Points of Light Institute Recognizes Extraordinary Corporate Volunteer Programs
18th Annual Corporate Engagement, CVC Awards Announced at National Conference on Volunteering and Service
NEW ORLEANS, June 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Points of Light Institute today honored three companies for their extraordinary employee volunteer efforts to address and solve community challenges. Cisco, IBM and McKesson each received a 2011 Corporate Engagement Award of Excellence for building strong and effective volunteer programs that build healthy communities and provide a better quality of life for residents. In addition, the Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC) of Central New Mexico and Trident United Way's Corporate Volunteer Council each received 2011 Corporate Volunteer Council Awards for supporting businesses with employee volunteer programs.
"This year's honorees demonstrate what businesses can achieve when they commit their resources – both human and financial – to creating change," said Michelle Nunn, CEO, Points of Light Institute. "While we honor these five organizations for leading the way, we hope others will be encouraged to follow their example."
2011 Corporate Engagement Awards of Excellence
With the belief that community engagement is fundamental to employee success, Cisco created its global "Cisco Citizen" volunteer program to positively affect communities and help shape local business environments. To maximize impact, the company invested in a global technology platform that provides data to shape and evolve employee-led programs. Through its employee volunteers, and strategic technology and cash grants, the company is helping nonprofit and non-governmental organizations increase efficiency and innovation, developing its own employee leadership skills, and strengthening more than 35 communities worldwide. Over the past five years, Cisco employees across the globe have given more than a million hours of service to diverse organizations, particularly those that focus on critical human needs and education. In 2010 alone, employees generated more than $919,000 in matching funds for their time (Cisco contributes $10 per eligible hour to the organizations served), and overall contributed almost $10 million to benefit the 2,000-plus organizations that participate in Cisco's matching gifts program.
With the launch of On Demand Community in November 2003, IBM reinvented its support of employees and retirees whose volunteer work enriches the communities where they live and work. On Demand Community offers hundreds of volunteer resources focused on areas such as student mentoring to boost student achievement, helping not-for-profit organizations address their technology needs, and sharing the fun of math and science with schoolchildren. These resources are also being shared with other companies and citizens of the world. Each online volunteer kit provides customized materials, such as presentations or educational modules, to prepare and equip volunteers for their valuable work with schools or community agencies – with translations into 18 languages to support what is truly a worldwide program. As of June 2011, the program passed 12 million hours logged since its inception, with more than 186,000 employees and retirees from over 84 countries registered to participate and log their hours and best practices. IBM is also providing $12 million in community grants worldwide this year to mark its Centennial and Celebration of Service.
The focus of McKesson's Employee Volunteer Program aligns with the company's business mission "to create better health for all" with an emphasis on chronic disease management. Whether it's battling a killer epidemic like diabetes, raising funds to fight heart disease or making a difference in the life of a child with cancer, McKesson's Volunteer Program harnesses the passion of our employees to implement projects aimed at building better health. In 2010, during McKesson's global volunteer event known as Community Days, 13,500 employees, nearly half of McKesson's workforce, created Stop Diabetes packages to help educate 32,000 fourth and fifth grade students on steps they can take to prevent this deadly disease. That same year, a record 4,200 employees from 67 different sites also participated in the McKesson National Team for the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes, raising an impressive $268,000 and making McKesson the number one walk team nationally. In response to the disaster in Haiti, McKesson Volunteers also mobilized to create 10,000 kits for Haitian community health workers. From raising awareness about chronic disease prevention to assembling kits with medical supplies for those in need, McKesson employees are working together to build healthier communities.
Nominees for the Corporate Engagement Award of Excellence are evaluated by an independent panel of judges. Each company is evaluated separately based on how well it met the goals and objectives it set for its own program.
Since its inception in 1993, the Points of Light Corporate Engagement Award of Excellence has been recognized as one of the most prestigious awards for employee volunteer programs. The awards are designed to honor a company's overall employee and retiree volunteer effort highlighting the strategic vision, organizational policies and practices and community services programs. Points of Light Institute has honored 64 companies for their volunteer engagement efforts.
Corporate Volunteer Council Awards
Corporate Volunteer Councils (CVCs) are local networks that businesses join to share effective practices and address community needs through workplace volunteering.
The Corporate Volunteer Council Awards seeks to honor the outstanding performance of Corporate Volunteer Councils (CVCs). There are two categories of CVC Awards – CVC of the Year and the Fast Start Award. Both awards recognize a Corporate Volunteer Council's success in employing the CVC Principles of Excellence, but the Fast Start Award is specifically for CVCs established within the past three years. The CVC Principles of Excellence are benchmarks to help CVCs strive to maximize their operations, effectiveness and accomplishments.
2011 Recipient of the Corporate Volunteer Council of the Year Award
The Corporate Volunteer Council of Central New Mexico (CVC-CNM) leads the way in championing the employee volunteer movement. Through sharing of ideas and knowledge, CVC-CNM is able to leverage employee skills and passions to increase the positive impact on the community. The volunteer-run council provides personal development and networking opportunities to employee volunteer program managers, mentoring to businesses looking to establish employee volunteer programs and strategic project collaboration. Celebrating 15 years in the community, CVC-CNM meets monthly with a focus on topics that will ensure success in volunteer program management, share inspiring practices and build recognition in the community as a good corporate citizen.
2011 Recipient of the Corporate Volunteer Council Fast Start Award
The mission of Trident United Way's Corporate Volunteer Council (Trident CVC) is to inspire and engage local companies by promoting employee volunteerism to address challenges and concerns facing tri-county communities, thereby enhancing the quality of life for all. Member companies are kept informed of local trends and best practices to help them build quality employee volunteer programs (EVP). Tools and resources are provided to them through monthly e-newsletters, the Trident CVC blog, and featured presentations and discussions at quarterly meetings. The quarterly meetings also include a community issue to educate attendees to current trends in specific challenges facing the community.
The nearly 100 Corporate Volunteer Councils (CVC) in the United States are the primary local resource for encouraging, educating and connecting businesses that support employee volunteer programs. Successful councils promote volunteerism in the workplace and provide a place for networking and exchange of ideas for those who manage employee volunteer programs.
About Points of Light Institute
Points of Light Institute inspires, equips and mobilizes people to take action that changes the world. The Institute has a global focus to redefine volunteerism and civic engagement for the 21st century, putting people at the center of community problem solving. We are organized to innovate, incubate and activate new ideas that help people act upon their power to make a difference. Points of Light Institute operates three divisions that share our mission: HandsOn Network, generationOn and AmeriCorps Alums. For more information, visit www.PointsofLight.org.
Media Contact:
Anne O'Neill Points of Light Institute Office: 404-844-5360
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Points of Light Institute
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