SOURCE:General Mills

DESCRIPTION:

CHICAGO, April 21, 2017 /3BL Media/ - For Earth Day 2017, Feeding America^® is announcing the launch of MealConnect^TM, an innovative technology platform that makes food donation as simple as a click. The new and free platform was developed to help reduce food waste, benefit the environment and put more food on the tables of families and individuals facing hunger in America.

Feeding America is already the largest food rescue and domestic hunger-relief organization, helping to provide food to 46 million people in need each year, and now with MealConnect is poised to play an even bigger role in reducing food waste. MealConnect helps to save food that previously might have gone to waste—such as a small load of meat from a local butcher or a box of tomatoes from a farmers market. The platform then directs that rescued food immediately to Feeding America food banks’ food pantries and meal programs that serve people in need. MealConnect allows food businesses of all sizes, from local mom-and-pop restaurants to large chain grocery retailers, to post surplus food on the MealConnect platform. An algorithm determines the best-suited local pantry or food program to quickly pick up and distribute the donation.

MealConnect is available to donors from any smartphone, tablet or computer to make an immediate impact in the communities where they operate. MealConnect is free for all users and all donations are tax-deductible. The technology leverages the Feeding America network of 200 food banks and 60,000 pantries and feeding programs across the country. In addition, Feeding America maintains stringent food-safety standards to ensure that all food distributed is safe for consumption.

This new technology enhancement has been made possible with a $1 million grant from General Mills. This funding also will help support efforts to scale MealConnect to communities nationwide.

“We are extremely grateful to General Mills for their incredible support of this major initiative. This donation is not only beneficial to our environment but also helps meet the needs of hardworking families throughout the country,” Feeding America CEO Diana Aviv said.

“For nearly 40 years, we’ve partnered with Feeding America to help rescue more food to help families facing hunger,” said Shawn O’Grady, group president of Convenience & Foodservice, and senior vice president of Global Revenue Development at General Mills. “We are encouraged that the new MealConnect technology will help food retailers and foodservice operators nationwide donate food safely and efficiently.” O’Grady has served on the Feeding America board of directors since 2013.

Starbucks, which announced a partnership with Feeding America in 2016, will use MealConnect to help achieve its goal to rescue 100 percent of unsold food from its U.S. company-operated stores.

“In 2016, we pledged to bring the excess food in our stores, that otherwise would have been thrown away, to families in need,” said Jane Maly, Program Manager at Starbucks. “By using MealConnect, we’re able to track our donations in real time, allowing for more streamlined reporting by store and food bank.”

Feeding America is the leading food recovery partner across the food industry, currently rescuing 2.8 billion pounds of good food from going to waste and providing it to families in need.

New information from ReFED, a collaboration of business, nonprofit, foundation and government leaders committed to reducing food waste in the United States, indicates that 72 billion pounds of good, safe food is wasted every year in the U.S. MealConnect aims to close that gap to reduce food waste and end hunger.

“Working with valued companies, including General Mills, Walmart and Starbucks, Feeding America has been able to distribute more than four billion pounds of food annually to people facing hunger,” Aviv said. “Now, MealConnect will allow us to supplement these great national efforts with donations captured from regional and local donors who may not have a consistent donation stream.”

MealConnect was initially funded and designed with support from Google.org with additional funding from the Walmart Foundation.

Google.org strives to identify and support innovations that improve our world, and MealConnect’s enhanced platform does just that. We are thrilled to support Feeding America and its network, which will allow MealConnect to scale across the country,” said Andrew Dunckelman of Google.org.

“Since 2005 Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have invested over $100 million in Feeding America,” Karrie Denniston said. “We made the investment in MealConnect because we saw an opportunity to strengthen capacity for the organization and its network of food banks.  This platform is a prime example of how innovative technology is being used to improve food recovery and address hunger.”

By connecting more donors with the Feeding America network of food banks, food pantries and meal programs, MealConnect will prevent more food waste, benefit the environment and help end the hunger crisis for millions of people in America.

For more information on MealConnect, visit MealConnect.org.

About Feeding America

Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

About General Mills

General Mills is a leading global food company that serves the world by making food people love. Its brands include Cheerios, Annie’s, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2016 worldwide sales of US $17.6 billion, including the company’s US $1.0 billion proportionate share of joint-venture net sales. For more information about General Mills, visit http://www.generalmills.com.

Contact

Ross Fraser

Feeding America

312.641.6422

General Mills

Media.Line@genmills.com

763.764.6364

Tweet me:.@FeedingAmerica launches #MealConnect #technology platform to help reduce #foodwaste and end #hunger http://bit.ly/2o7zslo @GeneralMills

KEYWORDS: Innovation & Technology, Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, General Mills, Feeding America, MealConnect, Starbucks, Google.org, The Walmart Foundation

SOURCE:FSG

DESCRIPTION:

A couple of weeks ago, influential employers—including T-Mobile, Gap Inc., and McDonalds*—came to New Orleans for an unprecedented gathering on jobs in the United States. Each had expressed enthusiasm for impact hiring—an approach that creates business value through hiring and investing in individuals who face barriers to economic opportunity. Through a cohort-based program designed and led by FSG, and supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and Walmart, employers began putting this enthusiasm into action in new ways.

The inaugural impact hiring cohort brings together HR, Operations, and corporate social responsibility leaders from diverse employers to design new ways for their companies to support entry-level talent, including opportunity youth—16- to 24-year-olds who are neither working nor in school. Over the course of 9 months, participants will collaborate in design thinking workshops, engage with youth and community leaders, and develop and evaluate pilot projects at their companies to provide greater opportunity and improve retention for this target audience. Amidst the sights, sounds, and culture of New Orleans, employers began their journey and started to create their own “jazz” around social change and business value.

This cohort-based approach, designed to accelerate adoption of impact hiring practices, is an important catalyst to create more inclusive economies by engaging employers in developing new ideas and solutions. Over the past decade, The Rockefeller Foundation has worked with the private sector to unlock the solutions to some of society’s biggest problems—particularly relating to livelihoods – in the United States and around the world. FSG has seen the importance of finding business opportunities that help solve social problems through both our stewardship of the Shared Value Initiative and our consulting work. Supporting a cohort of pioneering companies focused on impact hiring, in partnership with other funders and experts, is an investment both of our organizations believe in.

In working together, we have learned 3 key lessons about employer engagement that we are applying to this cohort learning model. Learn about the 3 key lessons on FSG.org >

Tweet me:New blog from @FSGtweets & @RockefellerFdn Engaging Employers: 3 Lessons from Impact Hiring #oppyouth http://bit.ly/2pd25KL

KEYWORDS: Responsible Business & Employee Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion, hiring, Retention, opportunity youth, entry-level employees, Employee Engagement, philanthropy, Rockefeller Foundation, FSG

SOURCE:Las Vegas Sands

DESCRIPTION:

This year, Sands Bethlehem embarked on a Prom Dress Drive, a new initiative to recycle prom dresses, allocating them to those less fortunate in the area.  As it’s every young woman’s dream to find the perfect dress for her high school prom, unfortunately, the most significant part of the night usually comes with a hefty price tag.  Prom dresses can easily cost several hundreds of dollars, and once the night is over, most dresses become permanent closet dwellers – gathering dust and rarely worn again.

“We received amazing feedback from our Team Members after announcing this initiative,” said Susan Stachowski, Community Relations Coordinator at Sands Bethlehem. “Everyone was so eager to donate their old dresses.  We asked our Team Members to donate their used prom dresses throughout the month of March.  We received a multitude of styles, colors and sizes.  There’s a dress for everyone.”

A total of 70 dresses were collected and donated to YWCA Bethlehem, an organization that is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace.  On March 25, YWCA Bethlehem, hosted a Prom Dress Day at the State Theatre in Easton.  Girls attending high school in the local area will be able to “shop” for free dresses, shoes, makeup and other prom related accessories.

“Prom is a big deal for a large group of individuals,” said Stachowski. “We want to make sure that everyone is given the opportunity to feel beautiful.”

Read the latest from Las Vegas Sands on Sands Confidential 

Tweet me:.@Sands_Bethlehem starts #prom dress drive benefitting local #YWCA http://bit.ly/2n9iUnQ #SandsCares

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Community Involvement, Las Vegas Sands, Sands Bethlehem, Prom dress donation, YWCA Bethlehem

SOURCE:Keep America Beautiful

DESCRIPTION:

Recycle DSM (Des Moines), a partnership between the City of Des Moines, Iowa, and Operation Downtown, added 42 new recycling bins for the City's Downtown. The new bins, which were provided by a Coca-Cola/Keep America Beautiful Public Space Recycling Bin Grant, are placed in the Historic East Village and the Western Gateway.

Recycle DSM aims to create a cleaner and greener Downtown Des Moines. The program began in October with eight receptacles in the Historic East Village and has now expanded to 50 bins. The City of Des Moines Public Works Department has also provided additional investment to expand Recycle DSM, in addition to the Coca-Cola/Keep America Beautiful recycling bin grant to Operation Downtown.

“The Recycle DSM program aligns with the City of Des Moines’ comprehensive plan called PlanDSM, which calls for the reduction of solid waste headed to the landfill,” said Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie. “We are grateful to the Coca-Cola/Keep America Beautiful Recycling Bin Grant Program, which is making this significant expansion possible.”

The Recycle DSM program builds off of existing efforts that include cigarette butt recycling through Operation Downtown and recycling at various Downtown events, in addition to efforts by residential and commercial property owners to offer recycling options to their residents and employees. The expansion of the existing program extends recycling from the residential and commercial to the public realm.

Continue reading here.

Tweet me:.@kabtweet/@CocaColaCo partner w/ @AtlanticCoke, @Downtown50309, @KeepIABeautiful on #recycling bins in #DesMoines! http://bit.ly/2o7O6Jt

Contact Info:

Mike Rosen
Keep America Beautiful
+1 (203) 659-3008
mrosen@kab.org
http://www.twitter.com/kabtweet
http://www.facebook.com/keepamericabeautiful
http://www.instagram.com/keepamericabeautiful
http://www.youtube.com/kabnetwork

Alec Cooley
Keep America Beautiful
+1 (843) 278-7686
acooley@kab.org

KEYWORDS: Green Infrastructure, Sanitation, Keep America Beautiful, The Coca-Cola Company, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Operation Downtown, Atlantic Bottling Company, City of Des Moines, Keep Iowa Beautiful, Downtown Community Alliance, RecycleDSM, Coca-Cola/Keep America Beautiful Public Space Recycling Bin Grant Program

SOURCE:Amgen Foundation

DESCRIPTION:

Jamie, an Amgen Sr. Biopharmaceutical Rep. from Denver, used her volunteer Impact Day to wrap gifts for children and families living at Brent’s Place, a free housing option for children who are immune-compromised.

Amgen recognizes the importance of giving back to our local communities. Each year, thousands of Amgen staff generously devote their personal time, energy, talents and funds to a variety of charitable organizations across the globe. Amgen encourages staff to become involved in their local communities through Amgen Impact Day, which offers staff members a paid day off to volunteer, as well as the Amgen Foundation’s staff involvement programs: Amgen Volunteers and Matching Gifts. For more information, please visit the Amgen website.  

Tweet me:Meet Jamie, an @Amgen Sr. Biopharmaceutical Rep. from Denver, who volunteered w/ @BrentsPlaceCO http://bit.ly/2o1a6FQ

KEYWORDS: Social Impact & Volunteering, Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Amgen, volunteer, Volunteering, Amgen Foundation, Brent’s Place, Denver

Report highlights progress toward 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility goals

SOURCE:Wells Fargo & Company

DESCRIPTION:

SAN FRANCISCO, April 21, 2017 /3BL Media/ – Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) announced today that the company invested nearly $67 billion in lending capital and grants during 2016 toward achieving its 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goals that were set last year to help create solutions to address global challenges and strengthen communities. Wells Fargo’s 2016 CSR Interim Report, released today, details the company’s performance and progress in addressing three areas of strategic focus: advancing diversity and social inclusion, creating economic opportunities in underserved communities, and accelerating the transition to a lower-carbon economy and a healthier planet.

Among other accomplishments, last year the company invested $17.6 billion in financing for clean technology and other environmentally sustainable businesses; $38 million in grants and lending capital to help diverse small business grow; $49 billion in new mortgages for minority and low- and moderate-income households; $50 million in the Neighborhood LIFT® program; and $281.3 million in grants to 14,500 nonprofits.

“Wells Fargo has made strong progress toward achieving our 2020 CSR goals through significant investments in philanthropic giving, advances in products and services, and strengthening our operations and culture,” said Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan. “Our top priority is rebuilding trust, and our CSR efforts are essential to helping us build a better bank for the future. Though more work lies ahead, we are fully committed to making every community in which we do business better through an integrated, company-wide CSR strategy to address global social, economic, and environmental challenges.”

Wells Fargo’s approach to CSR reflects the company’s longstanding commitment to strengthening and delivering practical solutions for the customers and communities it serves. The 2020 CSR goals announced last year include objectives for supplier diversity, philanthropy, environmental financing, community development investments, and volunteer hours. Last month, Sloan reinforced the company’s commitment to corporate citizenship as one of six long-term goals for the company.

Following are highlights from Wells Fargo’s 2016 interim CSR report:

Philanthropy

• Wells Fargo donated $281.3 million to 14,500 nonprofits and community organizations in 2016, including $139.9 million to organizations aligned with our social, economic, and environmental strategic philanthropy priorities. The company is on track to donate more than $665 million in corporate philanthropic giving to nonprofits in these three areas by 2020.
• In 2016, Wells Fargo invested $50 million in LIFT programs, for a total of $327 million in down payment assistance and support since 2012. Through LIFT, the company has created 12,900 new homeowners in 48 low- and moderate-income communities and expects to exceed its goal of creating 15,000 new homeowners through LIFT programs by 2020.
• Wells Fargo has donated more than $75 million to support returning military veterans and their families through stable housing, career transition, and financial education programs (2012-2016). Over that period, the company also donated more than 300 homes to military veterans in all 50 states.

Products and services

• Wells Fargo provided $35 billion in mortgages to minority households and $14 billion in mortgages to low- and moderate-income households in 2016. The company is on track to meet its goal of addressing lagging homeownership rates by originating a combined $220 billion in new mortgages for these communities between 2016 and 2020.
• The Wells Fargo Works for Small Business®: Diverse Community Capital program distributed $38 million in grants and lending capital to 30 Community Development Financial Institutions serving diverse small businesses during 2016 – more than halfway to the goal of providing $75 million by 2018.
• In 2016, Wells Fargo financed $17.6 billion in renewable energy, clean technology, and other sustainable businesses — up from $15 billion in 2015 –and bringing our total environmental financing to more than $70 billion since 2012. More than 8 percent of all wind and solar energy generated in the U.S. in 2016 came from projects owned wholly or in part by Wells Fargo.

Operations and culture

• In 2016, the company engaged and developed diverse businesses, spending $1.1 billion with diverse suppliers, or 11.9 percent of our controllable procurement budget. This puts the company on track to meet our goal of spending 15 percent of our controllable procurement budget with diverse suppliers by 2020.
• The company improved its operational efficiency, achieving among other metrics, a 36 percent reduction in absolute greenhouse gas emissions and a 52% increase in water efficiency from the 2008 baselines, putting Wells Fargo on track to meet efficiency goals of 45 percent and 65 percent, respectively, by 2020.
• Wells Fargo increased volunteer group participation by 13 percent over 2015, which is nearly halfway to the goal of a 30 percent increase by 2020. In addition, team members volunteered 1.73 million hours to nonprofits, putting the company on track to meet or exceed a goal of 8.5 million volunteer hours by 2020.

“It is our hope that our ongoing work to address these and other challenges in our business and our communities illustrates Wells Fargo’s sincere commitment to actively and authentically take action on the principles of corporate citizenship throughout our business,” said Jon Campbell, Wells Fargo’s director of Government and Community Relations. Read more from Campbell at stories.wf.com/continuing-commitment-creating-stronger-communities/.

For more information about Wells Fargo’s 2020 goals and progress, visit https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/corporate-responsibility/.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $2.0 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,500 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 42 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 273,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 27 on Fortune’s 2016 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.

# # #

Tweet me:.@WellsFargo invested $67 billion in 2016 to advance #CSR goals. http://bit.ly/2ocd2iO #sustainability

KEYWORDS: Sustainable Development Goals, Diversity & Inclusion, Wells Fargo

Jon Campbell, head of Government and Community Relations for Wells Fargo, shares the company’s progress toward its corporate social responsibility goals

SOURCE:Wells Fargo & Company

DESCRIPTION:

As I reflect on the eight years I’ve spent leading Wells Fargo’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, I feel fortunate to work for a company that cares so deeply for our customers, team members, and the communities in which we operate. This past year was certainly one of the toughest in our company’s history, but I take great pride in our continued efforts to make all of our communities better through our products and services, operations and culture, and philanthropy.

Tweet me:.@WellsFargo announces progress toward 2020 #CSR goals; #diversity, #corporatecitizenship, #climatechange http://bit.ly/2p0oFsB

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Diversity & Inclusion, Wells Fargo

SOURCE:Taproot Foundation

DESCRIPTION:

Originally published on HR Pulse

"Work and live to serve others, to leave the world a little better than you found it and garner for yourself as much peace of mind as you can. This is happiness." The quote by NBC’s founder David Sarnoff is featured in a book of inspirational phrases that NBCUniversal gives to each participant in its HR for GOOD program. The program was conceived by Pat Langer, Executive Vice President of HR for NBCUniversal. As an attorney, Langer was very familiar with pro bono work, but she hadn’t thought about applying the concept as an HR professional until a happenstance meeting on a plane. The woman seated next to Langer volunteered for the Taproot Foundation, an organization dedicated to driving social change by connecting nonprofits with passionate, skilled professionals who provide their services pro bono. Through Taproot’s programs, business professionals deliver marketing, strategy, HR, tech and other solutions that organizations need to help power their productivity and better achieve their missions.

After learning about Taproot, Langer got involved. First, she leveraged her human resources expertise on a six-month long pro bono project and then in a pro bono “speed consulting” event. Hooked, she joined Taproot’s board of directors and partnered with Taproot to bring pro bono to NBCUniversal. Together NBCUniversal and Taproot designed HR for GOOD, a half-day pro bono consulting event that helps nonprofits troubleshoot strategic HR issues.  NBCUniversal has held two HR for GOOD experiences, one in New York City and another in Los Angeles.  It has engaged 41 leaders from 27 nonprofits and tapped the HR business expertise of 71 NBCUniversal HR professionals (see photo below).  The nonprofit leaders rotated through three 50-minute consultative sessions targeting critical needs including team building and employee relations, performance management, and recruiting, vetting and hiring new staff. Ninety-eight percent of nonprofit participants reported that the results of the event would have a positive impact on their organizations and 100% said that they would participate in another HR for GOOD in the future. 

Read the full article on HR Pulse

Tweet me:.@NBCUniversal merges #probono & professional development in HR for GOOD program http://bit.ly/2or8ocQ via @CTHRAConnect

KEYWORDS: Social Impact & Volunteering, Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Taproot Foundation

SOURCE:VolunteerMatch

DESCRIPTION:

We hope you’re ready for National Volunteer Week (4/23 - 4/29)! Here at VolunteerMatch, we’re eager to celebrate #NVW2017 by honoring the volunteers and people who make volunteering possible — you!

In today’s post, we’re highlighting ways to inspire your volunteers — through bite-sized, inspirational quotes you can share with your networks to encourage them to get out and volunteer. Here are some of our favorites.

(Quotes with a tweetable number of characters have a link – simply click the quote to share inspiration with your Twitter followers!)

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” — Muhammad Ali

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” — Elizabeth Andrew

“If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.” — Kofi Annan

“What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good.” — Aristotle

“We have to do what we can to help wherever and whenever it is possible for us to help.” — Jackie Chan

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill

“If compassion was the motivating factor behind all of our decisions, would our world not be a completely different place?” — Sheryl Crow

“Only a life lived for others is worth living.” — Albert Einstein

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi

“Whatever community organization, whether it’s a women’s organization, or fighting for racial justice … you will get satisfaction out of doing something to give back to the community that you never get in any other way.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“If every American donated five hours a week, it would equal the labor of twenty million full-time volunteers.” — Whoopi Goldberg

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands — one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” — Audrey Hepburn

“I believe that every human mind feels pleasure in doing good to another.” — Thomas Jefferson

“The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.” — Helen Keller

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Our generation has the ability and the responsibility to make our ever-more connected world a more hopeful, stable and peaceful place.” — Natalie Portman

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” — William Shakespeare

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” — Unknown

Have a favorite quote about volunteering? Share it with us in the comments section below or tweeting to us @VolunteerMatch!

Is your company looking for volunteer opportunities for its employees? Access the web’s largest volunteer engagement network.

Tweet me:Inspire Your #Volunteers With These 18 Famous Quotes via @VM_Solutions http://bit.ly/2ouFRmD #NVW2017

KEYWORDS: Social Impact & Volunteering, Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Volunteering, inspiration, national volunteer week, VolunteerMatch

By Brandee McHale, President of the Citi Foundation and Director of Corporate Citizenship, Citi

SOURCE:Citi

DESCRIPTION:

Community-based organizations have been at the forefront of transforming cities, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, acting as both spring boards to economic opportunity and critical safety nets for low-income people and communities. However, to accelerate the pace of transformative impact in our cities, these change-agents need more than financial support for specific programs. They need funders to back them in a way that allows them to amplify their influence and voice, evolve to adapt to shifting external trends, and develop new ways of addressing long-term societal challenges. It was this need that drove the Citi Foundation to launch the Community Progress Makers Fund in 2015, providing multi-year, core operating support to nonprofits in six U.S. cities. Read More. 

Tweet me:Impact happens when funders & nonprofits work together to support our cities & communities http://bit.ly/2ocNK4j

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Citi Foundation, Citi, Progress Makers, Community Progress Makers

SOURCE:AEG

DESCRIPTION:

Earlier today, AEG’s LA Galaxy staff and community volunteers worked alongside TreePeople, a 3-year LA Galaxy partner that inspires people in Los Angeles to take personal responsibility for the urban forest, to provide tree care throughout the Bette Davis Picnic Area at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. Staff and volunteers built water basins, pulled weeds, watered trees, spread mulch and adjusted tree stakes and ties to ensure straight tree growth.

In conjunction with Earth Day on April 22, the event was part of LA Galaxy Foundation Fridays, a series of monthly community service initiatives in the Los Angeles area throughout the 2017 LA Galaxy season. Foundation Fridays’ community service projects feature LA Galaxy staff, alumni, Academy teams, alliance clubs and supporter groups in one-day volunteer opportunities each month.

For a list of future LA Galaxy Foundation Friday volunteer opportunities, please visit: https://www.lagalaxy.com/community/foundationfridays

ABOUT LA GALAXY FOUNDATION

The Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation (LAGF), the official non-profit of the LA Galaxy, strives to serve the community in which the team works and plays. Through soccer programming that promotes inclusion for all athletes, education opportunities, and a strong spirit of volunteerism LAGF is proud to facilitate more than 150 events annually and has donated more than $3.5 million dollars to support the local Los Angeles community. For additional information, please visit www.lagalaxy.com

Tweet me:.@LAGalaxy & @TreePeople_org team up to provide tree care @ Griffith Park in celebration of #EarthDay http://bit.ly/2od9I70

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, Environment, AEG, LA Galaxy, earth day, TreePeople, Tree care, Griffith Park, LA Galaxy Foundation, LA Galaxy Foundation Fridays

Major leaguers going to bat to help others in need

SOURCE:Major League Baseball Players Trust

DESCRIPTION:

Rickie Weeks is enjoying his fourteenth season in the majors in 2017, his first with the Tampa Bay Rays.

A key cog in the Milwaukee Brewers organization for over a decade, the Altamonte Springs, FL native is making just as much of an impact off the field as he has on it. His baseball roots run deep, as his grandfather, Victor Weeks, was an outfielder in the Negro Leagues during the 1940s.

Rickie, along with his brother and fellow major leaguer, Jemile, help their father Richard, who owns the Orlando Monarchs, a baseball team in the Florida Collegiate Summer League.   According to the team’s Facebook page, the Monarchs Academy of Baseball provides a “valuable opportunity for kids from 8 to 19 years old to develop their baseball skills and baseball leadership.”

The organization has the help of hundreds of children, parents, volunteers and sponsors as they team up to give kids an opportunity to develop various teamwork skills and life skills in their pursuit of a college education.

Every year, the Monarchs and the Weeks family host a Holiday Baseball Camp for kids.

You can learn more about the Orlando Monarchs here.

You can follow the Weeks brothers and their charitable efforts on Twitter and Instagram.

Major Leaguers are #GoingToBat for causes near and dear to them, as they personify the Players Trust’s motto to ‘care, act and inspire.” To learn more about the charitable interests and activities of Major Leaguers, please visit www.PlayersTrust.org.

Tweet me:#RickieWeeks @raysbaseball & his family are #GoingToBat for Florida yuoth. #CareActInspire http://bit.ly/2p03DYR

KEYWORDS: Social Impact & Volunteering, Diversity & Inclusion, Baseball, youth baseball, leadership programs, Major League Baseball Players Association, MLBPA, MLB, Major League Baseball, giving back

SOURCE:Cox Enterprises

DESCRIPTION:

Originally published on Inside Tucson Business.

Corporate conservation is not just a box that we check. More and more, it is expected. Our nation’s and the world’s resources are increasingly constrained. Companies across the U.S. and here in Southern Arizona must continue to reduce consumption of energy, water and raw materials while reducing industrial byproducts to remain competitive and ensure long-term business success. 

Businesses can create value and demonstrate leadership to customers and employees by developing and deploying a conservation strategy that considers how its operations affect the social, cultural and economic environment. 

When considering how to form a conservation plan for your business, it is important to identify the focus of the program, cost and measurement, and the role that both employees and stakeholders will have in the plan. 

Narrowing your focus on sustainability efforts that are within reach will allow your organization to provide more strategic attention to the areas that matter the most. Cox Communications and its parent company, Cox Enterprises, are celebrating a decade focused on our sustainability program, Cox Conserves, this year. We made it to this benchmark, in part, by focusing on reducing our carbon footprint by 20 percent by 2017. 

Click here to read the article on Inside Tucson Business.

Tweet me:.@CoxComm VP Lisa Lovallo shares how the company invests in #sustainability & #conservation thru #CoxConserves http://bit.ly/2ngww5A

KEYWORDS: Sustainable Development Goals, Energy, Cox Communications, Cox Enterprises

SOURCE:Rebuilding Together

DESCRIPTION:

Thanks to nearly 43,000 volunteers, Rebuilding Together completed over 1,900 home and community projects during National Rebuilding Month in 2016. Be a part of the impact this year! Find out more: http://bit.ly/1Yb8mBa

Tweet me:Last year w/ 43k volunteers, @RebldgTogthr completed 1.9k projects during #RebuildingMonth. Take part this year! http://bit.ly/2ouKCNi

KEYWORDS: Social Impact & Volunteering, Events, Media & Communications, National Rebuilding Month, rebuilding together, Healthy homes, community revitalization

Major Leaguers Celebrate National Volunteer Week by Awarding College Scholarships to Action Team Captains from 11 Different States

SOURCE:Major League Baseball Players Trust

DESCRIPTION:

NEW YORK, NY, April 24, 2017/3BL Media/ - Major League baseball players will award $2,000 college scholarships to 20 high school students who have demonstrated their dedication to community service and determination to encourage others to get involved with causes they believe in, it was announced today by the Major League Baseball Players Trust.  Each scholarship recipient is a member of the Action Team® national youth volunteer program created and administered by the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America.

In honor of National Volunteer Week, (April 23-29) the scholarship awards are based on the volunteer activities, academic achievements and leadership skills of high school students serving as Action Team Captains. These students take on the responsibility of planning and organizing Action Team-centric volunteer events while encouraging others to get involved in their communities.

This school-year, Major Leaguers and more than 500 Action Team Captains in 100  high schools across the country are working together to continue to inspire the next generation of volunteers, while helping those in their community in need. This is the tenth straight year the Players Trust has awarded college scholarships to recognize the efforts of Action Team Captains.

Each scholarship application was reviewed by a committee comprised of representatives of the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America, and included Major Leaguers Mark Melancon of the San Francisco Giants and Craig Stammen of the San Diego Padres.

“On behalf of all Major League baseball players and our partners, Volunteers of America, the Players Trust is honored to take this opportunity during National Volunteer Week to recognize the outstanding commitment and passion for helping others that Action Team Captains across the country demonstrate on a daily basis,” stated Melissa Persaud, director of the Players Trust.  “Also, it is with great pride that today we announce the winners of our 2017 Action Team scholarships.  The scholarship winners’ dedication to their communities is truly inspiring, and all the more impressive because they’ve answered this calling so early on in their lives, while juggling school and other activities. I also want to thank Mark Melancon and Craig Stammen for their ongoing support of the Action Team, including their efforts to help us select our scholarship winners.”

Since its launch in 2003, Action Teams of high school students and Major Leaguers have inspired more than 91,000 high school students to serve over 280,000 people in need.  There are Action Teams in 30 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, and at various times during the school year the Action Team Captains participate in conference calls hosted by legendary broadcaster George Grande that feature a Major Leaguer and an “Action Team High School of the Month.”

Action Team Captains receive free posters and T-shirts to help support their efforts.  They are also invited to attend regional Action Team service projects featuring Major Leaguers and, in recognition of their efforts and accomplishments, they receive free tickets to Major League baseball games and certificates of achievement signed by Major Leaguers near the end of the school year.

Action Team applications and additional information can be found at http://playerstrust.org/action-team/ or by sending a request to ActionTeam@mlbpa.org .

Receiving scholarships from the Major League Baseball Players Trust are:

NAME/SCHOOL/CITY & STATE

Zainab Ali/Bergenfield HS/Bergenfield, NJ

Stephen Backman/Brunswick HS/Brunswick, ME

Aaron Carlton/Brunswick HS/Brunswick, ME

Kyra D’Costa/West Deptford HS/West Deptford Township, NJ

Allison Emery/Poland Regional HS/Poland, ME

Andrew Hershey/Bishop Ireton/Alexandria, VA

Nyjah Johnson/Seton Keough HS/Baltimore, MD

Keaton Layman/Kamiak HS/Mukilteo, WA

Morgan Lezotte/Manatee School for the Arts/Palmetto, FL

Kathryn Manzo/St. Stephen St. Agnes HS/Alexandria, VA

Matthew Mitnick/Westlake HS/Westlake Village, CA

Olivia Newsome/St. Stephen St. Agnes HS/Alexandria, VA

Jeanna Polisini/Westlake HS/Westlake Village, CA

Soraya Ragasa/St. Anthony Jr/Sr HS/Wailuku, HI

Ana Ramos/Thornton Fractional North/Calumet City, IL

Elizabeth Roy/Thornton Academy/Saco, ME

Hishaam Shafiq/King HS/Tampa, FL

John Toner/Wakefield HS/Arlington, VA

Juliana Walker/HB Woodlawn/Arlington, VA

Abbi Woodcock/Greenwood HS/Bowling Green, KY

Tweet me:In honor of #VolunteerRecognitionWeek @MLB_Players award college scholarships to @_ActionTeam Captains http://bit.ly/2q7nIMo

KEYWORDS: Social Impact & Volunteering, Education, volunteer recognition week, Youth Volunteers, Action Team, Major League Baseball, MLB, Major League Baseball Players Association, Major League Baseball Players Trust, giving back, high school service learning, scholarships

SOURCE:ReportAlert

DESCRIPTION:

Citi today released its 2016 Global Citizenship Report, highlighting efforts made in the last year to responsibly provide financial services that enable growth and progress. The report is divided in two sections - “How we do Business” and “Solutions for Impact.”

The first section describes Citi’s values and the ways in which the firm operates responsibly, from reinforcing the highest ethical standards to operating in an environmentally friendly manner and safeguarding clients’ privacy. The second section provides examples of the many ways Citi works with clients and communities to meet the world’s toughest challenges, including building inclusive cities, working with governments on critical infrastructure projects and financing solutions that protect against climate change.

“Responsible business practices are not only the backbone of Citi’s success, but are crucial to protecting the broader financial system and the communities in which we live and work,” said Citi CEO Michael Corbat. “As a global financial institution, Citi is well positioned to help address complex societal challenges that matter to our clients and impact our communities. This report offers a look at the many ways we stand for progress in all that we do.”

Among the many examples of Citi’s impact throughout the report, key highlights include:  

• Sustainable growth: Citi’s progress toward its 10-year, $100 Billion Environmental Finance Goal continues at a robust pace. Since announcing the commitment, environmental finance activity reached $97.5 billion in just three years, with $26.3 billion in 2016.
   
• Connecting youth to jobs and opportunity: The Citi Foundation’s Pathways to Progress, a $50 million effort launched in 2014, achieved its initial goal of helping more than 100,000 young people in 10 U.S. cities become career-ready through first jobs, internships, and leadership and entrepreneurship training. At the start of 2017, Pathways to Progress expanded globally, with a $100 million investment to connect 500,000 young people inside and outside the U.S. to training and jobs over the next three years. It's the largest philanthropic commitment in Citi’s over 200-year history.
   
• Small business and affordable housing: In 2016, Citi increased lending to small businesses in the U.S. to more than $11 billion, raising Citi’s total over the last five years to nearly $50 billion. Once again, Citi was the leading financer of affordable housing in the U.S., as had been the case for seven years in a row, financing $5.75 billion in affordable housing totaling 46,000 units.
   
• Financial resilience: Citi piloted the Citi ATM Community Network in 2016 providing free use of Citi’s ATM network to over 300,000 clients of participating minority-owned banks and credit unions.
   
• Inclusive communities: The Citi Foundation launched the Community Progress Makers Fund, a two-year $20 million initiative to support local organizations working to build more sustainable cities in the U.S.
   
• Volunteerism: Citi celebrated its 11th annual Global Community Day, when 85,000 Citi volunteers, often accompanied by friends and family, took part in volunteer projects in more than 500 cities located in over 90 countries.

This report is in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) G4 Core guidelines and aligned with the United Nations (UN) Global Compact and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights frameworks. To learn more about Citi’s citizenship efforts across the globe and to review the 2016 Global Citizenship Report, visit http://citi.com/citizenship/.

Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi.

Media Contact:
Citi
Elizabeth Kelly
212-559-2477

Read the Report

Tweet me:.@Citi releases 2016 Global Citizenship Report. Highlights efforts made to enable growth & progress http://bit.ly/2onNlMf via @ReportAlert

KEYWORDS: Research, Reports & Publications, Environment, Citi, ReportAlert

Q&A with Darlene Goins, head of Wells Fargo Hands on Banking

SOURCE:Wells Fargo & Company

DESCRIPTION:

Wells Fargo’s Hands on Banking® program has a new website, improved features, expanded resources, and a shift in focus from financial education to financial capability. We asked Darlene Goins, head of the program, to explain the reasons behind the changes.

Tweet me:#FinancialEducation to #FinancialCapability. Learn why from head of Wells Fargo #HandsonBanking. bit.ly/2q6JQq8

KEYWORDS: Education, Innovation & Technology, financial education, financial capability, Wells Fargo

SOURCE:Taproot Foundation

DESCRIPTION:

April 24, 2017/3BL Media/ - The Taproot Foundation convenes its 6^th annual U.S. Pro Bono Summit on April 26 and 27 in New York City. This cross-sector gathering brings together leaders in the corporate, nonprofit and government sectors who are committed to expanding the use and impact of pro bono programming. For the first time, this year’s Summit will include a convening to discuss how the business community can meet the technology needs of the social sector through pro bono service.

“We know just how important a need technology is for nonprofits and that many nonprofits don’t have the resources or the know-how to access that expertise,” says Liz Hamburg, Taproot Foundation President & CEO. “I am excited to gather together a multi-sectored group to collectively shape how pro bono service can help connect nonprofits with technology solutions that transform their organizations and solve our communities’ challenges.”

Jeff Aldrich, Planned Parenthood’s Director of Product Management - Digital Products, and Summit speaker had this to add: "Technology is a critical component in delivering on Planned Parenthood's mission. In the weeks and months following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Planned Parenthood received a flood of offers of support, including many offers of pro bono technology support. We're excited to share our experiences and to contribute to a wider conversation about the use of pro bono technology services in nonprofit organizations.”

This year’s Summit will include sessions featuring Planned Parenthood, DataKind, NTEN, TechSoup, Adobe, Barclays and others covering topics ranging from tech tools to identify and solve critical challenges in the social sector to discovering how program design can improve companies’ impact on their nonprofit community partners.

The 2017 Summit will take place over two days and is generously sponsored by Prudential Financial, Inc., and supported by VMware, a global leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility.

“Bridging the Technology Divide” Convening – April 26
Bridging the Technology Divide will bring together corporate and nonprofit leaders to address how using pro bono service can drive technology adoption, use and fluency in the social sector. Along with collaborator VMware, Taproot will also be releasing a new whitepaper—entitled Transforming Technology Pro Bono: A Practical Approach—aimed at helping nonprofits diagnose and address capacity building challenges with technology. “VMware’s culture of service empowers our people to be active citizens in the global community,” says Jessamine Chin, Director of the VMware Foundation. “We’re excited to partner with Taproot to advance the conversation around technology pro bono.”

Corporate Convening – April 27
A growing number of Fortune 500 companies are now offering employees opportunities to volunteer their professional expertise to nonprofits. This exclusive Corporate Convening gathers social responsibility and HR leaders from over 30 of the leading corporations in pro bono programming sharing best practices and uncovering innovations around delivering critical pro bono resources—in marketing finance, IT, HR and more—to social change organizations. As part of the day’s highly participatory sessions, U.S. Pro Bono Summit sponsor and featured speaker Prudential will highlight their own pro bono program that leverages the skills of its employees to deliver on the company’s founding principle that everyone should have the opportunity to achieve financial security. Prudential’s programming has built the capacity of local partners while simultaneously providing employees the opportunity to support personal and professional growth, a model which a growing number of companies have leveraged in implementing their own programming.

Follow the 2017 U.S. Pro Bono Summit at #PBSummit2017

About the Taproot Foundation
Taproot Foundation, a national nonprofit, connects nonprofits and social change organizations with skilled volunteers who provide their expertise pro bono. Taproot is creating a world where organizations dedicated to social change have full access—through pro bono service—to the marketing, strategy, HR, and IT resources they need to be most effective. Since 2001, Taproot’s skilled volunteers have served 4,000 social change organizations providing 1.4 million hours of work worth over $150 million in value. Taproot is located in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles and is leading a network of global pro bono providers in over 23 countries around the world. www.taprootfoundation.org

About Prudential Financial, Inc.
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with more than $1 trillion of assets under management as of Dec. 31, 2016, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.

Tweet me:.@taprootfound convenes 6th annual U.S. #ProBono Summit http://bit.ly/2oECZ6J in NYC this week. #PBSummit2017

Contact Info:

Crystal Hendricks-Kretzer
Taproot Foundation
pr@taprootfoundation.org
@Taprootfound
#PBSummit2017

KEYWORDS: Events, Media & Communications, Innovation & Technology, Taproot Foundation, U.S. Pro Bono Summit

SOURCE:Bloomberg

DESCRIPTION:

Originally posted on Bloomberg.com

Our founder and CEO Mike Bloomberg has long been committed to protecting the environment as an investment in our communities, our children’s future and our business. That ethos is embodied by the thousands of Bloomberg employees who devote their time to causes that create a cleaner and healthier planet.

We celebrate Earth Day with this edition of Bloomberg 35 by featuring some of our environmental non-profit partners and our work together to renew and protect our planet for the future.

To read the full blog post, click here. 

Tweet me:Bloomberg 35: Restoring and preserving our environment for future generations @bloomberg #earthday http://bit.ly/2oDPyiN

KEYWORDS: Environment, Bloomberg, mikebloomberg, bloombergphilanthropies, Volunteering, philanthropy, employeeengagement, socialimpact, Earthday

SOURCE:Rebuilding Together

DESCRIPTION:

Rebuilding Together affiliates preserve existing affordable housing for low-income homeowners and revitalize communities across America. National Rebuilding Month will culminate on National Rebuilding Day, Saturday April, 29 and will engage volunteers in a concerted effort to complete repairs on homes, nonprofit facilities and community spaces to bring immediate, transformational change to communities across America on the same day. Affiliates across the U.S. will host rebuilding events and educational workshops to promote safe and healthy housing. Find out more: http://bit.ly/1Yb8mBa

Tweet me:#RebuildingMonth will end on Saturday when @RebldgTogthr volunteers will repair homes across America on the same day http://bit.ly/2ooK0ge

KEYWORDS: Social Impact & Volunteering, Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives, volunteer, rebuilding together, National Rebuilding Month, Healthy homes