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UPS wraps 4th Annual Volunteer Week

Manufacturing News, Source : The Manufacturer US
Published : 20 Oct 2006 21:35

Logistics giant UPS wrapped up its fourth annual UPS Global Volunteer Week on October 22nd.

UPS spokesperson Rebecca Treacy-Lenda told us that UPS has cultivated a spirit of volunteerism for almost 100 years. "Volunteerism as part of the culture has been around since the inception of the company. However 2003 was the first time we brought an official program like this specifically to our international regions."

UPS employees donated their time and talents to help local communities by taking on such tasks as repairing schools and reading to children, assisting food banks and landscaping for community organizations. The effort extended from from Asia and Latin America to the United States and Europe.Why global? “Our company is global and our business is global. Our employees are walking down the streets of cities towns villages and see firsthand the need for their own communities." UPS tried the Volunteer Week as a pilot in 2003 in a small number of markets, and says Treacy-Lenda, " And it was so well embraced by our employees in the international region, people were calling and saying 'we want to do in our country next year.'"

Since 2003, the week-long community service initiative has grown from roughly 1,000 volunteers in 2003 to more than 20,000 employees this year. Local UPS employees choose their own Global Volunteer Week projects because employees best understand the needs in their own communities. The program this year included volunteer efforts such as:

More than 500 hours coordinating a baseball tournament for blind and visually impaired children in Taiwan.

Nearly 2,000 hours renovating schools and shelters in Germany.

An estimated 6,500 hours across the United States providing logistics support for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure fundraising walks for breast cancer research.

And more than 100 hours sorting food for food banks in Montreal Canada.

Volunteer Week is managed by The UPS Foundation, which was founded in 1951. The UPS Foundation identifies specific areas where its support will clearly impact social issues. The UPS Foundation's major initiatives currently include programs that support increased global volunteerism, literacy and hunger relief. In 2005, The UPS Foundation donated more than $43.8 million to charitable organizations worldwide.

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