Five Daily Point of Light Awardees to Be Honored by Five Former Presidents for Disaster Relief Work

Points of Light will award five Daily Point of Light Awards to volunteers who performed outstanding work in their communities following the devastation of recent hurricanes. The volunteers will be recognized on Oct. 21 during the “Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal” concert benefitting communities hit by recent natural disasters. The volunteers will be recognized on stage with the five living former U.S. presidents, including Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter.

South Florida Resident Uses Tech Skills to Support Harvey, Irma Relief Efforts

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.

Habitat for Humanity to Aid More Than 6,000 Families in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico in Long-Term Housing Recovery

Habitat for Humanity is commencing the long-term phase of its Habitat Hammers Back hurricane recovery initiative, pledging to help more than 6,000 families across regions impacted by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

The nonprofit housing leader is seeking to raise $100 million to support the repair, rebuilding and new construction of homes to assist low- and moderate-income families in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Forest Management Helps Sustain Maine Farm

Bill Randall is working hard to sustain the 400-acre family farm he inherited from his father. “A village idiot can have anything given to him. It takes a genius to keep it,” Bill jokes. The Sappi Forestry program is helping Bill manage the land for the long term.

New Research: Employee Donor Attitudes About Workplace Giving and Volunteering

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.

TeamCITGO Lemont Awarded Volunteer Group of the Year

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.

GM Advances Self-Driving Vehicle Deployment With Acquisition of LIDAR Developer

General Motors Co (NYSE: GM) announced it acquired LIDAR technology company Strobe, Inc. As part of the deal, Strobe’s engineering talent joins GM’s Cruise Automation team to define and develop next-generation LIDAR solutions for self-driving vehicles.

VH1 Save The Music Foundation Launches New Partnership to Strengthen Music Programs in Public Schools at 20th Anniversary Gala

VH1 Save The Music unveiled a new grant program that will broaden the range of opportunities for students across the country and advance the Foundation’s mission to make music available in every public school in America. Introduced by Steve Aoki, the Music Tech Grant is planned as an investment in American public high schools to fund: the hardware, software, and musical instruments needed for audio engineering, recording, and production. Khaled also announced that he and GET SCHOOLED would launch the Win More Music Campaign for the 2017-18 school year, in partnership with the Foundation.

Volunteers Backbone of Making Wishes Come True

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.

My Green Lab Launches Environmental Impact Factor Label for Laboratory Products

My Green Lab is pleased to announce the launch of ACT, the first environmental impact factor label for laboratory products. ACT (accountability, consistency, transparency) is designed to provide critical information on the environmental impact of laboratory products.