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2012 Spirit of America Award Winner:

P&G

In celebration of its 125th anniversary, United Way Worldwide recognized Procter & Gamble (P&G) with the 2012 Spirit of America award for philanthropy, volunteer efforts and community impact.

P&G's partnership with United Way is rooted in a shared sense of global citizenship and a mutual focus on children’s health and education. United Way’s mission to mobilize and empower communities combined with P&G’s aim to improve life for 300 million children around the world has resulted in numerous early childhood education partnerships, including Born Learning in Panama, Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. In addition to its philanthropic work, P&G leveraged its unique marketing expertise and social media channels through the P&G brandSAVER program, making donations in order to increase viewership and engagement, with over 50 million U.S. households reached.

P&G is the largest financial contributor to the United Way of Greater Cincinnati (UWGC) and runs United Way campaigns at all U.S. plants and most international locations. Globally, P&G invests more than $100 million annually in charitable cash, product and employee donations. Company employees volunteered more than 52,500 hours in 2011, plus senior leaders served on more than 200 prominent local, national and global boards.

P&G has previously won five Summit Awards from United Way Worldwide, three in 2010 and two in 2011 for its work in community impact and volunteer engagement.

Learn more (press release)
Learn more (Spanish) (press release)

“A portion of this donation will enable 500 families, with an average of five people per house hold, to gain access to safe water and disease prevention. The entire community benefits when people live healthier lives. I appreciate the difference the Macdonalds have made in the lives of people enduring water scarcity in Kamira, Luweero district in Uganda. Frankly, we could not do what we do without donors such as Larry and Gloria. We, and those we serve, deeply appreciate their generosity,” said Monica Mukisa, Program Officer for United Way Uganda.

Their generous gift will be used to provide clean water to a rural community in Uganda and to support the education of girls in a rural Muslim community in Northern Ghana.

“The impact of Larry and Gloria Macdonald’s generosity is measured by the lives that are changed forever. Children in six communities not supportive of education programs, especially among female children, now have a bright future full of promise,” said Jonathan Akuamoah, Executive Director for United Way Ghana.

History with United Way

 Larry Macdonald got involved with United Way in Calgary in 1988 when he was asked by a member of the United Way campaign cabinet to make donor calls to energy companies. He continued to volunteer in different capacities, eventually becoming a board chair in 1999.

As chair of the campaign, he encouraged his peers to make philanthropic gifts that reflected their financial capacity. That year, Larry and Gloria made a $25,000 contribution to the campaign, the largest gift ever received from an individual. Their leadership resulted in the formation of the major donor program at United Way of Calgary and Area.

In 2006, Larry became a member of the United Way International board (which together with United Way of America, formed United Way Worldwide in 2008), serving through 2009. During his tenure he traveled internationally to engage potential supporters and to exchange ideas with local United Way volunteers.

Interest in Africa

 Larry and Gloria have made an ongoing commitment to volunteer and support philanthropic causes in Calgary. Their interest in the African region developed when Gloria served as the official host of the International Olympic Committee delegates from Kenya during the 1988 Calgary Olympics. This relationship led to a deep interest in the region, leading the family to visit Kenya and Tanzania in 1993.

After meeting Mama Angelina, Ugandan Ambassador to Kenya, and Vice Chair of the Board of United Way Uganda during a regional meeting, Larry was inspired to increase his support for African causes though United Way.

“Larry and Gloria have been consistent and steadfast supporters of the United Way movement on the African continent. Larry was instrumental in the gift from Newmont that helped support the implementation of Work Place Giving in Ghana and they both have been great supporters of the work in Uganda,” said Janet Butler, Vice President, Africa Region for United Way Worldwide.

 United Way Canada-Centraide Across Borders

Larry has also served on the board of the United Way of Canada-Centraide. In that capacity he founded and funded the creation of United Way Canada Across Borders. The program, a collaboration between the United Way Worldwide International Donor Advised Giving (IDAG) program and United Way Canada-Centraide, allows Canadian donors to support United Ways in developing countries with financial gifts and to receive a tax deduction for the gift. IDAG serves as the intermediary between United Way in Canada, and United Way Uganda and United Way Ghana to ensure the delivery of high quality programs.   IDAG is a critical asset to United Way Canada Across Borders, given the long-term expertise of staff working with developing countries.

Throughout the week-long series of meetings Brian talked about the many benefits, to all sectors, of investing in communities and people. “Attention must be focused on creating both economic and human opportunities,” he said. “There is no economic success, without long-term, enduring human success. People must be the priority.”

He suggested that they are also essential to any solution. “We need to get people back involved in creating community success. It’s the only way to create sustained change at scale.”

Brian is one of the Forum’s few Nonprofit/NGO sector leaders. Additional information on Brian’s sessions as well as the World Economic Forum can be found at http://www.weforum.org.

In Hong Kong, all residents 18 years or older receive financial assistance from the HKSAR government as part of an economic stimulus fund. The Community Chest of Hong Kong encouraged the community to support The Community Chest and give to Rainbow Fund to help advance the common good in the communities. With the assistance of its 18 social welfare agency partners who offer a total of 74 assessment centers, the Chest has allocated over HK$46 million to over 12,500 families since its creation.

The grant will further the programs in the relief effort by including counseling services for those who have been affected mentally and emotionally, securing transportation, childcare support and capacity training to increase job opportunities. The grant will also aid in the reconstruction of Japanese communities.

Born Learning was created in 2005 to help any United Way or early learning coalition boost community engagement around young children. Today, some 700 United Ways and early childhood coalitions or organizations are using Born Learning community engagement tools to boost awareness, educate parents and move communities to action.

"Although in the second day of work at the hospital it was raining, the atmosphere was great. We all have mobilized and we managed to finish everything we had in mind for that day." - Ionela Chivu, GlaxoSmithKline

In Cluj-Napoca, United Way Romania and GSK employees were involved in charity activities for two days, renovating a day center whose purpose is the recovery and education of 23 children with neuro-motor disabilities and autism. The GSK volunteers took part in advancing the common good in their own community.

The new partnership will pursue strategies to develop employee engagement and community initiatives in education, income and health across the People’s Republic of China, as well as other initiatives. The 125-year United Way track record of engaging communities and businesses paired with China Charity Federation’s popular support generates new opportunities to create shared value and have a positive impact on development of Chinese civil society.

“United Way is proud to have the China Charity Federation as a partner,” said Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide. “This partnership will allow both organizations to learn from one another and share effective practices and strategies. Importantly, it will also mean that more lives are improved and more communities are strengthened here in China and around the world.”

As one of the largest nonprofit organizations in China, the China Charity Federation has conducted social work and disaster relief, as well as raised awareness about charitable involvement since 1994. The formalization of the partnership is the next step in a 13-year relationship between the two organizations, and welcomes a new era of international cooperation and civil society engagement.

China Charity Federation President Fan Baojun said, “This partnership is an opportunity for China to share its long history of philanthropy and community involvement, and an opportunity for the China Charity Federation to become more involved with United Way, a well-respected international organization.”

As the largest privately-supported nonprofit in the world, United Way is a leader in connecting businesses with communities and developing successful, transparent programs with measurable results that create positive, long-term change in communities. United Way partners and partnerships are governed by the United Way Global Standards in the areas of governance, ethics, financial accountability, transparency and relationship management, which create a normative international philanthropic structure.

About United Way

United Way is a worldwide movement of nearly 1,800 community-based United Ways in 41 countries and territories. It advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all, by focusing on education, income and health. The United Way movement mobilizes millions to action—to give, advocate and volunteer—to improve conditions in their communities. Please visit: http://www.unitedway.org/worldwide.

About China Charity Federation

China Charity Federation is a nationwide, non-governmental organization made up of more than 273 affiliates across mainland China whose purpose is to uphold the spirit of humanitarianism and render social services. Founded in 1994, China Charity Federation targets indigent areas and groups with sustainable development programs. To learn more about the China Charity Federation, please visit: http://www.chinacharity.cn or http://cszh.mca.gov.cn/article/english/.

Media Contact: Wilhelm Meierling
+1-703-836-7112 ext. 283
wilhelm.meierling@unitedway.org

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The months of brainstorming, planning and coordinating that went into organizing this event have indeed borne fruit and more than 450 delegates attended each day of the two-day programme. This fully sponsored event sought to once again help Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises in the Vaal Region - and surrounding areas - by providing information pertinent to business growth and development.

The broad themes of Business Foundations and Business Success provided the platform for the conference and topics included Leadership, Business ethics, Governance, Compliance, Understanding economics, the Entrepreneurial spirit, Innovation and Creativity, Enterprise development and Knowledge management.

The jam-packed programme included presentations and panel discussions where delegates were encouraged to interact with high profile individuals from a diverse spectrum of business interests. This format afforded an opportunity for lively and constructive debate around business related issues and topics that are imperative to the SMME sector.

The phenomenal line-up of presenters included, Eric Tockell (Founder of the Wimpy Group), Edith Venter (Edith Unlimited), Linda Ntuli , Paul Jones (Kairos Projects), Judi Sandrock (Medium Enterprise Development Organisation) and Daddy Khuselo (Mbuso Management solutions). In addition to these top speakers, the panelists included Carel van Aardt (Professor at the Bureau for Market Research, UNISA), Kris Dobie (Ethics South Africa), Lala Lesejane (CIPC), Martin Manmohan (Business Analyst, ChemCity) and Sibusiso Biyela (Local Economic Development Manager, Emfuleni Municipality).

Networking opportunities abounded through lively interaction between delegates and numerous service providers in the exhibition areas surrounding the conference arena.

As in the past, the best SMMEs in the Vaal region are eligible for prizes in the SMME awards. This year the competition format has been changed dramatically and will involve a ten month training and mentoring program prior to judging. The culmination of the program will be the gala prize- giving event, hosted at the Emerald resort and Casino, at which three SMMEs who show greatest business development and growth, service excellence and commitment to success will be recognised. Registered, South African owned businesses, operating in the Vaal Region were encouraged to enter the competition. This incredible opportunity for small business development was made possible through the sponsorship of local corporate partners and the Emerald Foundation.

The Emerald Foundation, in partnership with LUSA Community Chest, would like to thank all the sponsors and corporate partners who invested in the success of the 3rd Vaal Region SMME conference.

For more information on becoming a partner for future conferences please contact Thanu at LUSA Community Chest- 016 976 0933, thanu@lusa.co.za.

Community Chest of the Western Cape joined in on the fun by running a “go fish” stall on the day where the volunteers were dressed up as pirates to add to the fun factor. 3000 Care packs were handed out as prizes to the intellectually disabled visitor’s upon them successfully “catching a fish”. “Thanks to Johnson and Johnson we were able to share the care”, explain Amelia Jones, CEO of Community Chest of the Western Cape.

Community Chest of the Western Cape was awarded with the Round Table trophy for the most attractive stall, based on its attractiveness to visitors as well as volunteer’s interaction with the participants. “When we decided to participate in the One to One, it was to make a difference in people’s lives”. Winning the award was definitely a bonus and will spur us on for next year.” said Special Events Manager at the Community Chest.

The Community Chest of the Western Cape’s stall was graced by the presence of Cape Town Premier, Helen Zille who helped one of the guest fish.

Community Chest of the Western Cape invests in non-profit, social-welfare organisations working in the Care of the mentally and physically challenged and health support services sector.

Participants ages 14 – 17 were chosen by the participating schools. The workshops encouraged youth who are already achieving some academic success but need some support in their personal development. Students were given an experience that most would not be exposed to in their daily lives – that of being invited to a hotel, for a great workshop experience and throughout the day were encouraged to express themselves freely.

The experience and workshops offered by Uniquely Worthy afforded the students a sense of purpose and ability to maximize their full potential.

Join United Way in Putting Youth First by supporting International Donor Advised Giving Programs in Trinidad and Tobago or more than 100 other countries around the world. Click here to learn more.

Because of United Way of Russia’s help, these at risk youth, some of which are already offenders, have been given the opportunity to continue to study and work. By providing the opportunities and doing so in a way that is positive, the children have a huge chance to ultimately do better in life.

This annual event is part of the community mobilization strategy where volunteering is at the core of the activities. The goal for the day was to provide meaningful hands-on engagement from the volunteers to the many vulnerable children from across the country. Day of Caring promotes the spirit of caring through volunteerism throughout the year, while emphasizing the power of coming together and “Living United.”

The lecture was promoted in order to stimulate companies and organizations to find new and more positive ways to work on the social projects and the communities they support. Richard talked about the opportunities in social capacity building in Brazil nowadays, and the challenges (inequality, for example) we face in order to succeed. By sharing his own experience about dealing with social impact, Rich demonstrated the advantages of “turning outward” (work focused on people, actions and results), as opposed to “turning inward” (work focused on our own organization) and suggested some key ideas to reflect upon so as to promote real change.

The audience, made up of representatives from big companies such as GE, Owens Illinois and General Motors, and important Brazilian organizations in the third sector like GIFE and Todos pela Educação, was deeply impressed with the presentation. After being confronted with Rich´s questions, many made questions of their own and were interested in future opportunities to further discuss community impact and hear more about Harwood´s experience in the area.

Thanks to the efforts from the corporate partner volunteers 11 classrooms as well as the main patio were repainted and looked good as new! This effort was joined by, not only very appreciative school children from grades 4 and 6, but also the parents, who fed the volunteers a delicious BBQ. Sinteplast, 3M, and KCC sponsored the volunteer efforts by donating the painting gear.

In an area where many people only receive 4 liters a day compared to the 150 liter a day recommendation by the World Health Organization, water is of the upmost importance. By bringing the community together on the issue, which includes corporate partners, a long term effort is expected and hoped for in order to provide healthier and cleaner water to the surrounding community.

-Nelson Mandela, 18 May 2002

What better way to commemorate the icon that is Madiba, than to take action, apply talents and skills, and give of oneself to make a positive difference to the people, communities around us.

A small group of volunteers from Sasol Technology Research and Development grabbed this opportunity with open hearts and hands, and together with Lusa Community Chest, made Mandela Day - 18 July 2011 - an unforgettable day in their lives and in the lives of the people they assisted. Young and old as well as four-footed friends were the recipients of their generosity.

Volunteers stayed busy and enveloped themselves in good works. Volunteers donated toys to a day care that serves vulnerable families, helped clean and plant vegetables at a local children’s shelter, donated old furniture from the children’s shelter to a shelter for older persons, donated pet supplies to the Vanderbijlpark SPCA, and painted the local Hospice.

When asked why they had taken the opportunity to do something on Mandela Day, the volunteers responded: “It is good to be able to give back to the community”; “It allows us to share generously with those less fortunate”; “It makes us realize how blessed we are to have and even more blessed to be able to share”.

And what better way to sum up the intent of Mandela Day, than in this comment by one of the team ”South Africans display inherent goodwill, but Mandela Day is a wonderful opportunity for us to intensify that goodwill and make large positive impacts in this beautiful country of ours.”

The program included twenty participants who went through three months of intense training in skills relevant to today’s business environment as well as a required two week internship in an operations environment. Their performance was tracked through a systematic monitoring system that included a feedback process. The program recorded a 100% success rate. All participants graduated and even qualified for different positions in RR Donnelley.

As part of an initiative to provide opportunities in education, income, and health for all people, United Way Chennai works to create awareness about employment opportunities amongst NGO and other organizations who work towards empowering the disabled.

Together at the University of the Virgin Islands’ Sports and Fitness Center, the companies provided free services for the homeless. Services included blood pressure tests, flu shots, free lunches, photo IDs, showers, legal assistance, and health screenings.

This effort was emphasized further by the Governor of the Virgin Islands who allowed four hours of administrative leave for government employees. Day of Caring joined the community together in effort to better the lives of everyone and advance the common good.

Rafael has been a volunteer leader with United Way Brasil for three years and shared insights from his active participation in United Way Brasil’s “Investing Pays Off” financial literacy / mentoring program for youth. PWC has been partnering with UW Brasil on mentoring programs since 2004, and today 10 of PWC’s 16 offices offer mentoring programs in partnership with United Way Brasil.

At UWW, Rafael met and exchanged ideas with staff members of the International Field Engagement, Global Corporate Leadership, Community Impact, and Brand Teams. The following day, he attended a CSR Forum at the National Press Club in Washington, DC that was organized by the United Way of National Capitol Area (UWNCA). Rafael’s visit helped to build understanding and strengthen the ties between United Ways and PWC both in the US and in Brazil.

The centre is a special needs school for 54 children of 8 years and older, who are mentally and physically challenged. Educators at the centre are skilled at providing special care for these learners. Boys at the centre are are taught skills such as leatherwork and carpentry, whilst the girls are learn sewing, cooking, knitting and beadwork.

Community Chest staff planted spinach, green peppers and other vegetables at the centre. Eager learners also lent a hand and enjoyed the day. The Community Chest staff then prepared a meal for the learners and staff. A braai, with sausage dogs, chips, cool drinks and other goodies. The principal of the centre, Fungi Zwane, expressed her gratitude to Community Chest for their ongoing support and for the visible difference made at their centre.