CVS/pharmacy
Philanthropy is very important as evidenced through the CVS
Pharmacy Foundation and its “All Kids Can” campaign, which is
focused on children with disabilities. In addition to the foundation,
CVS sponsors individuals and stores in charitable giving. That is,
an individual who volunteers can get a grant or store can receive a
larger grant amount.
Also, CVS Caremark subscribes to corporate responsibility
and encourages giving in multiple ways, including allowing
managers in different markets the latitude to respond to their
community needs. CVS Caremark strongly supports the foundation’s work, which has national partnerships with organizations such as Easter Seals. Such partnerships help to multiply
the dollars and maximize the effectiveness, making it more
than just an individual company effort.
Further, employees are encouraged to give to the United Way.
We believe it is important for other companies to give back to
the community as well because the problems in communities
are so large that just one company or organization cannot do it
alone. Developing partnerships with nonprofit, faith-based and
other civic organizations allows companies to exponentially
increase the availability of resources.
ArcelorMittal
ArcelorMittal is committed to transforming tomorrow. We
believe, as a sector leader and as a leading global company,
that we have a responsibility to be a good corporate citizen. In
2007, the ArcelorMittal USA Foundation will make grants totaling nearly $5 million, with a significant focus on Cleveland and
other Ohio communities where we operate. Additionally,
ArcelorMittal provides community support through in-kind
gifts and our employees’ time and knowledge.
Our commitment to the world around us extends beyond the
bottom line to include the people in which we invest, the communities in which we support and the world in which we operate. We believe that successful businesses and successful communities go hand in hand. Financial support is only one aspect
of our philanthropy. Employees are encouraged to give their
time, knowledge and resources. ArcelorMittal philanthropy
focuses on our three core business values: sustainability, quality and leadership.
We actively encourage employees to challenge themselves on
a daily basis and to consistently raise the bar in their own performance and abilities on the job. Similarly, we encourage
employees to build and demonstrate leadership through active
community participation. We believe volunteering creates a
valuable experience for both the individual employee and the
nonprofits in which he or she partners. Engaging positively
with the communities in which we operate and demonstrating
our commitment is part of our DNA. As a leader in the industry, we feel we must demand no less. Similar to individual citizens, we believe corporate citizens have a responsibility to
actively participate and support in the development and maintenance of vibrant, strong, sustainable communities.
Family Heritage Life Insurance
Family Heritage supports charitable organizations at both the
national and local level. National organizations are selected by
management and are organizations that are dealing in research
or treatment for the illnesses covered by the company’s insurance policies. Those organizations include St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital, the American Cancer Society and the
American Heart Association.
Selection of local organizations is based on employees
being involved in the organization and being a champion for
the organization. Northeast Ohio charities include Wigs for
Kids, Harvest for Hunger, Greater Cleveland Council of Boy
Scouts of America, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership
Foundation, Komen Race for the Cure and Fieldstone Farm
Therapeutic Riding Center.
An example of creativity in charitable giving is found in
Family Heritage’s campaign for Harvest for Hunger. Each
March, Family Heritage employees develop contests for
fund-raising. The employees are divided into teams and the
teams compete to raise the most money. Events have included a weight-loss contest, pie-throwing contests, remote-control car races, penny wars and theme-dress days — such as
pajama day, hat day and sweat-suit day. In 2007, the approximately 90 employees raised over $25,000 for Harvest for
Hunger, or an average of $280 per employee.
Family Heritage’s community outreach efforts have earned
it several awards. In 2002, the company was the recipient of
the Pillar Award, which honors businesses of all sizes that
are dedicated to making Northeast Ohio a better place to live
through service to the community. In 2003, Family Heritage
was presented with the S.H.A.R.E. Award, which is given to
the organization in Northeast Ohio that best exemplifies
employee-driven philanthropy. In 2006, the company
received the Stevie Award from the American Business
Awards for Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program.
Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank’s culture promotes philanthropy as a core
value of its employees, corporate giving practices and also
encourages the companies we support to consistently give
back to the community. This commitment to the community
has endured for more than 145 years and Fifth Third is proud
to have provided more than $1.5 million (in the form of foundation grants, local donations and in-kind donations) to
deserving organizations in Northeast Ohio in each of the past
two years.
At Fifth Third, the belief is that building a stronger community helps build a stronger bank. In 1948, Fifth Third
became one of the first financial institutions in the country
to establish a Corporate Foundation. The Fifth Third
Foundation Office reviews hundreds of funding proposals
and requests for assistance from nonprofit entities and
works strategically to align private and corporate contributions to affect the greatest and most positive change possible.
Equally important as corporate giving, the bank encourages individual philanthropy. This year, our main philanthropic campaign was the 2007 Start! Heart Walk. Todd
Clossin, regional president and CEO of Fifth Third Bank
Northeast Ohio, served as the walk chair. As a company,
Fifth Third raised more than $77,000 for the American
Heart Association, surpassing our fund-raising goal by more
than $14,000. Also important is our participation in the
annual United Way campaign, which employees provide
generous support for year after year. Employees also spend
countless hours volunteering or serving on nonprofit
boards and offering expertise in their chosen field.
The Foundation Office assists Fifth Third employees by
matching, dollar for dollar, regular gifts to high schools and
institutions of higher learning. In 2006, it matched more than
$122,000.
Corporate College
As an educational institution, we are in the service business, and yet we know that to fulfill our commitment to our
region, our employees need to be engaged in our community. Cuyahoga Community College touches the lives of more
than 55,000 individuals annually, and our employees extend
that reach through their individual volunteer efforts.
Corporate College, a division of Cuyahoga Community
College, is committed to encouraging employers to take a
strategic approach to their philanthropy dollars and to their
commitment of employee hours in volunteer efforts. We are
currently campaigning for employers to model their support
of education not only by assisting their employees in
expanding their education, but also by finding ways to
encourage and support employees’ efforts to support the
education of their children and the children of our community. The support of education in this way ensures an educated work force — and that is a strategic philanthropic
effort that will pay off for the individuals, the employer and
the regional economy.
Think Media Studios
Think Media Studios is honored to support the Pillar
Awards for the third year. Brian Glazen opened the doors to
Think Media only 3 years ago, and the community of
Northeast Ohio quickly opened its doors to this young,
thriving company. Think Media encourages giving back to
the community that has so warmly welcomed it. Brian and
his employees believe that growth comes from a spark
within, and so, it is their philosophy to make a positive and
lasting change in the community by not only sharing their
expertise and resources but also their time.
Hughie’s Audio-Visual & Computer
It is our philosophy at Hughie’s Audio-Visual to support and
give back to the organizations and companies that have helped
us grow. Whether in the form of equipment donations or monetary contributions, it is our way of saying thank you to those
who have put their trust in us to professionally handle their
presentation needs.
We also recognize that by supporting community projects and activities, we can enhance our community’s reputation and, in turn, help
stimulate new business from which we all can benefit. Over the past
few years, we have contributed to companies in the Greater
Cleveland community through volunteerism and financial support.
They, in turn, have been able to help people in need, and for that, we
are grateful.