In the next critical move toward the commercialization of autonomous vehicles, this week General Motors announced an historic deal with SoftBank Vision Fund. The world’s largest tech and ridesharing investor will invest $2.25 billion in GM Cruise, our recently formed majority owned subsidiary. With the addition of $1.1 billion from GM, the funds will drive large AV commercialization beginning in 2019.

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.

Sands Academy integrates best practices and the most successful training programs for implementation throughout our regions, creating a standard of excellence across the company. In the United States, one new program exemplifying our dedication to Team Member advancement in the hospitality industry was the new “Leadership Fundamentals” course as part of the Sands Academy Elevate Series, a leadership development program designed for managers and supervisors at The Venetian, The Palazzo, and Sands Expo & Convention Center.

Aiden was just 6-years old and had already been in six different foster homes. That’s when he met a counselor named Craig. Craig could see that Aiden was lacking the love and attention that he needed to thrive. He knew that he and his husband Edward could provide that safe, supportive and loving home. This past April, the family celebrated the one year anniversary of Aiden’s adoption.

To address the critical need to increase pollinator habitat for beneficial insects, such as honey bees, monarch butterflies and others, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) have teamed up on a new “Parks for Pollinators” campaign aimed at raising public awareness of pollinator health and encouraging local action through public parks and pollinator gardens.

Common Impact, a national nonprofit that pioneered corporate skills-based volunteering is expanding its leadership team and introducing new regional models to meet the growing demand of companies who are integrating social and environmental outcomes into their core business practices. Skills-based volunteering has risen in popularity, with CECP research reporting that now more than 54% of companies host a formal program. Companies use skills-based volunteering to engage and develop their employees, who are demanding that social impact be a day to day part of their work.

TD today launched the TD Ready Challenge, an annual North American initiative that has ten $1 million (CDN) grants available to help catalyze innovative solutions for a changing world. The announcement follows the recent launch of The Ready Commitment, a multi-year program targeting CDN $1 billion (US $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving.

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.

Hormel Foods announced that the American Heart Association has certified two of the company’s VALLEY FRESH® chicken breast products with the Heart-Check mark to make it easier for consumers to identify heart-healthy foods.

The Heart-Check Food Certification Program is designed to help consumers make informed choices about the food they purchase. The easy to identify mark means the food has been certified to meet Heart-Check nutrition requirements that limit saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and added sugars, and promote consumption of beneficial nutrients.