Social Change

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” Oprah Winfrey

In the summer of 2018, Taproot Foundation and the Wallace Center undertook the challenge to map the unique needs of NGOs along the food value chain and identify actionable next steps where pro bono service could impact the problem and offer a new solution. Read about this new inroad on SDG2 in a new article from PYXERA Global.

Novartis ranked second in the 2018 Access to Medicine Index (ATMi), up from 3rd place in 2016, in recognition of its long-standing efforts to improve worldwide access to healthcare. Novartis remained the industry leader in access-to-medicine management, and its newly launched Access Principles – which aim to systematically integrate access strategies in how the company researches, develops and delivers medicines globally – have been highlighted as an innovative practice. The Novartis CEO and members of the Executive Committee now also have access objectives as part of their individual objectives.

Since 2015, Las Vegas Sands has made addressing the homelessness issue in its corporate headquarters its primary issue. We have a core focus on youth homelessness, along with targeted initiatives that can strongly impact all people experiencing homelessness in our community.

More than 500 volunteers in Las Vegas joined Las Vegas Sands and social enterprises Clean the World and the American Red Cross to build 35,000 hygiene and comfort kits to support populations in need. The large community volunteer effort was in part with the company’s global annual kit build and its active approach on community preparedness.

We are excited to welcome Evan Goldberg, Founder and Executive Vice President of Development of NetSuite to Pro Bono Perspectives! Before starting NetSuite, Evan worked at Oracle Corporate where he focused on making powerful database technology more accessible to users and launching his first startup, mBED Software, where he developed groundbreaking website technology.

Shakira and her Pies Descalzos Foundation, the Ministry of Education with its Financial Fund of Educational Infrastructure, Cartagena’s Major’s office, the District Educational Secretary, Mario Santo Domingo Foundation, Costa Cruises and the program of Economic Cooperation and Development of the Switzerland Embassy in Colombia with the Architecture Department of the ETH Zürich, announce the beginning of the construction of a new Educational Institution in Cartagena city.

Smithtown has gotten just a little bit "greener" thanks to one local student.

Recently, 17-year-old Justin McArdle, a soon-to-be a senior at Smithtown High School East started a recycling project involving several schools in the district.

The innovative change-makers in charge of PayPal's giving and volunteering program were eager to engage more employees across their global workforce. They knew their program had the potential for even more social impact, and they wanted to support their people's passions for environmental sustainability. See how they engaged more employees globally and saw tangible results in their sustainability efforts.

America Recycles Day is the perfect time to make sure you are recycling everything you can. For example, food and beverage cartons are now accepted in many community recycling programs.