A number of companies have made it their business to help employees give back to their communities.
For instance, since 1995 more than 250,000 volunteers have devoted more than 1.4 million hours to complete over 6,000 projects around the globe as part of a corporate campaign. An additional 34,000 volunteers are expected to join their ranks this year, completing about 900 projects in more than 15 countries.
The initiative is part of Prudential's Global Volunteer Day, formerly known as National Volunteer Day. When it was first held on October 28, 1995, just 5,000 employees participated in 100 projects. Since then, nearly 1.5 million hours of personal time has been committed to this annual effort.
Based on the hourly value of volunteer time from the Points of Light Foundation at $18.05, employee efforts so far have exceeded a cumulative value of $25,937,850.
Global Volunteer Day includes many forms of community service, from rebuilding a home for an elderly neighbor to preparing meals at shelters to assisting those affected by natural disasters. Projects that meet selected criteria earn a $1,000 Challenge Grant provided by The Prudential Foundation to the partnering non-profit organization.
And it can be a family affair, too.
"I wanted my son to witness, at an early age, the positive impact of giving back to the community," said Nacema Blake, associate manager, Community Resources, at Prudential Financial. "I read once that children exposed to volunteer practices early in life are more likely to give back again as they get older."
To date, 1,654 projects have earned Challenge Grants totaling more than $1.654 million in grants given to partnering organizations.
This year, the company's Global Volunteer Day will be held October 7.
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For more information, visit the Web site www.prudential.com.
One corporate volunteer campaign has donated more than $25 million in volunteer services.
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