Month: April 2023

Access to clean water is a basic human need that many of us might take for granted. Each year, World Water Day on March 22 serves as an important reminder to come together to solve the water and sanitation crisis. GP PRO recently partnered with The GO Fund to help fulfill that need for a group of students in Africa. Watch the reaction of young girls at a school in western Kenya to clean running water in their shower and restroom facility and what the power of partnership can do.

About Georgia-Pacific

Based in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiaries are among the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels and napkins, tableware, paper-based packaging, cellulose, specialty fibers, nonwoven fabrics, building products and related chemicals. Our familiar consumer brands include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Dixie®, enMotion®, Sparkle® and Vanity Fair®. Georgia-Pacific has long been a leading supplier of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers. Its Georgia-Pacific Recycling subsidiary is among the world’s largest traders of paper, metal and plastics. The company operates more than 150 facilities and employs more than 30,000 people directly and creates approximately 89,000 jobs indirectly. For more information, visit: gp.com/about-us . For news, visit: gp.com/news

Mattie, one of Habitat for Humanity’s homeowners, had been living comfortably for 10 years in her Habitat for Humanity home she helped to build in Rochester, New York. She worked full time, but a chronic autoimmune disease that requires her to be on oxygen caused her to move more slowly. In 2020, her health began to decline, causing her start working part time. The combination of increased medical costs, no longer being physically able to work full time and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic made it harder to keep up with critical needs and to make ends meet, including her mortgage.

But after speaking with Habitat staff, she learned about the Homeowner Assistance Fund. Through Habitat’s Cost of Home campaign, Habitat for Humanity, our communities and partners across the U.S. successfully advocated — sending emails, making phones calls and hosting meetings with congressional representatives and leveraging the media — for the $9.96 billion fund to support homeowners at risk of default, foreclosure and displacement because of the COVID-19 pandemic to be included in the American Rescue Plan. Mattie applied, was approved and was able to receive assistance. After successfully making mortgage payments for more than a decade, it was a huge relief for her to remain in her beloved home and neighborhood where her roots run deep. Mattie once again has the security and stability to focus on managing her health and to continue helping others in her community.

Since Habitat’s Cost of Home campaign launched in 2019, Whirlpool Corporation has collaborated in the work to access more stable, affordable homes for people like Mattie — helping to secure more than 200 policy wins across the U.S. Through the five-year Cost of Home campaign, Habitat for Humanity is mobilizing local Habitat organizations, partners, volunteers and community members across the country to find the solutions and help create the policies that will allow 10 million individuals to meet their most basic needs.

Below is a roundup of the policy wins experienced through the Cost of Home campaign to date by Habitat for Humanity affiliates in areas where Whirlpool Corp. is located:

Fiscal Year 2021

Supply and preservation of affordable homes
In Ohio, Preble Habitat advocated locally for their commissioners to allocate $50,000 of the local Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) funding for a housing program to assist homeowners with mortgage and utility payments. Once this allocation was made, the affiliate’s executive director chaired the allocation plan’s working committee. This funding will assist approximately 50 individuals.

Under the leadership of Habitat Michigan, a sign-on letter was organized, which influenced Governor Whitmer to include $100 million in the budget for the state American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The Governor said those funds will assist 6,000 Michigan residents with their housing needs.

Good News Habitat, in Richmond, Indiana, worked in conjunction with the local economic development committee to attract housing developers and the local Wayne County Foundation to promote affordable housing. Their goal was to lobby the city to make affordable housing more accommodating, rather than restricting, in their economic revitalization efforts. They partnered with neighborhood associations through the Neighborhood Involvement and Community Engagement (NICE) Program and received funds to help build 15 homes.

Communities of Opportunity
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati partnered with the Lower Price Hill neighborhood to provide affordable homeownership opportunities for parents of students at the school at the center of the community. This is a significant commitment for the affiliate because the rehabs are costly and take a long time. In October 2020, the affiliate joined three other non-profits to advocate for $1 million in project funding from the City of Cincinnati to support a project planned by one of the organizations to rehab 46 apartment units in Lower Price Hill. Unfortunately, the City of Cincinnati denied the funding request, putting the first major rehabilitation of multi-family units in the neighborhood in jeopardy. Habitat Greater Cincinnati joined the advocacy effort and testified at a Cincinnati Council committee hearing to advocate for the funding, encouraging the city to reconsider investing in the project. Subsequently, the City Administration found the funds and committed $1 million to the project to enable the rehab of 46 apartment units to move forward. This effort resulted in improved housing conditions for an estimated 96 individuals.

Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, successfully advocated for the At-Home in Pittsfield program, which is an exterior renovation loan program that enables eligible homeowners to renovate the outside of their homes through a combination of funding from local lenders and the City of Pittsfield. Central Berkshire Habitat played a leading role in advocating for the program, and the affiliate will also be a partner in its implementation. The city will receive $500,000 from this Cost of Home policy win. Central Berkshire Habitat also successfully petitioned Governor Baker for COVID relief funding for non-profits and small businesses. This advocacy resulted in $78,500,000 for non-profit organizations and small businesses that experienced economic hardship due to the pandemic.

Access to credit
In 2020, Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Michigan advocated against House Bill 5097, which would allow payday lenders to give out small loans for up to $2,500. The monthly fees on the loan would be 11% of the principal of the loan, with an annual percentage rate of 132%, meaning a borrower could end up paying more than $7,000 on a $2,500 two-year loan. In addition, HB 5097 established no term limits on the length of the loans, resulting in borrowers getting into a perpetual debt trap. Habitat for Humanity of Michigan and affiliates across the state collaborated with several other housing organizations and met with 35 legislators, urging them to vote against HB 5097. Ultimately, HB 5097 died before getting a vote in the Michigan Senate committee.

Fiscal Year 2022

Supply and preservation of affordable homes
Since May 2021, Habitat Michigan has advocated for budget items in Senate Bill 565 relating to critical home repairs, missing middle housing, and development of a Housing and Community Development Fund. In March 2022, the legislation was signed by Governor Whitmer. This effort was a collaboration between Habitat Michigan, the state’s network of affiliates, and partner organizations like Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM), Michigan Community Capital and the Michigan State Land Bank. Habitat Michigan was touted as influential on these budget items thanks to the network’s increased education of Legislators.

Habitat Ohio successfully lobbied the Ohio Department of Development to increase its Ohio Housing Trust Fund grant allocation from $90,000 to $500,000 over a two-year period. The pilot project in 2020 was successful despite the pandemic. The increase in funding will enable Habitat Ohio to now serve 50 families statewide.

In partnership with the Marion Housing Coalition, Buckeye Ridge Habitat for Humanity advocated for The Marion County Land Bank to focus on neighborhood revitalization, rehabilitation standards, threshold requirements for purchase of Land Bank properties, and developing capacity for affordable housing. The County Land Bank voted to adopt these 10 recommendations from the Housing Coalition.

Access to credit

In Indiana, Habitat affiliates advocated against Indian SB 352, a harmful policy that would target low-income families and high-cost subprime lending. They reached out to legislators and mobilized the influence of the board. Because of their coalition efforts, the bill was stopped and did not come to a vote, protecting low-income families in the state from high-cost lending.

As Habitat continues to scale our collective impact through policy solutions at the local, state and federal levels all across the U.S., we are grateful for Whirlpool Corporation’s support and look forward to together, helping more people have access to an affordable home.

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Over 250 events expected to reach more than 45,000 future scientists on two continentsHands-on experiments to focus on the impact of contamination on the planet and everyday life

MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, has kicked off its 2023 Curiosity Cube tour in North America and Europe. This year, the Curiosity Cube, a retrofitted shipping container that offers hands-on experiments focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), will engage 45,000 students at schools and public spaces with more than 250 events across North America and Europe. All experiments are led by MilliporeSigma employees, allowing visitors to connect with real-life scientists and learn firsthand about STEM careers.

“In recent years, there has been considerable concern regarding a shortage of STEM professionals. As a science and technology company, we want to help spark curiosity in children and young people for the fascinating world of science,” said Meeta Gulyani, Head of Strategy, Business Development and Sustainability for the Life Science business sector of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “That’s why our Curiosity Cube will continue its world tour to make science accessible and interactive, while also demonstrating all the possibilities that the life science field has to offer.”

This year’s Curiosity Cube features a brand-new curriculum, where students can interact with technology such as virtual reality (VR) to make learning fun and engaging. Students will conduct experiments about contaminants and gain a glimpse into the world of a scientist by:

Exploring evidence of environmental contamination in a variety of samples and learning ways conservationists try to mitigate the negative environmental impact of contamination.Working with VR technology to discover what contaminants are commonly found on classroom surfaces and learn how to stop their spread.Using scientific instruments to run quality control tests on different beverages and determine if any contaminants are present.

In North America, the Curiosity Cube already embarked on its fifth tour, starting in San Diego. It will include 124 events across the U.S. and Canada, including Austin, Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Seattle, St. Louis, Toronto, and more. The Curiosity Cube starts its second European tour with stops in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K.

To learn more about the Curiosity Cube mobile science lab and view the 2023 tour schedule, visit TheCuriosityCube.com and follow the Curiosity Cube on Instagram @curiositycube_milliporesigma.

About the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has more than 28,000 employees and more than 55 total manufacturing and testing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing and testing services. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics.

More than 64,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2022, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany generated sales of € 22.2 billion in 66 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare and EMD Electronics in electronics. Since its founding 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. For more information about Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, visit www.emdgroup.com.

Follow MilliporeSigma on Twitter @MilliporeSigma, on Facebook @MilliporeSigma and on LinkedIn.

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