The Points of Light Civic Accelerator announced today that it will invest $50,000 each in ReciproCare (Washington, D.C.), a for-profit enterprise, and La Cocina VA (Arlington, Virginia), a nonprofit enterprise. Both ventures are focused on access and pathways to employment to help more individuals and families succeed.

Just in time for the holidays, more than 18 Maryland families recently were awarded an early Christmas gift. Each family was given the opportunity to purchase a badly needed car through the work of Vehicles For Change (VFC). The program awards vehicles to qualified low-income families with guaranteed low-interest loans, allowing them to build credit while completing the car ownership process.

Please join us on Wednesday, January 10 from 1-2 p.m. EST as we review what was trending in 2017 in our “A Year in CSR: A Look at the Top 10 CSR Trends of 2017” webinar. Cone’s Executive Vice President of CSR Strategy, Alison DaSilva and Director of Marketing/Research & Insights, Whitney Dailey will take a closer look at how leading companies and organizations leveraged insights to drive action – and what this means to the broader business world. For a glimpse at what we’ll discuss in greater detail, see our byline in Triple Pundit.

The United Way of Mower County has an additional $370,000 to put toward its programs thanks to donations from Hormel Foods employees.

Employees play a key role in making HP’s sustainability strategy a success. And many of them embrace sustainability not just as part of their jobs, but as integral to their daily lives.

During the renovation at The Palazzo casino and other parts of the property, the properties Sustainability team learned of an innovative product called Envy Walls, a temporary wall that is made of 100% recyclable and reusable materials. The manufacturing company states that every 700 square feet of Envy Wall reduces one ton of landfill debris compared to conventional framing, metal studs, and dry wall.

Data marketing company Alliance Data announced in a news release that its Conversant and Epsilon businesses donated $100,000 to the food bank in Geneva.

​Like few times in our history, brands and businesses are facing a profound moment of challenge and change. Trust has never been lower. Expectations have never been higher. And in our new political and cultural reality, there’s no middle ground and there’s no place to hide.

At BBMG, we believe the only way for brands to remain relevant and resilient is to put humanity first. Based on our global research into Aspirational and Advocate consumers, we’ve identified two paths for using the power of brand to fight injustice and create the good life.

If you’re ready to authentically inspire fans, mobilize champions and win in this new era, it’s no time for fear. It’s time to be brave.

In just a few days, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption will launch its 2018 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace survey. This survey measures the financial reimbursement given to employees who adopt, paid time off to employees who adopt as well as any benefits given to employees who are foster parents.

Designing STEM outreach programs for K-12 classrooms often becomes a balancing act between ambitious goals and limited resources. Scientific equipment is just one kind of resource, but one that is unavailable to many schools. Time is a less obvious resource, but time away from classroom curriculum is becoming increasingly hard for teachers to justify with their administrators. And personal access to relevant experts – face time with actual scientists – is a resource that many programs don’t even get to add to their wish lists.