Volunteering & Community

How can America's forgotten communities overcome decades of extractive development? This NYC community's search for long-term economic vitality reveals the often overlooked qualities of building truly sustainable economic and social vitality.

AEG, the the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company, and Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund today announced a new partnership to raise awareness to prevent and end homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. The partnership reaffirms AEG’s commitment to diversity and inclusion and its long-established practice to improve the lives of youth in the communities where the company does business.

On May 31, Northern Illinois Food Bank dedicated the Epsilon Bulk Repack Room, celebrating its ongoing, generous partnership with Epsilon, an Alliance Data company.

Kids in the Philippines threw rocks and slurs at a 6-year-old boy when he tried to go to school. In Madagascar, an 8-year-old girl was shunned by her village and abandoned by her mother, who couldn’t overcome the stigma of her daughter’s condition. In Morocco, a 12-year-old girl hid in shame at home, so no one could see her face. All three children had a cleft condition, a birth defect that disfigures one in every 500 to 750 babies worldwide. They endured cruelty and isolation for years until a surgery by Operation Smile profoundly changed their lives.

San Isidro is one of the most populated barrios in Puerto Rico, but a lack of access to safe drinking water in the community was made worse by Hurricanes Irma and Maria last year.

Planet Water Foundation’s AquaTower system, supported by Xylem, will provide a vital resource for this resilient community to support their water needs as their rebuilding process continues.

Lvea is a rural village remotely situated to the southeast of Kampong Speu Province in Cambodia, approximately 62 km from the closest provincial town. More than half of the local population lives below the poverty line and without access to clean water or health care services.

As with many other communities in the east of Lombok, Repuk Bunut Village struggles to access clean water. For the more than 1,250 residents in this village, only 14 wells are actively used to meet the daily water needs. The water is dirty and harmful when consumed. Unfortunately, there is no other choice but to use the contaminated water, which can lead to illnesses that greatly affect the education of local students.

Access to clean water and water hygiene education are both necessary to provide these chidlren with a better, healthier life. The AquaTower provided to this community by Xylem Watermark and Planet Water Foundation during Project 24 will help to bring that needed change.

Sustainable Brands® kicks off its largest community gathering today with Sustainable Brands ’18 Vancouver at the Vancouver Convention Centre West in Vancouver, British Columbia. Over 2,000 business executives along with their teams from 33+ countries are attending the conference and Activation Hub.

The Taproot Foundation Board of Directors announced today the appointment of Lindsay Firestone Gruber as the organization’s new President and CEO. Gruber has been on staff with Taproot for 14 years and has served as the organization’s Chief Program Officer since 2016.