement, as a result of public pressure, for retailers to make available the “Cinderella veg” at a lower price point. It’s still new. Are people going to be prepared to put in the extra 10 seconds that it takes to peel a slightly wonky carrot as opposed to an absolutely straight one? One of the big retailers in the UK has a line now of produce called “perfectly imperfect.” That is fantastic to see. The “ugly food movement,” continuing the Cinderella analogy, has a ball gown on and she is off to the party.

What is being done to recover surplus food from farm fields?

One tactic is called “gleaning,” which is a very old term. Centuries ago, a farmer did not harvest the crop from the very edges of any field. Those were made available at harvest festival time for anybody who wanted to put the effort in to go and pick it out. With modern technology, the sorting and processing of produce takes place as it is harvested. The potatoes that are too big or too small are graded as they are pulled out of the ground and discarded straight back onto the field again. The environmentally sensible, sustainable thing to do is get an amazing bunch of volunteers, go out into those fields and pick all of those vegetables up. Where it makes economic sense to do so, we’re seeing more of this gleaning happening today.

Produce is just one part of a healthy diet. How do you ensure that you’re providing a range of nutritious food options for your charity partners?

Over a third of what we supply is fresh fruit and vegetables. What we don’t do is adopt some kind of lecturing tone of voice about what people should and should not eat. We have learned that the complexity of the problems and the issues that some of the charities are dealing with are way beyond anything we really understood when we started redistributing food. Some of the charities that we work with are trying actively to bulk up the fat and the muscle on malnourished people to help them have a framework – literally a body frame – from which they can improve their health. In other areas, like school breakfast clubs, we are really careful about making sure that we are not supplying large quantities of high-sugar, high-fat foods. Across the nearly 2,500 plus charities we support, the needs are different.

How has your approach to serving the charities you work with changed over the years?

In addition to our traditional market – our 20 regional centers where we are taking the food out and delivering it to the local charities and community groups – our growth has come from our FareShare FoodCloud platform. That has enabled us to connect charities that have a close proximity to a supermarket, where that supermarket has leftover food at the end of the day. Although it is a techy platform – it’s an app – the real heart of it is the investment of time and energy to build a relationship between the people who work in the supermarket and the people who work in the local charities. We put a lot of time into getting those charities to come into the supermarket, to meet the staff, for the staff to understand what a difference the local charities are making. What we are finding is that the local relationships are happening thanks to the app.

What do you hope for the future of your partnership with Cargill and for FareShare as a whole?

One of the things that really makes a difference is knowing that you have a partner who is not there for the short-term, because that gives us the institutional confidence to put the investments in place that we are now beginning to reap. At the end of June, our food was reaching 211,000 people every week. It’s now reaching 499,000 people every week. We have gone from working with charities in 320 towns and cities across the UK to now 995.

Despite all those impressive numbers, we still are dealing in a really small percentage of the food that could be diverted. It is quite a challenge to say that we want to be dealing with 10 times more food and that we want to be feeding 10 times the number of mouths and the number of organizations. Your partnership and other partnerships are going to help us continue to drive that forward at the pace we are going.

Beyond that, our model really only works at scale with large numbers of the most incredible volunteers. We have actually been growing so fast that we need more volunteers. Many of the charities that are on the waiting list to go and collect the food at the end of the night from supermarkets are waiting because they have not yet found volunteers who can help. So expanding our volunteer capacity is a big part of what we are trying to do to move forward.

Tweet me:.@FareShareUK puts #UglyFood to use feeding 250K people each week http://bit.ly/2nEQIuB @Cargill @FoodSecureWorld #FoodWaste

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Hunger Relief, Cargill, Ugly food movement, FareShare, Food Waste

Set to Pilot New Ash Receptacle Program in Five Communities

SOURCE:Keep America Beautiful

DESCRIPTION:

STAMFORD, Conn., April 13, 2017 /3BL Media/ – Keep America Beautiful, the national nonprofit that envisions a country in which every community is a clean, green and beautiful place to live, today announced a partnership with Hubbub’s Neat Streets campaign to end cigarette butt litter in a creative and interactive way. Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program will pilot Hubbub’s Ballot Bin receptacles in five locations across the United States this spring.

The Ballot Bin is an oversized ash receptacle that aims to tackle the issue of cigarette butt litter by encouraging use of the public ash receptacle through a visually compelling, interactive message. It employs a “voting system,” which allows the user to vote on predetermined questions by choosing one of two slots to dispose of their cigarette butts. Each Ballot Bin has a window that displays the used butts, allowing the smoking public to generate a public opinion poll as they walk past the Ballot Bin. Questions asked are customizable and can be changed to reflect local interests or timely topics.

“Keep America Beautiful is in the business of behavior change and the team at Hubbub has demonstrated that the Ballot Bin offers an effective approach to reducing cigarette butt littering in the UK and beyond,” said Becky Lyons, chief operating officer, Keep America Beautiful. “Our network of 620-plus affiliates and other community partners, serving urban, suburban and rural communities, are a snapshot of America. We look forward to bringing the Ballot Bin to communities across the United States as we strive to build upon the success of our Cigarette Litter Prevention Program and advance our fight to End Littering in America.”

Keep America Beautiful affiliates and partners participating in the pilot program include:

• Curb Your Litter: Greenpoint (Brooklyn, New York)
• Keep Coffee County Beautiful (Manchester, Tennessee)
• Keep Erie Beautiful (Erie, Pennsylvania)
• Keep Guntersville Beautiful (Guntersville, Alabama)
• Keep Manatee Beautiful (Manatee County, Florida)

The bins in each pilot market have been customized to the interests of the local communities. The questions on each bin will also be created with local interest in mind and swapped out each week to allow for adult smokers to “vote” on a number of topics.

Following its successful pilot in April 2016, Hubbub launched the Ballot Bin with a new website -- www.ballotbin.co.uk -- and has since shipped it to more than 14 countries and 100 locations. The organization’s independent evaluation in London demonstrated that the Ballot Bin achieved a 46 percent reduction of cigarette butt litter in locations where the bins were used.

“The voting bin is a simple solution that has provoked an incredibly positive response and got people talking about cigarette butt litter in a new way,” said Rebecca Dove, Managing Director of Hubbub. “In less than a year, the Ballot Bin has reached 12 million people in the press and social media and been demonstrated to reduce cigarette butt litter by 46%. So we are delighted to be working in partnership with Keep America Beautiful to introduce the Ballot Bins to the US and look forward to following this exciting pilot.”

Since its establishment, Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program has consistently cut cigarette butt litter by approximately half based on local measurements taken in the first four months to six months after program implementation.  Results from 2016 program implementation saw a 62% reduction in cigarette litter. Survey results also demonstrate that as communities continue to implement and monitor the program, the reductions are sustained or even increased over time. Keep America Beautiful has distributed nearly $3.3 million in grant funding since 2006 to support local implementation of the program in more than 1,700 communities nationwide.

To address cigarette butt litter, Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program advocates that communities integrate four proven approaches:

• Encourage enforcement of litter laws, including cigarette litter;
• Raise awareness about the issue using public service messages;
• Place ash receptacles at transition points such as entrances to public buildings; and
• Distribute pocket or portable ashtrays to adult smokers.

The "Guide to Cigarette Litter Prevention" provides information about starting and maintaining a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program in your community, and can be found online at PreventCigaretteLitter.org.

The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program is supported by funding from Philip Morris USA, an Altria company; RAI Services Company; and the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company.

About Keep America Beautiful
At Keep America Beautiful, we want to ensure that beauty is our lasting signature. A leading national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. We envision a country in which every community is a clean, green, and beautiful place to live. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America’s Communities. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 620 state and community-based Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the support of corporate partners, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. To donate or take action, visit kab.org. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, or view us on YouTube.

About Hubbub
Hubbub is a charity created to take a fresh approach to environmental communication.  It was established two years ago during which time it has won six independent awards for the impact of its activities.  Hubbub’s Neat Streets campaign reduced litter in one of the busiest streets in London by 26% and has spread to Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham. To learn more visit www.hubbub.org.uk or www.ballotbin.co.uk.

###

Tweet me:.@kabtweet partners with UK-based #litter organization @hubbubUK on cigarette litter pilot program. http://bit.ly/2nI8kZP

Contact Info:

Tom Morales
Keep America Beautiful
+1 (203) 659-3044
tmorales@kab.org
http://www.kab.org
http://www.facebook.com/keepamericabeautiful
http://www.instagram.com/keepamericabeautiful
http://www.twitter.com/kabtweet
http://www.youtube.com/kabnetwork

Larry Kaufman
Keep America Beautiful
+1 (203) 659-3014
lkaufman@kab.org

KEYWORDS: Green Infrastructure, Environment, Keep America Beautiful, Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, Hubbub, Ballot Bin, Neat Streets

by Joe Waters, Founder & Blogger, Selfish Giving

SOURCE:Amway

DESCRIPTION:

“Today and moving forward, leading companies across retail, CPG and all sectors will focus social investment and philanthropy strategies around their core competencies. While benevolence has become an important part of corporate culture and customer engagement, when companies align giving with where their products, services or business offering offer value to customers and employees, everybody wins. Only with this approach can companies use all of its strategic resources to improve society.” - Jeff Terry, Global Corporate Social Responsibility, Amway Corporation

Read the entire article on Huffington Post. >>>

Tweet me:26 Experts weigh in on what comes after #CheckoutCharity ends http://bit.ly/2nIqjzj via @HuffingtonPost @JoeWaters @Amway #socialimpact

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Media & Communications, Joe Waters, Amway, huffington post, Checkout Charity, Selfish Giving

SOURCE:Bechtel

DESCRIPTION:

Watch as Bechtel’s Engineers Without Borders-UK chapter constructs a footbridge for a Rwandan village. 

The team worked with Arup and the U.S. nonprofit Bridges to Prosperity to design and build the 138-foot (42-meter) suspension bridge. 

The new span will provide safe, year-round access to schools, markets, and health care facilities for the 12,000 residents of Kukibuye. In recent years, two people were killed and seven were injured while walking across logs to cross the Mukungwa River near the northwestern Rwandan village.

Bridges to Prosperity specializes in designing and building footbridges to improve the lives of isolated rural communities. 

The nonprofit’s work in Haiti is featured in Dream Big: Engineering Our World, the giant-screen film sponsored by Bechtel. 

Learn more about Stewardship at Bechtel here: http://bit.ly/2nX3Ifg

Tweet me:.@Bechtel Video: #EngineersWithoutBorders @B2P @ArupGroup construct footbridge in #Rwanda http://bit.ly/2nUfHc0 #BechtelStewardship

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Transportation, Bechtel, Kukibuye, Rhawanda, Engineers Without Borders

By Steve Hahn, president of AT&T Oklahoma

SOURCE:AT&T

DESCRIPTION:

Competition might be the spice of sports, but it’s good for charitable organizations, too. Brackets For Good aims to turn nonprofit fundraising on its ear through the concept of gamification. By tapping into the competitive spirits of “fan-lanthropists,” Brackets For Good provides charities with an innovative platform to raise funds, drum up excitement for their organizations and reach new audiences.

This year, we teamed up with Brackets For Good on their first-ever national competitive fundraising tournament. Brackets For Good U.S.A. pitted 64 nonprofits from 31 states against one another to compete for donors’ dollars, with every dollar earning one “point” to help them advance to the next round in a bracket-style competition.

After five weeks of heated competitive giving, Allied Arts, an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit and one of the smaller organizations competing in the national tournament, emerged as a true Cinderella story of the tournament. By rallying their community around a championship berth, Allied Arts raised $340,044  to earn the title of Brackets For Good U.S.A. Champion.

As president of AT&T Oklahoma, I was excited to see Oklahomans join in the opportunity to help one of our own succeed on this national stage. What was equally thrilling was seeing new fans and donors from across the country learn about and support Allied Arts’ mission and work to advance the arts in central Oklahoma.

That’s the brilliance of Brackets For Good’s approach: by giving through the competition, donors can help nonprofits achieve short-term outcomes —such as advancing to the next bracket — that can also fund and sustain long-term results for their cause.

Including the grand prize contribution of $100,000 from AT&T, participating non-profits raised over $1 million in the U.S.A. tournament.  Amazingly, 31 percent of donations came from first-time donors. Simply put, competitive giving helped everyone win.

At AT&T, we are always on the lookout for opportunities to help successful organizations reach new audiences and grow their impact. It’s one way we use the power of our network to drive social good. We’re proud to have played a part in helping Brackets For Good scale its platform so nonprofits all over the country could advance their important missions while inspiring new and existing donors in an innovative and fun way. And indeed, when it comes to social good, we’re all on the same team.

Tweet me:.@ConnectToGood "Gaming Philanthropy: How Sports Fans are Driving Social Good" http://soc.att.com/2paZpAc #ATTimpact @BracketsForGood

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Awards, Ratings & Rankings, AT&T, Brackets For Good, Allied Arts, Oklahoma City, Donation, Sports, basketball, championship, Fundraising, tournament

Joe Plumeri, Robert F. Smith, and Cesar Conde, honored for their commitment to providing opportunities to underserved youth

SOURCE:Citi

DESCRIPTION:

NEW YORK, April 13, 2017 /3BL Media/ - On Thursday, April 6, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) raised $4.93 million at the SEO Annual Awards Dinner. The marquee event saw nearly 1,000 guests at the American Museum of Natural History, and honored three outstanding leaders in business and philanthropy: Joe Plumeri; Robert F. Smith; and Cesar Conde.

Funds raised at the event will support SEO’s three programs which provide educational and career opportunities to underserved and underrepresented young people in New York City and San Francisco.  SEO’s flagship program, SEO Scholars, is a free eight-year academic program that gets underserved public high school students to and through college – with a 90% college graduation rate. The program currently serves more than 1,500 students, with a goal of serving 2,000 by 2021. 

The SEO Annual Awards Dinner was held in the Hall of Ocean Life, and the evening was led by Emcee, Gayle King, of CBS This Morning and editor-at-large for O, the Oprah Magazine. Michael L. Corbat, Chief Executive Officer, Citi, served as Dinner Chairman, and SEO Board Chairman, Henry R. Kravis, and SEO president and CEO, William Goodloe, welcomed the crowd. Six SEO Scholars, current high school and college students from New York City and San Francisco, took the stage to share their stories of overcoming adversity in their personal lives, and how SEO has helped them succeed on their journey to and through college. 

Citi CEO Michael Corbat said, “Citi is proud of its nearly 40-year history with SEO and its alumni, and this outstanding fundraising achievement speaks to the importance of its mission as well as the value of diversity, inclusion and career readiness for young people today.”

This year’s honorees are business leaders who have demonstrated their commitment to educational and career opportunities for young people from underrepresented backgrounds: Joe Plumeri, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, First Data Corporation, and SEO Board Member; Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Vista Equity Partners; and Cesar Conde, Chairman, NBCUniversal International Group and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, and SEO Career Alumnus '94.

“SEO was thrilled to recognize the extraordinary business achievements of our honorees, and to highlight how they each exemplify SEO’s core value of using their gift of success to create opportunities for others”, said William Goodloe, president and CEO of SEO.  “The funds raised are helping SEO to serve hundreds more students in our Scholars Program over the next few years.” 

In addition to SEO Scholars, SEO is comprised of two other distinct programs – SEO Career and SEO Alternative Investments. Both aim to achieve greater diversity and inclusion in the workforce by providing access to careers in high-level business sectors for those who have been traditionally underrepresented.

“There is one common thread that runs through all our programs,” says Mr. Goodloe. “That is helping underserved and underrepresented young people meet and surpass the existing standards, whether for admission and graduation from top tier colleges, or entry into some of the most coveted industries. SEO provides opportunities to move young people forward, to the benefit of themselves, their families, and their communities.”

Since 1963, SEO has provided educational and career opportunities to over 11,000 young people from underserved and underrepresented communities, breaking barriers both in higher education and the corporate world.

About Sponsors for Educational Opportunity
SEO was founded in 1963 with a mission to provide talented and motivated young people from underserved and underrepresented communities with access to superior educational and career opportunities. Today, SEO runs three programs: SEO Scholars is a free, eight-year academic program that gets low-income public high school students to and through college—with a 90% college graduation rate; SEO Career is a summer internship and professional development program targeting talented Black, Hispanic, and Native American undergrads and pre-law school candidates—with 80% of 2015 and 2016 interns receiving full-time job offers at SEO partner companies; SEO Alternative Investments provides education, exposure, training and mentoring opportunities to talented professionals traditionally underrepresented in the alternative investments sector. Nearly 90% of AI Fellows have secured jobs in the alternative investments sector. For more information, visit www.seo-usa.org.   

Contact Info:

Karmen Royall
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO)
+1 (646) 435-9559
kroyall@seo-usa.org

KEYWORDS: Awards, Ratings & Rankings, Education, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), SEO Annual Awards Dinner, Joe Plumeri, Robert F. Smith, Cesar Conde, SEO Scholars, Citi

Historic Pittsburgh manufacturer enhances city’s claim as global center for green building

SOURCE:International Living Future Institute

DESCRIPTION:

PITTSBURGH, April 13, 2017 /3BL Media/ – Vitro Architectural Glass (formerly PPG Glass) has been named the first founding sponsor of the Living Product Hub in Pittsburgh, opening April 18. The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and Pittsburgh’s Green Building Alliance (GBA) are establishing the hub to accelerate the development of regenerative buildings and manufacturing.

Co-located on Pittsburgh’s South Side with the GBA, the hub will serve as a center of education and outreach, connecting innovative buildings, communities, and projects to ILFI’s global network. It will be one of four such centers in the United States.

ILFI is known worldwide for administering the Living Building Challenge (LBC), a rigorous green building certification program that requires buildings to comply with 20 imperatives in seven building performance categories including place, energy, water, health and happiness, materials, equity, and beauty.

The Center for Sustainable Landscapes at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh is one of the few buildings in the world to achieve the highest LBC certification. Contributing to its achievement are high-performance Solarban® 60, Sungate® 400 and Starphire Ultra-Clear™ glasses by Vitro Glass.

Richard A. Beuke, vice president, Vitro Architectural Glass, said Vitro Glass is honored to be a founding sponsor of Pittsburgh’s Living Product Hub. “First as PPG Glass and now as Vitro Glass, our company has been part of the city’s fabric since 1883. Our products are integral to the performance of Pittsburgh’s most globally recognized green buildings, including the Center for Sustainable Landscapes, David L. Lawrence Convention Center and The Tower at PNC Plaza, considered the world’s greenest office tower. We look forward to supporting the ILFI and GBA as they promote Pittsburgh’s legacy as a center for green building innovation.”

James Connelly, director of the Living Product Challenge for ILFI, said Vitro Glass is the perfect fit as a founding sponsor for Pittsburgh’s Living Product Hub. “Vitro Glass products have been used on three buildings around the world that are certified at the LBC’s highest level, an achievement that speaks not just to the company’s commitment to making sustainable glass products, but to the high level of trust architects and practitioners have in their performance.”

The Living Product Hub in Pittsburgh will host an opening reception on April 18 at Phipps Conservatory. The event starts at 5 p.m. Registration is open to the public.

For more information about Vitro Architectural Glass Products, visit www.vitroglazings.com or call (855) VTRO-GLS (887-6457).

About the Living Product Challenge

The Living Product Challenge re-imagines the design and construction of products to function as elegantly and efficiently as anything found in the natural world. The creation of this program kicked off a groundbreaking new event that brought together leading minds in the product industry to inspire a revolution in the way materials are designed, manufactured and delivered: the Living Product Expo. 

About Vitro Architectural Glass

Vitro Architectural Glass, part of Vitro, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV:VITROA), is a new organization created from Vitro’s acquisition of PPG’s flat glass business unit. Now the largest company of its kind in the Americas, Vitro Architectural Glass manufactures industry-leading brands such as Solarban®, Sungate® and Starphire Ultra-Clear™ glasses at U.S. plants in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Fresno, California; Salem, Oregon; and Wichita Falls, Texas. The company also operates one of the world’s largest glass research and development facilities in Pittsburgh and four residential glass fabrication plants in Canada. For more information, please visit vitroglazings.com.

Tweet me:.@Vitro_Glazings is a founding sponsor of @Living_Future + @go_gba's Living Product Hub in Pittsburgh http://bit.ly/2ovTpky

Contact Info:

Robert J. Stuble
Vitro Architectural Glass
+1 (412) 820-8138
rstruble@vitro.com

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Events, Media & Communications, International Living Future institute (ILFI), Living Products Challenge

SOURCE:Arrow Electronics

DESCRIPTION:

Centennial, Colo., April 14, 2017/3BL Media/ - Arrow Electronics values working with organizations that find innovative ways make people’s lives better. The Denver-based Rose Andom Center is one such organization. 

Rose Andom’s mission is to help improve the lives of domestic violence victims by facilitating better access to services and staff of community organizations and government agencies in a single, safe location. The center’s staff, partner organizations and affiliate agencies provide victims of abuse and their families with an array of critical services including counseling, mental health services, crisis intervention, civil legal support, law enforcement services, job training and job search assistance.

Arrow was among the corporate sponsors for the Center’s recent gala fundraiser, A New Experience, held in Denver on March 3. Arrow employees also fundraised for the center in the fall of 2016, and the company has contributed technical and architectural
support, furniture, refurbished
computers and branding assistance
over the past two years to help the nonprofit grow. Arrow also has executive representation on the Rose Andom Board of Directors.

“The Rose Andom Center’s important work fits with Arrow’s values for responsible and innovative community engagement,” said Vera Stamenkovich, vice president of human resources with Arrow. “Arrow is proud and honored to work with this outstanding organization.” 

An innovative public-private collaboration, the Rose Andom Center serves an estimated 3,000 victims per year in a warm, welcoming facility that empowers victims to make the best decisions for their families. To learn more or to contribute to the Rose Andom Center, please visit their website http://roseandomcenter.org

About Arrow Electronics
Arrow Electronics is a global provider of products, services and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions. Arrow serves as a supply channel partner for more than 125,000 original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers and commercial customers through a global network of more than 465 locations serving over 90 countries. Learn more at www.fiveyearsout.com. 

Tweet me:.@ArrowGlobal employees support Rose Andom Center for victims of domestic violence http://bit.ly/2pduWyx

KEYWORDS: Responsible Business & Employee Engagement, Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Rose Andom Center, Arrow Electronics

Part II: SAP Social Sabbatical Partners to Shape Cape Town’s Future

SOURCE:PYXERA Global

DESCRIPTION:

This is part two in a series highlighting the SAP Social Sabbatical for global engagement in Cape Town, South Africa, which focused on bridging the digital divide in the city’s most underserved communities. Stay tuned for part III, out next week. Read part one here.

—

Climbing the wooden staircase to the top of Lookout Hill, one finds sweeping panoramic views of the Cape Flats area skirting Cape Town. Khayelitsha, the second-largest and fastest-growing township in South Africa, sprawls to the east; the township of Mitchell’s Plain rolls to the west. At the base of the hill, strategically situated between these two underserved communities, is the Khayelitsha Bandwidth Barn, a startup incubator and accelerator serving community entrepreneurs.

The Barn is an activity of Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi), an almost 20-year-old NGO focused on building digital skills and spurring entrepreneurship throughout Cape Town. CiTi launched the Barn two years ago to foster inclusive economic growth in the Township communities. Twelve years ago, Luvuyo Rani started his digital services business from the back of his car. Today, entrepreneurs like Luvuyo, can launch their business with the support, resources, and facilities offered by the Barn.

Continue reading at The Global Engagement Forum: Online. 

Tweet me:Building a Township Tech hub | Part II: @sap4good Partners to Shape Cape Town’s Future @PYXERAglobal #GEFonline http://bit.ly/2nJVYAH

KEYWORDS: Responsible Business & Employee Engagement, Innovation & Technology, SAP, PYXERA Global, GEFonline, Global Engagement Forum: Online, tech, africa

SOURCE:Rebuilding Together

DESCRIPTION:

According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, less than four percent of single-family homes have three of the most critical accessibility features of universal design, which includes zero-step entrances, extra-wide hallways and single-floor living. Rebuilding Together affiliates nationwide are working to make homes safer and more accessible for homeowners. Find out more: http://bit.ly/1Yb8mBa

Tweet me:Less than 4% of homes have 3 of the most critical accessibility features of universal design http://bit.ly/2ouE3eo #RebuildingMonth

KEYWORDS: Social Impact & Volunteering, Diversity & Inclusion, rebuilding together, National Rebuilding Month, Healthy homes

Whirlpool employees find ways to raise money for Relay for Life

SOURCE:Whirlpool Corporation

DESCRIPTION:

by Tony Witkowski

Larry Ward climbs mountains to combat cancer.

In the last five years, he and his team – who refer to themselves as Climbing for Cancer – have reached the top of the tallest mountains in nearly all 50 states.

Tweet me:.@WhirlpoolCorp employees find ways to raise money for Relay for Life: http://bit.ly/2ov7FZ1

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Health & Healthcare, whirlpool, Cancer, Herald Palladium

SOURCE:Points of Light

DESCRIPTION:

Ethan Zohn and Lisa Heywood Zohn kicked-off their marriage with a humanitarian mission to aid Syrian refugees in Northern Greece, raising $45,000 to support a large refugee camp. Ethan, known for his third-season win on CBS’s Survivor reality series, shares how that trip left an impression far more meaningful than honeymooning on a sandy beach every could.

In a small canvas tent inside a warehouse in Vasilika, Greece, five shoeless Americans silently huddled with an 8-year-old Syrian refugee and her mother. We were hiding from the Greek police, who had officially banned foreign visitors from entering the refugee camp, inhabited by 1,200 people stranded here after fleeing their countries. Beside me, my wife of three months, Lisa, was shaking with fear; we’d learned that we would be arrested if found inside, but we couldn’t resist visiting the “home” of our new friend, Helena. Thankfully, we had already made some friends among the refugees, and they hid the five sets of shoes we had politely removed before entering Helena’s tent. When the police finally passed us by, we were smuggled out the back way through a ragged hole in a chain link fence. My wife turned to me and said, half kidding, “I could be on a beach right now, but I married you!”

The term honeymoon typically conjures images of beautiful beaches, swinging hammocks and champagne glasses clinking with the sun setting on the horizon. Our honeymoon was none of those things. We certainly could have been on a beach, but we wanted to do something a little different. After our amazing wedding celebration, we felt the best way to show our gratitude for the well wishes, generous gifts, and our fair share of attention, was to do something to spread all the love that we received.

Since winning “Survivor” and surviving a rare form of cancer, my life has been laser focused on helping to make happiness real for others. I have been fortunate enough to travel the planet and immerse myself in many different humanitarian efforts, and I wanted to share my love for service and volunteerism with my wife. To see each other in a new set of circumstances and a whole new light could only strengthen our vows.

I reached out to the crowdfunding platform Crowdrise to see if there were any opportunities to join an existing campaign. We were put in touch with the amazing Mallory Brown, who created the Crowdrise 24-Hour Impact Project. Mallory travels to a nation in need, sometimes working with a family, a child, or an entire village, and – using video and social media to communicate the issue at hand – raises funds to solve an immediate problem.

The next impact project was headed for Greece, to help Syrians living in a refugee camp. Lisa and I were going along.

Read the rest of Ethan and Lisa’s story on the Points of Light blog.

Tweet me:Ethan & Lisa Zohn kicked-off their marriage with a humanitarian mission to aid Syrian #refugees: http://bit.ly/2ouUKGr #DailyPointofLight

KEYWORDS: Social Impact & Volunteering, Awards, Ratings & Rankings, Daily Point of Light, Points of Light, refugees

Wendy’s ups the ante by tweeting that they’ll donate $100,000 to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption when Carter’s tweet breaks Ellen’s retweet record

SOURCE:The Wendy's Company

DESCRIPTION:

Last week, 16-year old Reno High School student Carter Wilkerson had a hankering for his favorite Wendy's Chicken Nuggets and proposed a bold idea when he tweeted:

"Yo @Wendy's how many retweets for a year of free chicken nuggets?"

@Wendys responded simply: "18 Million"… a lofty goal considering Ellen's Degeneres Oscars selfie, the most retweeted tweet in Twitter's history, has 3.2 million.

Undaunted by the challenge, Carter recruited his Twitter followers to help him make Twitter history. 

Since Wednesday, April 5, Carter's chicken nugget love has been retweeted more than 2.9 million times, making it the second most retweeted tweet in history.

The response has turned the teenager into a global hero on a mission that many are supporting with the hashtag #NuggsForCarter. The official brand accounts of Amazon, Microsoft, Google, LEGO and more have retweeted - along with celebrities and public personalities like Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad and Houston football player Duane Brown.

This nugget story got even more interesting when Ellen DeGeneres picked up on the media attention around Carter’s quest for nuggets and posed a challenge to Carter: who can get retweeted most!

On her Thursday show, she challenged everyone to help her maintain her status as the all-time retweet leader, while also helping Carter get his nuggets.

And, again, Wendy’s upped the ante by tweeting that they’ll donate $100,000 to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption when Carter’s tweet break’s Ellen’s retweet record.

To help Carter surpass Ellen for the most retweeted tweet, retweet Carter’s tweet and you will help to raise $100,000 for children in foster care.

TEAM #NuggsForCarter

Tweet me:.@Wendy’s to donate $100K to @DTFA when @carterjwm breaks @TheEllenShow's retweet record http://bit.ly/2ouZSug #NuggsforCarter

KEYWORDS: Media & Communications, Cause Marketing, The Ellen Show, Ellen DeGeneres, Wendy's, Nuggs for Carter, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

Pirates star goes to bat for several area causes

SOURCE:Major League Baseball Players Trust

DESCRIPTION:

Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star outfielder, Andrew McCutchen, has become the face of the Pirates franchise over the course of his nine big league seasons.

‘Cutch’ took home the 2013 National League Most Valuable Player honors and has been elected to the NL All-Star team five times in his career, however, perhaps the most significant accolade he has received is the 2015 Roberto Clemente Award. The award, which shows a player’s sportsmanship, community involvement and contributions to his respective team, is voted on by the fans and members of the media.

While all winners of this award are certainly deserving of the recognition, McCutchen sets the bar high.  Find out why by clicking here.

Tweet me:.@Pirates #AllStar @TheCutch22 continues to make an impact on and off the field in #Pittsburgh http://bit.ly/2nNEsLJ

KEYWORDS: Social Impact & Volunteering, Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Baseball, Major League Baseball, MLB, MLBPA, union, Major League Baseball Players Association, giving back, player charities