Volunteering & Community

After Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, Leah Halbina reached out to friends in the Houston area to see how she could help. When she found out about Sketch City, an open, nonprofit community of technology advocates and civic hackers that used technology to organize rescue efforts, help victims locate their nearest shelter and satisfy other pressing needs, she jumped in to help. Shortly after, Leah had to use the same technology in her home state of Florida as Hurricane Irma approached and made landfall.

Today’s workers are more transient, diverse, and tech savvy than their predecessors. They are also working in an era of greater uncertainty, as entire industries are being transformed by technology and globalization. Against this backdrop, America’s Charities has conducted a new survey of U.S. workers that gauges attitudes toward giving and volunteering in the workplace.

In September, the CITGO Lemont TeamCITGO volunteer organization was awarded the Volunteer Group of the Year by the MorningStar Mission in Joliet, Ill. at its annual volunteer banquet.

It was a special day for AJ, a 15-year-old from Virginia. He would finally get his wish for a shopping spree. As colorful confetti fell from the sky and a crowd cheered him on, AJ entered the shopping mall armed with several gift cards, spending money and a bright smile. It was a dream wish for the teenager who had overcome so much in his battle with cystic fibrosis.

To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Costa Cruises will once again be joining forces with the Umberto Veronesi Foundation to support the Pink is Good project, which aims to beat breast cancer for good by promoting prevention and supporting research activities every year.

At age 12, she was the voice of Nala in Disney’s “The Lion King” movie. Since then, she has appeared in TV shows, off-Broadway plays and commercials. But Niketa Calame-Harris found that developing a chronic illness – in her case, Type 1 diabetes – came without a script.

As devastating as Hurricane Harvey has been, it continues to bring people together around one common goal: help Houston. When Murad Ajani saw the toll Harvey took on his hometown, he seized the moment to bring together a community of more than 2,500 volunteers to help with recovery efforts.

Feeding the world is a mounting challenge for our food system, as climate change impacts collide with burgeoning population growth. And more mouths to feed means demand is rising globally for resource-intensive meat, just as water scarcity and challenges such as deforestation accelerate. But today on World Food Day, I see exciting trends that give me hope. The food sector is beginning to step up. More and more food companies are doing their part to tackle urgent sustainability challenges, while also ensuring our long-term global food security.

For all of the freedom that vehicles have provided in the past 100 years, we recognize their effects on safety, emissions and congestion in our cities. Through innovative technology, we have an historic opportunity to make personal mobility safer, simpler and more sustainable for customers around the world.

The Best Economic Empowerment Program Corporate Citizenship Award recognizes businesses and chambers that create economic opportunity for people and communities around the world. Read on to learn more about the significant, positive impacts these businesses have had in communities, locally and globally.