Baxter Volunteers Globally Make a Meaningful Difference

Apr 2, 2013 4:05 PM ET

DEERFIELD, Ill., April 2, 2013 /3BL Media/ - In 2012, more than 6,500 Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) employees volunteered in their communities, helping to address local concerns such as healthcare, the environment and education. Employee involvement takes many forms, including volunteering at a local school or blood drive, serving at a hospital or food pantry, participating in community park clean-up days, or joining a local non-profit organization board or committee. Employees at each Baxter site select volunteer activities and organizations to support, as they can best determine the most relevant and highest impact projects.

For example, each year employees in the Asia Pacific region coordinate volunteer efforts in October during its Making a Meaningful Difference Month. Now in its fourth year, employees in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam volunteered and raised funds for worthy causes, focusing primarily on issues affecting children, the economically disadvantaged and the disabled. In one initiative, employees in the Philippines collected children's books and funds for the Special Children's Educational Institute. As a result of employee efforts, Baxter Japan was recognized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Social Welfare Council for enhancing social welfare in the city, and Baxter China won the Best Corporate Social Responsibility Project Award at the 2012 China Charity Festival for its culture of volunteerism.

Also, to commemorate Baxter Canada's 75th anniversary in late 2012, employees in the country participated in more than 20 team volunteer opportunities during 75 Days of Caring. Events included environmental education, gardening and horticulture, socializing with senior citizens, and packing physician kits for overseas medical missions.

About Baxter
Baxter's commitment to sustainability spans more than three decades. The company is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and has been recognized by Corporate Responsibility magazine as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens and Newsweek's Green Rankings as the leading U.S. healthcare company. Baxter is a member of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College, and the Ethics & Compliance Officer Association. The company endorses the Ceres principles and is an Organizational Stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative. Further information about Baxter's sustainability activities can be found at www.sustainability.baxter.com.

Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide.