Month: August 2023

CAMDEN, N.J., August 3, 2023 /3BL/ – Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) today announced that as part of its Subaru Loves to Care® initiative, employees from Subaru headquarters presented 1,500 care packages to essential workers at Cooper University Health Care (Cooper). Alongside the appreciation kits, the automaker donated $30,000 to The Cooper Foundation as part of its ongoing support of Camden-based patients receiving treatment at Cooper.

Representatives from Subaru personally delivered the care kits to groups of essential non-medical hospital staff at Cooper, including janitors, security, and food service personnel. More than 120 Subaru employees personally created and packed the kits, which included gift cards, chocolate, and hand-written notes of appreciation, in the second-largest volunteer event held to date at the automaker’s Camden headquarters.

“Each day, the dedicated staff at Cooper wake up and make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients, no matter the circumstances,” said Shira Haaz, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Subaru of America, Inc. “We’ve been consistently inspired by their service and wanted to extend our heartfelt gratitude and support for their efforts to help keep our Camden community healthy and safe.”

For a second year in a row, Subaru donated $30,000 to The Cooper Foundation to help the Camden community get and stay healthy. The funds will provide up to 800 Camden residents with transportation to appointments at Cooper facilities via the Camden Loop rideshare program. In addition, a third of the funds will support the purchase of durable medical equipment – including blood pressure monitors, glucometers, scales, wheelchairs, walkers, and canes – to help patients manage chronic health conditions at home and help prevent the need for emergency visits or hospitalizations.

“Time and time again through its generosity and community spirit, Subaru has shown why it is an outstanding corporate citizen and neighbor here in Camden,” said George E. Norcross III, Chairman of the Cooper University Health Care Board of Trustees. “We are most grateful for Subaru’s support of Cooper in numerous ways over the years, and we look forward to our continued relationship as we work together to make Camden the best place to live, work, and do business.”

“Subaru constantly demonstrates its commitment and support to Camden through a myriad of philanthropic giving programs. We are extremely grateful to our Camden neighbor’s continued generosity towards our Cooper team and our patients,” said Philip A. Norcross, Esq., Chairman of The Cooper Foundation.

Over the last dozen years, Cooper has been the recipient of numerous charitable donations from Subaru. In 2022, the automaker donated $30,000 to purchase durable medical equipment, as well as $15,000to support a fund for Camden patients undergoing cancer treatment. In 2021, Subaru provided gift card bundles to more than 900 support staff at Cooper in recognition of their efforts throughout the pandemic. And since 2016, in conjunction with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Subaru and its local retailers have donated blankets and personalized messages of hope to cancer patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper each year.

The donations to Cooper are part of Subaru Loves to Care, the health-focused philanthropic pillar of the automaker’s Love Promise vision to show love and respect to all people at every interaction with Subaru. To learn more about Subaru Loves to Care, please visit subaru.com/care.

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About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $300 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged nearly 88,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do. For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About The Cooper Foundation
The Cooper Foundation serves as the philanthropic, community outreach, and community development arm of Cooper University Health Care, one of the largest health systems in southern New Jersey with more than 100 outpatient offices and its flagship, Cooper University Hospital located in Camden, N.J. Learn more and donate at foundation.cooperhealth.org 

About Cooper University Health Care 
Cooper University Health Care, with its MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper and affiliation with Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, is a leading academic health system. Cooper has more than 9,600 team members including 1,600 nurses, and more than 900 employed physicians and 450 advanced practice providers. Cooper University Hospital has been recognized as a top-performing regional hospital by U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-2023 Best Hospitals annual survey and has an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.

Cooper has revenues of more than $2 billion and has an “A-” rating from S&P Global Ratings and “A3” rating from Moody’s Investors Service. Cooper University Hospital is the only Level 1 Trauma Center in South Jersey and the busiest in the region.  Nearly two million patients are served annually at Cooper’s 663-bed flagship hospital, outpatient surgery center, three urgent care centers, and more than 100 ambulatory offices throughout the community. Cooper has been named as one of America’s Best Employers by Forbes for two consecutive years. The Cooper Health Sciences campus in Camden, New Jersey, is home to Cooper University Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper, and Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Visit CooperHealth.org to learn more.

Diane Anton 
Corporate Communications Manager                         
(856) 488-5093  
danton@subaru.com

Adam Leiter
Corporate Communications Specialist
(856) 488-8668
aleiter@subaru.com

International Olympic Committee news

Against a backdrop of rising global inequality, Paris 2024 has a vision for “wide open” Games designed to spread opportunities and maximise the benefits for the long-term unemployed, small businesses and deprived communities.

Employment is a priority area for Paris 2024. Early planning before the election of Paris 2024 as an Olympic host showed that the Games would generate activity for 150,000 jobs in a wide range of areas, including event organisation, tourism, catering and construction. Having mapped the skills required and career development paths, the Paris 2024 organisers worked with unions, vocational training providers, recruiters and public agencies to develop their employment strategy.

“We want to bring more people on board, including those who think the Games aren’t for them and that they’ll never find a job in this sector! There are so many opportunities out there, the Games will benefit everyone,” said Tony Estanguet, Paris 2024 President.

A springboard for opportunities

A Social Charter was agreed with trade unions and employer organisations in 2018 – a first in the history of the Olympic Games. Its aim is to use the Games as a springboard for small companies, social enterprises and the long-term unemployed through training, quality jobs, and career paths for local people and vulnerable groups.

The jobs strategy involves:

Reserving a minimum of 10 per cent of the working hours generated by procurement for people far from employment.“Stadium to job” recruitment days, when jobseekers can show recruiters their soft skills in an informal setting before interviews: after more than 300 events so far, 60 per cent of attendees have returned to employment within six months.A special web platform (EMPLOIS 2024) that lists all Games-related jobs and acts as a one-stop-shop for employers and jobseekers, who can also access any training they require.Work experience and training schemes for junior and middle-school French students to prepare them for job opportunities.

Boosting small businesses

The sustainable procurement strategy of Paris 2024 recognises socio-economic as well as environmental responsibilities.

While 90 per cent of suppliers are French, 75 per cent are small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). They account for two-thirds of the contracts awarded, with 1,200 SMEs benefitting. There is also a dedicated programme and web platform (ESS 2024) to advise and support companies in the “social and solidarity economy”, and this will continue after the Games.

Wider social impacts

The Olympic Games are the catalyst for a host of other initiatives that will have wider and lasting impacts across French society, including the health benefits of physical activity. With the backing of various public partners, Paris 2024 set up an endowment fund for social innovation. Impact 2024 supports projects that use sport to promote health, well-being, education, inclusion, equality and environmental improvements.

More than 1,000 projects have shared in the EUR 38.7 million of funding distributed since 2020. Some 3.1 million people have benefitted so far as sports clubs and organisations set up special schemes to engage with and support people – from those with disabilities or girls living in disadvantaged areas who are inactive to the elderly or prisoners.

“The Paris 2024 vision of harnessing the power of sport to open up socio-economic opportunities for all is already bearing fruit, at more than a year before the Games have begun,” said Marie Sallois, IOC Director for Sustainability. “This reflects the wider purpose of the Olympic Movement, the ambitions of Olympic Agenda 2020+5, and the power of sport to improve people’s lives.”

Serving Seine-Saint-Denis

Seine-Saint-Denis – a department north-east of Paris characterised by a particularly high percentage of young people, economic vitality and diversity, while experiencing some of the highest unemployment and poverty rates in France – is the priority area for Games-led regeneration. Investment and Paris 2024-supported social initiatives will have a lasting impact on the day-to-day lives of local residents.

The department will benefit from urban and ecological regeneration, as well as health and social benefits accelerated by the Games. These include an increase in cycling lanes and green public spaces, a boost in sports-related employment, and a range of health, education and inclusion initiatives, as part of Impact 2024. The Games are already bringing sport closer to the people of Seine-Saint Denis, with free sports participation events organised in public spaces across the area, learn-to-swim summer programmes for children, and disability awareness campaigns in local schools.

The Aquatics Centre – the only new permanent competition venue, built for the long-term use of local residents – will serve an area previously lacking in sports facilities. The multi-use centre will have a swimming pool, gym, climbing wall, skatepark and areas for individual and team sports.

Also under construction nearby as part of the long-term development plan for the Paris region is the Olympic Village. After the Games, it will form a new residential district, with around 2,800 family apartments, shops, public facilities and green spaces.The Games have also brought forward and boosted long-anticipated investment in the area, such as the installation of four underground 225,000-volt electricity lines to serve Saint-Denis and surrounding areas, the construction of a motorway noise barrier, and redevelopment of the Canal Saint-Denis.