Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

How a Passat Parked Inside a Hospital Helps People Get Moving Again

May 4, 2017 11:10 AM ET

The mint-green sedan was the first thing you noticed inside the inpatient therapy gym at the Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation. Parked facing a window, with its engine compartment chopped off, the 1978 Pontiac with matching-green vinyl interior looked a bit alien next to the treadmill and staircases – but all are tools that help patients reacquaint themselves with the outside world.

While that car served Siskin Hospital for the past 26 years, Volkswagen Chattanooga thought it could help patients work with a more modern vehicle, by donating a 2016 Chattanooga-built Passat sedan to replace the old sedan in Siskin Hospital’s gym.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

It's National Foster Care Month

May 4, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Did you know there are more than 425,000 children in foster care right now? And that more than 130,000 of them are in need of loving, adoptive homes?

Health & Healthcare

Avnet Success Story | The Story of Braster

May 4, 2017 10:50 AM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

Amgen Volunteer Uses Impact Day to Give Back

May 4, 2017 10:30 AM ET

Deb, an Exec. Biopharmaceutical Rep. in Washington, D.C., used her Impact Day to help homeless families at a local nonprofit organization, For Kids.

Environment

What's Your EarthChoice

May 4, 2017 10:15 AM ET

During Earth Week 2017 Domtar employees took part in numerous events promoting care for the natural environment, from holding recycling drives to educating about home gardening.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Alliance Data Makes $500k Corporate Challenge Grant to My Possibilities

May 4, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Alliance Data announced a $500,000 corporate challenge grant for a new higher-education campus for My Possibilities, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Investing in Employee Experience - Engagement Through Volunteering

May 4, 2017 10:15 AM ET

While more and more studies are being published that link employee engagement to volunteer experiences, Chris Jarvis of Realized Worth will tell you that too many companies are missing opportunities to truly engage their employees. Why? Because they are thinking about transaction rather than transformation.

Sustainable Development Goals

“Miracle Packets” Saved 5 Million Lives Since 2010

May 4, 2017 10:05 AM ET

As a supplier of key ingredients for its life-saving products, Cargill helps Edesia treat and prevent malnutrition around the world.

Health & Healthcare

Pricing Our Medicines to Help Ensure Patient Access

May 4, 2017 10:00 AM ET

“I’m proud to work for the #1 most access-oriented company in the world, and here in the US we never launch a product without considering affordability for the patients who need it.” (Nick, Director, US Pricing)

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Wells Fargo Ranks No. 9 for Diversity and Inclusion

May 4, 2017 10:00 AM ET

For the 17th straight year, DiversityInc magazine has ranked Wells Fargo among the top-rated companies for diversity and inclusion — and this year the company enters the top 10.

Events, Media & Communications

De Beers Group Report to Society 2016

May 4, 2017 10:00 AM ET

De Beers Group has launched its 11th Report to Society, showcasing its progress on ‘doing the right thing’ in its worldwide operations.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Congratulations to the International Winners of the Scotiabank Youth Awards

May 4, 2017 9:55 AM ET

If you enjoy building your future and enriching the lives of others along the way, you’re a great candidate to be recognized as a Scotiabank Youth Awards winner.

Diversity & Inclusion

Reinventing Mindsets to Guarantee an Inventive Future at HP

May 4, 2017 9:50 AM ET

At HP, we believe in the power and promise of committing to a more diverse and inclusive workplace. And we’re proud of the progress we’ve made, with the most diverse board of directors of any technology company, among other things, and the awards and recognition we’ve won because of it. But we are far from satisfied.

Education

Introducing the 2017 AT&T Aspire Accelerator Class

May 4, 2017 9:45 AM ET

“How can I help students in new and lasting ways?” That’s a question all innovators in education ask… daily.

“How can the program, platform or product I’m working on make a difference in learners’ lives? Does it connect teachers to new, untapped resources? Does it help engage caregivers in a child’s learning? Does it allow students to see things in a different light? Does it help?”

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Wells Fargo Announces Small Business Neighborhood Renovation Program Contest

May 4, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) is introducing the Wells Fargo Works for Small Business®: Neighborhood Renovation Program Contest, designed to help improve eligible small businesses in designated neighborhoods in five cities – Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and Minneapolis – through a physical location or storefront makeover. Wells Fargo is launching the program in collaboration with Rebuilding Together, a premier nonprofit organization focused on rebuilding communities.

Research, Reports & Publications

New Report Highlights Benefits of De Beers’ Partnerships

May 4, 2017 5:00 AM ET

The 56-page sustainability report, published today, stresses that doing the right thing has long been an imperative for De Beers Group, not least because being a good corporate citizen brings all-round socio-economic benefits.

Environment

Fox’s ‘Salem’ Donates More Than $200,000 in Set Materials Toward the Construction of New Lousiana Aquarium

May 3, 2017 8:00 PM ET

Fox 21 Television Studios and the production crew on the horror thriller series Salem recently donated more than $200,000 worth of set materials to the city of Shreveport, Louisiana, where the series has filmed each of its three seasons. The donation will go toward the city’s efforts to repurpose an abandoned community center into an environmentally sustainable aquarium. The new building is set to become the first in the state’s history to achieve LEED Platinum certification and will receive $166,000 worth of lumber used to construct Salem’s sets, as well as individual set pieces such as water wells, foam trees, and foam rocks that can be used in the aquarium’s exhibits.

Social Impact & Volunteering

In Indiana, Vigo Volunteers, Duke Energy Come Through for the Hungry

May 3, 2017 6:05 PM ET

Tears of joy streamed down Anita Cheeks’ face as Duke Energy volunteers took box after box of canned foods and other non-perishable items into the basement of St. Joseph’s Church parish offices.

Energy

NYS Energy Symposium Shows Determination and Direction

May 3, 2017 5:00 PM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

UPS Named A Top NBIC Best-Of-The-Best Corporation For Second Consecutive Year

May 3, 2017 4:15 PM ET

UPS® (NYSE: UPS), is proud to have been named among the 2017 Best-of-the-Best Corporations for Inclusion by the National Business Inclusion Consortium (NBIC). The recognition acknowledges UPS’s outstanding commitment to diversity for suppliers as well as employees and customers.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Diversityinc Recognizes Medtronic In 2017 'Top 50' List

May 3, 2017 2:45 PM ET

Medtronic strives to engage employees at all levels of the organization to ensure an inclusive culture. Announced in May 2017, DiversityInc has again named Medtronic to its list of the top companies recognized for being leaders in diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Sodexo Ranks in the Top 10 for Ninth Consecutive Year on DiversityInc’s 2017 Top 50 Companies for Diversity

May 3, 2017 2:45 PM ET

Sodexo, the world leader in Quality of Life Services, announced today that it ranked #6 on DiversityInc’s 2017 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. This marks the ninth consecutive year that Sodexo’s metrics-driven commitment to diversity and inclusion was recognized among the top 10 companies.

Media & Communications

SASB Positions -- Critical Points Made In Commentary Published by Dr. Jean Rogers in the "IBD"

May 3, 2017 2:40 PM ET

What is important for us today is the publication in the IBD of powerful commentary by Jean Rogers, PhD, Founder/CEO of the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB). Dr. Rogers responds to earlier published commentary in IBD that warned investors "against the dangers of infusing corporate accounting with environmental advocacy."

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

General Mills Partners with World Food Program USA to Strengthen World’s Largest School Meals Program

May 3, 2017 2:35 PM ET

The grant from General Mills will support the World Food Programme (WFP)’s work with local partners in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, where a large proportion of youth exhibit symptoms from malnourishment, including anemia, wasting and stunting. The pilot will enable school meal fortification through multi-micronutrients like iron, zinc and vitamin A to approximately 137,031 schoolchildren across the state via the primary mid-day school meal. Two different methods of delivery will be tested against one another to determine which is the most effective: Half of the schools will receive fortified rice cooked onsite, the other half will receive micronutrient powder added to curry dishes served in the schools.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Empowering the Aging Population to Thrive: A Conversation with Dr. John Feather of Grantmakers in Aging

May 3, 2017 2:35 PM ET

In this episode of the Champions for Social Good Podcast, Jamie Serino speaks with Dr. John Feather, Chief Executive Officer of Grantmakers in Aging.