Brown & Brown Insurance
Anheuser-Busch
Anthem Foundation
Grainger
Mazda North American Operations
by Brown & Brown Insurance
People. That’s what drives us. At our core, Brown & Brown is about people – our teammates, our customers, our communities.
We are located in communities from coast to coast. The American Red Cross has a presence in these communities, too. When we think about what we do as a company, as industry leaders and as active community citizens, we know that the Red Cross directly supports situations in which we are providing services; this direct link propelled us, without hesitation, to support Red Cross Disaster Relief through the Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP). We can succeed together by supporting and helping people.
For nearly 80 years, our Brown & Brown teammates have been dedicated to the people and the communities that we serve. Our teammates collaborate with friends, families, neighbors and businesses in their local communities to provide superior risk management and insurance solutions that meet the unique needs of our customers.
What we do extends well beyond business operations. Giving back to our communities is central to the Brown & Brown culture.
With nearly 9,000 teammates in 240+ locations, we regularly volunteer our time and support the many local communities in which we live, work and play. In addition to our national support of the Red Cross, many of our teammates also participate in local fundraisers, including food and clothing drives, charity walks and runs, and disaster relief efforts for local community organizations. Our teammates walk the talk and demonstrate a passion for helping those in need.
Our teammates serve as Red Cross volunteers, donate blood during Red Cross blood drives, participated in the Red Cross’ Sound the Alarm home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events, and regularly help veterans in need when the Red Cross provides them with comfort kits. In fact, for several of our teammates, the opportunity to participate in a local Red Cross outreach event has inspired them to take on a more permanent volunteer role with the Red Cross. We are incredibly proud of our teammates’ dedication to our communities and their commitment to serve those in need.
We are honored to play a partnering role through ADGP to ensure the Red Cross can respond immediately, with comfort and care, when disasters occur – by helping families during the recovery process and ensuring communities become better prepared for the next disaster. With offices in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, California, Hawaii, and many other areas impacted by recent disasters, we know our collective effort and support are more important than ever before.
We are driven by the passion to give back. Our partnership with the American Red Cross reinforces our mutual commitment to support our neighbors and community’s safety, well-being, and preparedness efforts. Together, we will succeed.
By Anheuser-Busch
For 110 years, Anheuser-Busch has helped the Red Cross provide hope to individual and families nationwide. We sat down with Bill Bradley, vice president of Community Affairs at Anheuser-Busch, to find out more about why one of our longest standing partners gives to the Red Cross.
What inspires Anheuser-Busch to support the Red Cross?
We have a long-standing partnership with the Red Cross – dating back to 1906. Our co-founder Adolphus Busch saw first-hand the devastation caused by the San Francisco earthquake, and supported the relief efforts of the Red Cross. It’s that spirit of supporting communities in need that inspires our support today.
Do you have one example of when the Red Cross mission clicked for you? When did you understand the impact of the Red Cross mission, and how your company supports that mission?
Water is very important in our brewing process and is critical in disaster situations. We are uniquely positioned to help address this need through our breweries, our fast high-quality packaging lines and our distribution system.
Since 1960, we’ve worked with the Red Cross on getting emergency drinking water into the hands of those who need it, and since 1988 we have provided more than 74 million cans of emergency drinking water all across the country. The critical need for drinking water hit home for me this past winter when the St. Louis area was struck by severe flooding. It was incredible to see Red Cross disaster relief efforts first-hand. For our company, it is gratifying to know that our partnership’s positive impact on the lives in our community continues in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
Can you talk more about your organization’s connection to the Red Cross? For instance, how does your organization support the Red Cross through the Annual Disaster Giving Program?
In 2014, Anheuser-Busch announced a partnership with the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program – the first ADGP member in St. Louis. The Red Cross is on the front lines of disaster relief and can direct those donations to where they are needed most. In addition to that, we are uniquely suited to package and distribute water from our Cartersville, Georgia brewery to affected areas – usually within a couple of days.
We are also proud to be the founding sponsor of, and first to implement, the Red Cross Ready Rating Program through a $2.1 million grant. The program helps schools and businesses with their emergency planning and preparedness efforts. This helps them face a number of emergencies that could disrupt their operations, ranging from natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods to outbreaks of illness such as the flu.
Why is it important for your organization to support Red Cross disaster relief efforts?
Our corporate dream is to be the best beer company bringing people together for a better world. Supporting and partnering with the Red Cross to provide relief efforts at the community level – in many cases in the communities in which we do business and live – helps us to achieve that goal. For many hundreds of years, breweries have served as cornerstones of their communities. This is just one way we try to continue that tradition.
What kind of impact has your contribution to the Red Cross had on your company, company culture, customers and employees?
Our employees are active in volunteering with the Red Cross, giving blood and taking courses such as first aid or CPR. We have also been an Authorized Provider of Red Cross Training for over 15 years. Since 2007, we have spent nearly $262,000 for Red Cross Aquatics and First Aid and CPR/AED training for more than 13,500 employees.
Since 1986, we’ve hosted over 900 blood drives across the country and collected nearly 39,000 units of blood, potentially saving over 116,000 lives. The partnership with the Red Cross goes beyond a monetary contribution; most of my colleagues at Anheuser-Busch are involved personally. That’s something we’re all especially proud of.
Anheuser Busch is a $1M member of the Red Cross ADGP program. It’s because of partners like Anheuser-Busch that the Red Cross is able to help and provide hope to individual and families nationwide. We are extremely grateful for the many ways Anheuser-Busch has generously continued its support of our Disaster Relief efforts, Blood Services and Preparedness, Health & Safety Services.
by Anthem Foundation
At Anthem, we partner with thousands of national and local nonprofit organizations, and are proud and inspired by all that our company, our Foundation, our partners and our associates do to give back. We are particularly committed to ensuring that we impact and strengthen communities where we live, work and serve.
Disasters and emergencies can strike at any moment. So when it comes to disaster relief efforts, we believe that the best approach is a proactive one. That’s why Anthem Foundation is a proud member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) at the million dollar level. Anthem Foundation, along with our fellow ADGP members, helps provide a reliable funding base for disaster relief services. These funds enable the Red Cross to respond immediately to the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster at home and around the world, regardless of cost. Because of our up-front investment, the Red Cross is on the ground and taking action right now.
After this year’s earthquakes in Nepal, we learned that Anthem has several associates who are from Nepal, or who have loved ones still living there. So although the disaster seemed far away, it hit close to home for many. The Red Cross is part of our year-round Associate Giving Program, so we were able to quickly establish a workplace collection for Nepal relief efforts. The response was an incredible avenue for associates who were looking for a way to help. In just a few weeks, associate donations paired with our Foundation’s match surpassed $30,000.
Through our ADGP membership, Anthem Foundation is in a unique position to enable immediate response – and that is incredibly important to our company. Anthem associates often express to us how pleased they are that their company invests in the safety and well-being of communities, and feel a sense of pride when they see us so visibly aligned with the work of the Red Cross. They appreciate the opportunity to contribute themselves – both financially, as well as through their time and talents. From organized blood drives at office locations across the country to emergency preparedness trainings to disaster kit builds, our associates help their communities year-round through the Red Cross. It has inspired a deep sense of community and camaraderie, and gives them a reason to feel good knowing they are working for a company that cares about the same things they do.
The Red Cross is entrenched in every aspect of disaster response – so there’s no better organization for us to partner with – whether it’s supporting a group of individuals who have been touched by a disaster, or thousands across the globe. What we can accomplish together is truly inspiring.
For more information about Anthem Foundation’s corporate responsibility, visit www.anthem.foundation or http://anthemfoundation.tumblr.com
by Grainger
Red Cross partners like Grainger help us instill hope to individuals and families nationwide. We sat down with Fred Costello, vice president and president, Grainger International, to find out why his organization has partnered with us for more than a decade.
The nature of our business is to help our customers keep their operations running and people safe, and for 90 years, Grainger has also embraced a spirit of volunteerism and philanthropy. That combination makes us a natural leader in disaster preparedness and response, and as a result, we have had long and productive partnership with the Red Cross.
The same way Grainger provides support to its customers and suppliers in the event of an emergency, we support the Red Cross through the Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and equip the Red Cross with the resources it needs to respond before, during and after a natural disaster.
Since 2001, Grainger has donated nearly $17 million in cash and product to the Red Cross, and currently serves as a $1 million Red Cross ADGP supporter. As part of this support, $400,000 in product was donated last year after the Louisiana floods and Hurricane Matthew, and five Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) – which get help to people in need after disasters big and small – have been co-branded with the Grainger logo to demonstrate our disaster relief commitment. This year, Grainger committed an additional $250,000 worth of product donations including gloves, shovels, dust masks, trash bags, brooms and more for recent relief efforts in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Grainger also hosted Missing Maps activities with our team members at two office locations aimed at supporting disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
In addition to natural disaster relief, Grainger team members have coordinated various blood drives for colleagues to give blood and volunteered to support activities during Disaster Preparedness Month in September. Team members also supported the Red Cross Home Fire Prevention Campaign for which we have donated approximately 70,000 smoke alarms since 2014.
Our team members are an important part of our partnership with the Red Cross. Whether it’s through the more than 1,700 team members who have been trained as Ready When the Time Comes volunteers, or team members who helped pack 2,100 comfort kits for survivors of the recent hurricanes and wildfires still residing in shelters; participated in Missing Maps activities; or used our 3:1 Charitable Matching Gifts program to maximize personal cash contributions to the Red Cross, our team members have been instrumental in helping support Red Cross relief efforts this year.
Our Red Cross partnership has given our team members a means by which to unite to support a single organization’s mission and purpose. As a company, it is important for us to collaborate to resolve issues or concerns for our customers, team members and the community. The Red Cross partnership allows us to use our many resources – human, expertise and in-kind – to support local communities when they need us most.
I’m proud to have served on the Red Cross board since 2016, through which I’ve partnered with other board members from other companies to help the agency refine and drive its strategy and mission. I have the incredible opportunity to see first-hand the difference the Red Cross makes in local communities before, during and after a disaster strikes. Personally, I’ve benefited from knowing our support of this organization is important to the community and survivors of disasters that are experienced by so many. I’m also grateful to Grainger for valuing this partnership and supporting my continued work with the organization.
This year, we saw an unprecedented number of natural disasters occur within a short period of time. I’m proud of all of our team members who worked around the clock to help support the various relief efforts. In the face of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, two major earthquakes in Mexico and the wildfires in California, Grainger team members pulled together and worked to serve our customers, colleagues and communities as they dealt with the effects.
by Mazda North American Operations
At Mazda, we believe that every detail of driving matters and we apply the same philosophy to our charitable giving. We take great pride in ensuring that the communities where our customers and employees live and work are safe and strong. Our passion for supporting the American Red Cross and its work stems from the help and hope the organization delivers across our country each day.
“Every single person could potentially have a need for the Red Cross at some point in their life, and that is a big task for one organization,” said Nick Beard, specialist, Corporate and Internal Communications - Public Relations. “At Mazda, we want to try to help the Red Cross accomplish this important mission as much as possible.”
The foundation of our long-standing support of the Red Cross is built on helping individuals and families impacted by disasters big and small. We are immensely proud to be the first automotive manufacturer to have joined the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP). As a member of ADGP we provide pre-invested resources to ensure the Red Cross is ready to respond to disasters at a moment’s notice. Through this annual commitment, Mazda has also donated more than 20 vehicles to help the Red Cross deliver critical services across the country—our largest in-kind vehicle donation to date. It’s an honor to contribute our own product to the Red Cross to ensure that people get the help they need, when they need it most.
The Red Cross is also one of four national non-profit partners that we support through our Mazda Drive for Good event, our annual holiday season campaign. Through the campaign, designed to tap into the spirit of holiday giving, customers may designate a $150 donation to their charity of choice when they buy or lease a new Mazda.
Community volunteerism is at the core of Mazda’s company culture, and we provide our employees with meaningful engagement experiences through our partnership with the Red Cross. Through the Drive for Good event, we pledge one hour of volunteer service to local organizations for every test drive of a Mazda vehicle nationwide. This past holiday season, 72,000 volunteer service hours were pledged, benefitting the Red Cross and other organizations. “Knowing that we are supporting relief efforts in local communities and volunteering to help others lets customers know we do more than just build and sell cars,” said Beard.
In addition to volunteerism, our employees routinely roll up their sleeves to donate life-saving blood at Red Cross blood drives that our company hosts nationwide. It’s a coordination role that’s especially meaningful to Beard, whose mother-in-law required several blood transfusions when falling ill. “It was at that moment that the importance of blood donations really clicked for me. I have since donated many times, and now host blood drives at my company,” said Beard. “Employees look forward to the drives and it is well supported. There is also stronger support for corporate philanthropy overall.”
Mazda employees also support the Red Cross in many other ways, including signing holiday cards to spread joy to servicemen and women stationed overseas and by participating in local emergency preparedness events.
Our team also works closely with the Red Cross to develop a disaster recovery plan for Mazda’s Emergency Response Team to ensure our employees are prepared if disaster strikes.
We know that contributions to the Red Cross will help turn heartbreak into hope for people facing the aftermath of devastating disasters, and that’s why we are honored to call the Red Cross our partner.
For more information about Mazda’s corporate responsibility, visit http://insidemazda.mazdausa.com/drive4good/.
by Brown & Brown Insurance
People. That’s what drives us. At our core, Brown & Brown is about people – our teammates, our customers, our communities.
We are located in communities from coast to coast. The American Red Cross has a presence in these communities, too. When we think about what we do as a company, as industry leaders and as active community citizens, we know that the Red Cross directly supports situations in which we are providing services; this direct link propelled us, without hesitation, to support Red Cross Disaster Relief through the Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP). We can succeed together by supporting and helping people.
For nearly 80 years, our Brown & Brown teammates have been dedicated to the people and the communities that we serve. Our teammates collaborate with friends, families, neighbors and businesses in their local communities to provide superior risk management and insurance solutions that meet the unique needs of our customers.
What we do extends well beyond business operations. Giving back to our communities is central to the Brown & Brown culture.
With nearly 9,000 teammates in 240+ locations, we regularly volunteer our time and support the many local communities in which we live, work and play. In addition to our national support of the Red Cross, many of our teammates also participate in local fundraisers, including food and clothing drives, charity walks and runs, and disaster relief efforts for local community organizations. Our teammates walk the talk and demonstrate a passion for helping those in need.
Our teammates serve as Red Cross volunteers, donate blood during Red Cross blood drives, participated in the Red Cross’ Sound the Alarm home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events, and regularly help veterans in need when the Red Cross provides them with comfort kits. In fact, for several of our teammates, the opportunity to participate in a local Red Cross outreach event has inspired them to take on a more permanent volunteer role with the Red Cross. We are incredibly proud of our teammates’ dedication to our communities and their commitment to serve those in need.
We are honored to play a partnering role through ADGP to ensure the Red Cross can respond immediately, with comfort and care, when disasters occur – by helping families during the recovery process and ensuring communities become better prepared for the next disaster. With offices in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, California, Hawaii, and many other areas impacted by recent disasters, we know our collective effort and support are more important than ever before.
We are driven by the passion to give back. Our partnership with the American Red Cross reinforces our mutual commitment to support our neighbors and community’s safety, well-being, and preparedness efforts. Together, we will succeed.
By Anheuser-Busch
For 110 years, Anheuser-Busch has helped the Red Cross provide hope to individual and families nationwide. We sat down with Bill Bradley, vice president of Community Affairs at Anheuser-Busch, to find out more about why one of our longest standing partners gives to the Red Cross.
What inspires Anheuser-Busch to support the Red Cross?
We have a long-standing partnership with the Red Cross – dating back to 1906. Our co-founder Adolphus Busch saw first-hand the devastation caused by the San Francisco earthquake, and supported the relief efforts of the Red Cross. It’s that spirit of supporting communities in need that inspires our support today.
Do you have one example of when the Red Cross mission clicked for you? When did you understand the impact of the Red Cross mission, and how your company supports that mission?
Water is very important in our brewing process and is critical in disaster situations. We are uniquely positioned to help address this need through our breweries, our fast high-quality packaging lines and our distribution system.
Since 1960, we’ve worked with the Red Cross on getting emergency drinking water into the hands of those who need it, and since 1988 we have provided more than 74 million cans of emergency drinking water all across the country. The critical need for drinking water hit home for me this past winter when the St. Louis area was struck by severe flooding. It was incredible to see Red Cross disaster relief efforts first-hand. For our company, it is gratifying to know that our partnership’s positive impact on the lives in our community continues in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
Can you talk more about your organization’s connection to the Red Cross? For instance, how does your organization support the Red Cross through the Annual Disaster Giving Program?
In 2014, Anheuser-Busch announced a partnership with the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program – the first ADGP member in St. Louis. The Red Cross is on the front lines of disaster relief and can direct those donations to where they are needed most. In addition to that, we are uniquely suited to package and distribute water from our Cartersville, Georgia brewery to affected areas – usually within a couple of days.
We are also proud to be the founding sponsor of, and first to implement, the Red Cross Ready Rating Program through a $2.1 million grant. The program helps schools and businesses with their emergency planning and preparedness efforts. This helps them face a number of emergencies that could disrupt their operations, ranging from natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods to outbreaks of illness such as the flu.
Why is it important for your organization to support Red Cross disaster relief efforts?
Our corporate dream is to be the best beer company bringing people together for a better world. Supporting and partnering with the Red Cross to provide relief efforts at the community level – in many cases in the communities in which we do business and live – helps us to achieve that goal. For many hundreds of years, breweries have served as cornerstones of their communities. This is just one way we try to continue that tradition.
What kind of impact has your contribution to the Red Cross had on your company, company culture, customers and employees?
Our employees are active in volunteering with the Red Cross, giving blood and taking courses such as first aid or CPR. We have also been an Authorized Provider of Red Cross Training for over 15 years. Since 2007, we have spent nearly $262,000 for Red Cross Aquatics and First Aid and CPR/AED training for more than 13,500 employees.
Since 1986, we’ve hosted over 900 blood drives across the country and collected nearly 39,000 units of blood, potentially saving over 116,000 lives. The partnership with the Red Cross goes beyond a monetary contribution; most of my colleagues at Anheuser-Busch are involved personally. That’s something we’re all especially proud of.
Anheuser Busch is a $1M member of the Red Cross ADGP program. It’s because of partners like Anheuser-Busch that the Red Cross is able to help and provide hope to individual and families nationwide. We are extremely grateful for the many ways Anheuser-Busch has generously continued its support of our Disaster Relief efforts, Blood Services and Preparedness, Health & Safety Services.
by Anthem Foundation
At Anthem, we partner with thousands of national and local nonprofit organizations, and are proud and inspired by all that our company, our Foundation, our partners and our associates do to give back. We are particularly committed to ensuring that we impact and strengthen communities where we live, work and serve.
Disasters and emergencies can strike at any moment. So when it comes to disaster relief efforts, we believe that the best approach is a proactive one. That’s why Anthem Foundation is a proud member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) at the million dollar level. Anthem Foundation, along with our fellow ADGP members, helps provide a reliable funding base for disaster relief services. These funds enable the Red Cross to respond immediately to the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster at home and around the world, regardless of cost. Because of our up-front investment, the Red Cross is on the ground and taking action right now.
After this year’s earthquakes in Nepal, we learned that Anthem has several associates who are from Nepal, or who have loved ones still living there. So although the disaster seemed far away, it hit close to home for many. The Red Cross is part of our year-round Associate Giving Program, so we were able to quickly establish a workplace collection for Nepal relief efforts. The response was an incredible avenue for associates who were looking for a way to help. In just a few weeks, associate donations paired with our Foundation’s match surpassed $30,000.
Through our ADGP membership, Anthem Foundation is in a unique position to enable immediate response – and that is incredibly important to our company. Anthem associates often express to us how pleased they are that their company invests in the safety and well-being of communities, and feel a sense of pride when they see us so visibly aligned with the work of the Red Cross. They appreciate the opportunity to contribute themselves – both financially, as well as through their time and talents. From organized blood drives at office locations across the country to emergency preparedness trainings to disaster kit builds, our associates help their communities year-round through the Red Cross. It has inspired a deep sense of community and camaraderie, and gives them a reason to feel good knowing they are working for a company that cares about the same things they do.
The Red Cross is entrenched in every aspect of disaster response – so there’s no better organization for us to partner with – whether it’s supporting a group of individuals who have been touched by a disaster, or thousands across the globe. What we can accomplish together is truly inspiring.
For more information about Anthem Foundation’s corporate responsibility, visit www.anthem.foundation or http://anthemfoundation.tumblr.com
by Grainger
Red Cross partners like Grainger help us instill hope to individuals and families nationwide. We sat down with Fred Costello, vice president and president, Grainger International, to find out why his organization has partnered with us for more than a decade.
The nature of our business is to help our customers keep their operations running and people safe, and for 90 years, Grainger has also embraced a spirit of volunteerism and philanthropy. That combination makes us a natural leader in disaster preparedness and response, and as a result, we have had long and productive partnership with the Red Cross.
The same way Grainger provides support to its customers and suppliers in the event of an emergency, we support the Red Cross through the Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and equip the Red Cross with the resources it needs to respond before, during and after a natural disaster.
Since 2001, Grainger has donated nearly $17 million in cash and product to the Red Cross, and currently serves as a $1 million Red Cross ADGP supporter. As part of this support, $400,000 in product was donated last year after the Louisiana floods and Hurricane Matthew, and five Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) – which get help to people in need after disasters big and small – have been co-branded with the Grainger logo to demonstrate our disaster relief commitment. This year, Grainger committed an additional $250,000 worth of product donations including gloves, shovels, dust masks, trash bags, brooms and more for recent relief efforts in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Grainger also hosted Missing Maps activities with our team members at two office locations aimed at supporting disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
In addition to natural disaster relief, Grainger team members have coordinated various blood drives for colleagues to give blood and volunteered to support activities during Disaster Preparedness Month in September. Team members also supported the Red Cross Home Fire Prevention Campaign for which we have donated approximately 70,000 smoke alarms since 2014.
Our team members are an important part of our partnership with the Red Cross. Whether it’s through the more than 1,700 team members who have been trained as Ready When the Time Comes volunteers, or team members who helped pack 2,100 comfort kits for survivors of the recent hurricanes and wildfires still residing in shelters; participated in Missing Maps activities; or used our 3:1 Charitable Matching Gifts program to maximize personal cash contributions to the Red Cross, our team members have been instrumental in helping support Red Cross relief efforts this year.
Our Red Cross partnership has given our team members a means by which to unite to support a single organization’s mission and purpose. As a company, it is important for us to collaborate to resolve issues or concerns for our customers, team members and the community. The Red Cross partnership allows us to use our many resources – human, expertise and in-kind – to support local communities when they need us most.
I’m proud to have served on the Red Cross board since 2016, through which I’ve partnered with other board members from other companies to help the agency refine and drive its strategy and mission. I have the incredible opportunity to see first-hand the difference the Red Cross makes in local communities before, during and after a disaster strikes. Personally, I’ve benefited from knowing our support of this organization is important to the community and survivors of disasters that are experienced by so many. I’m also grateful to Grainger for valuing this partnership and supporting my continued work with the organization.
This year, we saw an unprecedented number of natural disasters occur within a short period of time. I’m proud of all of our team members who worked around the clock to help support the various relief efforts. In the face of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, two major earthquakes in Mexico and the wildfires in California, Grainger team members pulled together and worked to serve our customers, colleagues and communities as they dealt with the effects.
by Mazda North American Operations
At Mazda, we believe that every detail of driving matters and we apply the same philosophy to our charitable giving. We take great pride in ensuring that the communities where our customers and employees live and work are safe and strong. Our passion for supporting the American Red Cross and its work stems from the help and hope the organization delivers across our country each day.
“Every single person could potentially have a need for the Red Cross at some point in their life, and that is a big task for one organization,” said Nick Beard, specialist, Corporate and Internal Communications - Public Relations. “At Mazda, we want to try to help the Red Cross accomplish this important mission as much as possible.”
The foundation of our long-standing support of the Red Cross is built on helping individuals and families impacted by disasters big and small. We are immensely proud to be the first automotive manufacturer to have joined the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP). As a member of ADGP we provide pre-invested resources to ensure the Red Cross is ready to respond to disasters at a moment’s notice. Through this annual commitment, Mazda has also donated more than 20 vehicles to help the Red Cross deliver critical services across the country—our largest in-kind vehicle donation to date. It’s an honor to contribute our own product to the Red Cross to ensure that people get the help they need, when they need it most.
The Red Cross is also one of four national non-profit partners that we support through our Mazda Drive for Good event, our annual holiday season campaign. Through the campaign, designed to tap into the spirit of holiday giving, customers may designate a $150 donation to their charity of choice when they buy or lease a new Mazda.
Community volunteerism is at the core of Mazda’s company culture, and we provide our employees with meaningful engagement experiences through our partnership with the Red Cross. Through the Drive for Good event, we pledge one hour of volunteer service to local organizations for every test drive of a Mazda vehicle nationwide. This past holiday season, 72,000 volunteer service hours were pledged, benefitting the Red Cross and other organizations. “Knowing that we are supporting relief efforts in local communities and volunteering to help others lets customers know we do more than just build and sell cars,” said Beard.
In addition to volunteerism, our employees routinely roll up their sleeves to donate life-saving blood at Red Cross blood drives that our company hosts nationwide. It’s a coordination role that’s especially meaningful to Beard, whose mother-in-law required several blood transfusions when falling ill. “It was at that moment that the importance of blood donations really clicked for me. I have since donated many times, and now host blood drives at my company,” said Beard. “Employees look forward to the drives and it is well supported. There is also stronger support for corporate philanthropy overall.”
Mazda employees also support the Red Cross in many other ways, including signing holiday cards to spread joy to servicemen and women stationed overseas and by participating in local emergency preparedness events.
Our team also works closely with the Red Cross to develop a disaster recovery plan for Mazda’s Emergency Response Team to ensure our employees are prepared if disaster strikes.
We know that contributions to the Red Cross will help turn heartbreak into hope for people facing the aftermath of devastating disasters, and that’s why we are honored to call the Red Cross our partner.
For more information about Mazda’s corporate responsibility, visit http://insidemazda.mazdausa.com/drive4good/.