Positive Change

The folks at Keep Virginia Beautiful (KVB) had to admit it. They were a bit nervous prior to KVB's 2018 "Shiver in the River." In late January, Virginia's James River was well above flood stage because of several weeks of rainy weather. But after 10-plus days of gorgeous weather, the James receded, and hundreds of volunteers flocked to Historic Tredegar for the 4th Annual Shiver in the River.

In celebration of the International Day of Happiness, LG Electronics USA has teamed up with Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, to launch Discover Your Happy – an exciting new program designed equip students nationwide with the skills for sustainable happiness.

In celebration of World Water Day on March 22 and Earth Day on April 22, Xylem will host the second annual Make Your Mark 30 Day Challenge, a month-long event that encourages employees to engage in efforts to solve global and local water and environmental issues. The 30 Day Challenge is a signature event of Xylem Watermark, the company’s corporate citizenship platform aimed at providing and protecting safe water resources in communities and educating people about water issues.

As part of the launch to this year’s Make Your Mark 30 Day Challenge on World Water Day, Xylem Watermark will sponsor employee-led events with global nonprofit partner EarthEcho International, kicking off the 17th edition of the organization’s EarthEcho Water Challenge.

Our Label and Graphic Materials North America team (LGM-NA) recently worked to make winter warmer for those in need. The LGM-NA Extended Leadership Team partnered with domestic violence shelter Forbes House to provide blankets and backpacks with school supplies to families in the shelter.

Innovation is helping the World Food Program, frequent partner of The UPS Foundation, to explore more ways to accomplish their mission to address hunger and promote food security around the globe.

Give Something Back and Do The Right Thing are two core values important to The Wendy’s Company, and employees live these values in a variety of ways. Each year, Wendy’s is proud to recognize employees and all they do to make a positive impact in their communities through its Community Ambassador Grant Program. Ten Wendy’s employees are recognized for exemplary volunteer efforts in their communities with a $2,500 grant to an organization they support with their time, talents, and resources.

A funny thing happened on the way to writing this piece. I am addicted to online solitaire applications, and one of my favorites offers new backgrounds for different holidays. I was delighted to see that International Women’s Day was among their choices, and used adjectives such as courageous, strong and independent with names including Betty Friedan, Sonia Sotomayor and Gloria Steinem. Women’s leadership comes in many shapes, cultures and ages. It is sometimes quite overt and others times very silent.

Anyone who works in the nonprofit sector knows that women make up a significant part of its workforce and leadership – until you get to the top. Women currently account for 43 percent of the board seats among all nonprofits but only 33% of those seats at large nonprofits, defined as $25 million or greater in annual income.[1] At the staff level, this gap increases further -- women make up 45% of nonprofit CEOs but only 21% at large nonprofits, and they are compensated at 66% of their male CEO counterparts.

The 20th anniversary of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program, officially kicks off on the first day of spring – Tuesday, March 20 – with thousands of cleaning, greening and beautification events scheduled across America through the spring, summer and fall. Many Keep America Beautiful affiliates in warmer regions have already started their Great American Cleanup campaigns.