During October, nearly 20,000 UPS (NYSE: UPS) employees on five continents around the world will participate in the company’s 14th annual Global Volunteer Month. Employees are expected to donate 325,000 volunteer hours to more than 300 community service events taking place across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Indian subcontinent, Middle East and Africa (ISMEA).
“Volunteerism and diversity are at the heart of our culture,” said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation and chief diversity and inclusion officer for UPS. “UPS and The UPS Foundation are committed to community service all year round; by designating a specific month for an increased focus on volunteerism, we can take our commitment to the next level to make a significant difference in our global communities.”
The theme for this year’s efforts is to volunteer and support non-profits and NGOs which focus on the development of women and young girls. This theme acknowledges UPS’s ten year anniversary of its Women’s Leadership Development program which is now a global network of UPS leaders dedicated to working together and across UPS to advance the goals of their community, careers and UPS.
“We are committed to practically serving the communities and region that we operate in, especially when it comes to initiatives such as clean-ups and volunteer work. We are currently in partnership with START, a non-profit organization running art workshops for orphans, refugees and special needs children across the Middle East. UPS is participating in the International Coastal Cleanup project launched by Dubai Municipality’s Environment Department. In the UAE, we aim to contribute over 800 hours of community service during the Global Volunteer Month,” said Rachid Fergati, UPS Country Manager for Middle East.
UPS also announced that it is more than halfway to its goal of volunteering 20 million hours toward community service by the end of 2020. In June 2014, UPS Chief Executive Officer David Abney announced the company’s pledge.
Directed by The UPS Foundation, which leads the global citizenship programs for UPS, Global Volunteer Month mobilizes employees from every region to engage in numerous volunteer efforts and activities happening around the world. Through the increased concentration on volunteerism during the month of October, UPS employees can focus on their volunteer efforts and make a sizeable impact.
Each year, UPS concludes Global Volunteer Month by awarding $10,000 grants to 14 non-profit organizations UPS employees volunteer at in each U.S. region, international region and business unit.
Featured 2016 Global Volunteer Month projects include: