Events

Continued degradation of environmental resources and failing to provide safe and healthy working environments globally have put water and OHS high on the global agenda. Credible and actionable information about organizations’ impact on society and the environment is more important now than it has ever been. The GRI Standards on OHS and water and effluents have been updated to ensure best practice of reporting. The updated GRI Standards further reflect the urgency of the new ways of understanding and addressing issues such as harm to workers’ health, or fresh water as an increasingly scarce resource.

On Monday, June 25, patients and their families enjoyed “Incredible” visitors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The stars of Disney•Pixar’s Incredibles 2, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, paid a special visit to the hospital, where kids and families posed for pictures with the Supers, attended a private screening of the new film as part of the Disney Movie Moments program and also met Pixar animators, who created sketches of favorite Incredibles 2 characters for children in attendance. The young patients also received Disney toys, games, books and movies that were delivered in hospital care packages that are part of the Company’s Team of Heroes $100 million commitment to transform the children’s hospital experience over the next five years.

The administration’s “no tolerance” policy puts “something fundamental at stake: whether our nation’s policies will reflect values or run in direct contradiction to them,” Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, in a statement typical of many.

One of the hottest of hot button political-social issues got pushed, hard, last week. The separation of children from immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. blew up into a major conflict zone in the larger culture wars that shows no signs of quieting down anytime soon. As before, following the issue of the “Muslim ban” immigration executive order issued in early 2017, business squared off against government policy in a high volume debate over values.

Cisco Live US 2018 may be over, but it was only the continuation of our collective efforts to positively impact people, society, and the planet. Thanks to the more than 26,000 attendees and 350,000 online viewers who took part in Cisco Live this year, we saw global problem solvers come to life in Orlando, Florida.

Join Amanda MacArthur, Chief Program Officer of PYXERA Global, Thursday June 28, at 2:00 p.m. EST for the webinar How Pro Bon Can Help Fuel Your Mission, produced by the Foundation Center. Register here and get real tools to support any NGO as it identifies its pro bono needs. Walk away from the webinar with a clear pathway to leveraging pro bono for a purpose.

To celebrate Pride month, the rainbow flag will be prominently displayed throughout the month. Each color on the rainbow flag has a meaning: red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for harmony, and violet for spirit. You will see the flag displayed not only by individuals to show their pride and support but also by businesses who value diversity in the community and the workplace.

For the 19th year in a row, the octogenarian CEO of Berkshire Hathawayauctioned off a lunch date to raise money for Glide, an anti-poverty organization in San Francisco, California. When the auction closed late Friday, the winning bid topped $3.3 million according to the online event hosted by eBay for Charity.

HP and Girl Rising are now accepting submissions for the Girl Rising Creative Challenge, Powered by HP. This global challenge is designed to encourage individuals to share stories of how they or people within their own communities are making the world a better place for girls and young women through technology. Submissions, in the form of video, audio, essays and artwork, will be accepted through Girl Rising’s website from May 22 through August 15, 2018.

One of my favorite annual events is Points of Light’s Service Unites. Not only is the conference an opportunity to connect with peers to celebrate best practices and commiserate lesson learned, but it is also a chance to share updates on emerging philanthropy trends and hear from global service leaders. This year’s event delivered on its promise of incredible speakers and insights on the state of volunteerism, and I am happy to share my reflections on three networking and learning-filled days in Atlanta.