MillerCoors Water Stewardship Month

This September, MillerCoors is sponsoring their second annual Water Stewardship Month. Like many beverage companies, MillerCoors focuses on water conservation as a sustainability goal, trying to reduce the amount of water used per unit of finished beverage. Helping local watersheds is a natural extension of this commitment. Last year, over 500 employee volunteers provided 1650 hours of work to help clean river banks and beaches, remove invasive species, plant native trees and shrubs, and test water quality. These activities will be repeated in 2010 in the eleven communities in which MillerCoors has breweries or a corporate office. The company is donating $2 to the United Way for every employee volunteer hour logged to the project.

Press Release

Early EVPs

Company historians at Johnson and Johnson discuss the long history of employee volunteerism at the company in a recent entry from the Kilmer House Blog. As early as 1907, members of the Laurel Club, a group of women employees seeking "education and enjoyment," raised funds for a hospital bed and a holiday party and gifts for an orphanage in New Brunswick, New Jersey. They also sponsored weekly well-baby clinics for residents without access to regular medical care.

See how this tradition continues today at Johnson and Johnson on their "Community Involvement" page on their website.

Berkshire Bank EVP Helps Soldiers

The Employee Volunteer Program of Berkshire Bank, which operates in New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts, is sponsoring a care package drive for soldiers. Customers will be encouraged to donate non-perishable goods, DVDs, games, and toiletries. With the care packages will be sent letters written by employees and local school kids. The care packages will be distributed by non-profit organizations (like the local Red Cross) who have experience working with distributing items to armed services members.

News Story

Southwest Airlines Reveals Tickets for Time (T4T) Program

Last week, Southwest Airlines unveiled their new program for Employee Volunteers -- Tickets for Time (or T4T). If an employee logs at least 40 volunteer hours with an eligible non-profit organization, the organization can receive a complimentary round-trip ticket. The ticket can be used for fundraising (as in an auction item or raffle prize) or can be used for the group's operations. Each organization can receive a maximum of 6 tickets a year, and different volunteers can participate for the same organization.

Freddie Mac Employee Volunteer Programs

Freddie Mac has myriad opportunities for employees who want to volunteer, and they support this with a strong commitment to matching employees with appropriate opportunities. The emphasis has paid off--25% of employees participate in Home Team projects to help develop communities. EVs can help tutor children, renovate houses, or help teach financial literacy, and a number of employees serve or have served on boards of non-profit organizations.

Employee Volunteerism at Freddie Mac