Month: September 2023

The new program encourages students to discover a love of reading and works to boost literacy rates across Southeast Texas.

BEAUMONT, Texas, September 28, 2023 /3BL/ – As part of its ongoing commitment to investing in education, Entergy Texas donated $50,000 to the United Way of Beaumont & North Jefferson County to support a new book vending machine program within the Beaumont Independent School District (BISD). The program allows BISD to implement incentives aligned with student attendance, behavior, effort, and reading practice. Students are awarded special tokens for meeting their goals, which can be used at on-campus book vending machines. BISD held a special ribbon-cutting ceremony at Guess Elementary to celebrate the official start of the program.

“Beaumont ISD is overwhelmed by the generosity of Entergy Texas, the United Way of Beaumont & North Jefferson County, and their incredible support of our literacy initiatives that will positively impact our students and community,” said Jenny Angelo, executive director of curriculum and instruction for Beaumont ISD. “Thanks to this community partnership, along with several other sponsors, every elementary school in the district will have access to a book vending machine. The support of Entergy Texas and United Way of Beaumont & North Jefferson County will have a measurable and lasting impact on our student achievement and contribute towards growing our students as life-long readers and learners.”

Through Entergy Texas’ sponsorship, the United Way of Beaumont & North Jefferson County will be able to fill book vending machines on 10 BISD school campuses every month throughout the 2023-2024 school year, providing thousands of books to students across the district. Unlike visiting a library, the books students select from the vending machines will be theirs to keep.

“United Way is truly grateful for the support of Entergy Texas during the launch of the United Way is Growing Readers literacy initiative,” said Karyn Husbands, president and CEO of United Way of Beaumont & North Jefferson County. “The desire is to help build home libraries for young scholars and create opportunities for learning.”

Beaumont ISD recognized and thanked both community partners for their contributions and ongoing support during the September BISD Board meeting. To learn more about how to sponsor a BISD book vending machine, contact the United Way of Beaumont & North Jefferson County.

About Entergy Texas 
Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to approximately 499,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Texas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in New Orleans. Entergy powers life for 3 million customers through its operating companies across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy is creating a cleaner, more resilient energy future for everyone with our diverse power generation portfolio, including increasingly carbon-free energy sources. With roots in the Gulf South region for more than a century, Entergy is a recognized leader in corporate citizenship, delivering more than $100 million in economic benefits to local communities through philanthropy and advocacy efforts annually over the last several years. Our approximately 12,000 employees are dedicated to powering life today and for future generations. For the latest news from Entergy, visit the Newsroom.

About Beaumont ISD 
The Beaumont Independent School District was established in 1983 through the merger of the former Beaumont School District (founded in 1883) with South Park Public Schools (founded in 1891). The citywide district encompasses 153.34 square miles in Jefferson County in Southeast Texas and has 16,760 students enrolled with over 2,400 employees.

About United Way of Beaumont & North Jefferson County 
Our Mission is to provide visionary leadership in uniting the community’s resources of donors, volunteers and nonprofit organizations to address community needs in a trustworthy and accountable way. Our Goals: Improve education and cut the number of high school dropouts in half; Help people achieve financial stability and get working families on the road to economic independence; Promote healthy lives, and increase by one-third, the number of youth and adults who are healthy and avoid risky behaviors.

As published in Qualcomm’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report

Women’s economic empowerment is fundamental to gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth. Women face barriers to start and grow businesses, including lack of confidence and access to training, networks and knowledge. We have been collaborating with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women (CBFW) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement the Women Entrepreneurs Amplifying Ventures and Economies (WEAVE) program in Vietnam and Indonesia.

WEAVE aims to increase the availability of flexible training and services and develop the business skills and confidence needed for women to grow successful MSMEs through digital technology.

We supported the development of HerVenture, a free award-winning mobile learning app, engaging more than 12,000 women entrepreneurs. The app is designed to provide women entrepreneurs of small and growing businesses with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to successfully start and grow their enterprises by offering essential business training and support “on the go.”

Many HerVenture users then progressed to the Road to Growth program, a fully online learning program to develop business management and investment readiness skills. Following Road to Growth, women entrepreneurs participated in the CBFW’s global Mentoring Women in Business program, which pairs them with dedicated mentors who provide one-to-one support for six months.

The HerVenture app was first piloted in 2018 in Vietnam and has since been rolled out throughout the world. HerVenture is highly scalable, can be adapted to any geography or language and has reached more than 65,000 women globally. It is currently available for free on iOS and Android in Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Guyana, with plans to expand further.

Learn more in Qualcomm’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report

A series of short-form vignettes will highlight the social impact of NFL players and teams

The series airs throughout the season on THE NFL TODAY culminating with final piece during CBS Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl LVIII

NEW YORK, September 28, 2023 /3BL/ – Paramount Global’s Content for Change and CBS Sports are teaming up to elevate social initiatives and the impact of NFL teams and players in the communities they serve. They are collaborating on a series which will feature vignettes airing throughout CBS’ Super Bowl season on the Network’s pregame show, THE NFL TODAY, culminating on Super Bowl Sunday.

The series kicked off yesterday with the first vignette featuring Jacksonville Jaguars coach Tony Gilbert highlighting Diversity in Education as part of the Jaguars’ Inspire Change efforts. Watch here.

Upcoming vignettes in the series will focus on mental health, community engagement and additional pieces on social justice, among others, as Content for Change and CBS Sports highlight the social impact of the players and teams.

“This is the type of partnership that produces diverse and authentic content that reaches across our audiences, which is the core foundation of Content for Change, and reflects the world we live in today,” said Crystal Barnes, Executive Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Paramount. “This content is not only inspiring, but intentional in shaping narratives and highlighting the incredible community work being done by NFL teams. It illustrates our belief in the power of storytelling to transform how the world sees people.”

“It is incredibly important for all of us at CBS Sports to continue to use our platforms to shift narratives, highlight inspiring stories and create meaningful change,” said Harold Bryant, Executive Producer and Executive Vice President, Production, CBS Sports. “We are proud to use the storytelling of CBS Sports, the power of Paramount Global and the platform of the NFL to drive positive impact throughout the season on our road to Super Bowl LVIII.”

Paramount has been at the forefront of creating diverse and inclusive content through its Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts and the expansion of BET’s Content for Change initiative across the company — which seeks to counteract narratives that enable bias, stereotypes, and hate by using its content, the creative supply chain that powers it, and the culture that underpins everything it does.

The series will also be featured across Paramount Global and CBS Sports platforms.

“Change management” is often tossed around like a mere buzzword, but it’s a term that carries plenty of heft. There’s no doubt that companies must evolve and change – not only to remain competitive, but to remain relevant in an ever-changing market, writes Brian Enright, CEO and Chief Transformation Officer for DP World Americas in a recent article published in Forbes.

But transforming a business is notoriously challenging. To make it more manageable, Enright’s article – “Strategies For Success: Implementing Change Management For Global Giants” – examines what change management really means, particularly for diverse, multinational companies like DP World.

The article provides the 10 key strategies for successful change management, while providing snippets of examples from DP World’s global initiative to transition from a traditional port and terminal operator to an all-encompassing supply chain solutions provider.

In the article, Brian explores some of the following strategies:

Clear Vision: Craft a compelling vision for change that aligns with company goals and resonates with all employees.Engage Leadership: Ensure top-level executives are committed. Their belief and endorsement are essential for driving change.Comprehensive Assessment: Evaluate the current state of the company, including processes, cultures, and potential challenges.Change Management Team: Form a team from various departments and consider enlisting external aid for diverse perspectives.Communication and Transparency: Maintain regular communication about changes, address concerns, and offer clarity.Cultural Integration: Embrace the cultural diversity within the company, especially for multinational entities. Finding a balance between global initiatives and regional needs is essential.

And much, much more. Read the full article here: “Strategies For Success: Implementing Change Management For Global Giants”

At National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), we know that it’s up to all of us to do our part to ensure our national parks and public lands are protected for future generations. That’s why we celebrated National Public Lands Day (9/23) all week long with help from our partners and park advocates across the country by sharing tips on how to be responsible park stewards and visitors. On Instagram, park advocates from across the country showcased the ways they protect parks – both on and off trail – and why national park protection is an issue important to them. They also shared how NPCA’s partners at Conscious Step, Fireclay Tile, Pura Vida, Pine Ridge Vineyards, HOMAGE and Wondery Outdoors support NPCA’s mission to protect and preserve parks.

Tips from advocates included staying on established trails to protect wildlife, carrying reusable water bottles while exploring parks and writing advocacy letters to representatives about park issues among others!

To discover how you can do your part to protect parks as part of our National Public Lands Day campaign, visit NPCA’s Instagram or check out our TikTok. NPCA is proud to partner with companies dedicated to national park preservation – learn more about how we work with our partners here.

Gildan is taking its digital grievance process to new heights, by rolling out its grievance mechanism app to 100% of its factory workers in Honduras, bolstering the Company’s existing efforts to provide safe and convenient avenues for them to voice their valuable feedback.

Gildan has been monitoring and responding to employee grievances through suggestion boxes, a third-party operated hotline, and more for many years. In 2021, Gildan went digital, introducing its first grievance app in two of its Company-operated facilities, one in Nicaragua and another in Honduras. This pilot was a successful one, enhancing the communication channels between workers and management, with more employees providing suggestions, sharing ideas, and asking questions. Since then, Gildan has had plans to extend this service to its other facilities. Just last month, Gildan debuted the new app in nine of its facilities in Honduras, covering its entire factory workforce in the country.

“At Gildan, the well-being of our employees is a cornerstone of how we operate, and a large part of that is listening to them and responding to their needs. We are happy to extend the use of digital grievance mechanisms to all our factory employees in Honduras,” says German Reyes, Director of Social Compliance at Gildan. “I look forward to seeing how the introduction of this app positively impacts our employees and allows them to actively participate in shaping the kind of work environment they want.”

As part of the app’s activation, Gildan launched an internal campaign in Honduras, partnering with a local celebrity, to encourage employees to download the app and confidently use the grievance mechanisms available to them. Gildan also designed free Wi-Fi zones in all facilities, with comfortable furniture, to facilitate app usage among its employee-base.

Gildan plans on rolling out the app in the rest of its global operations in the future. 

Find out more about Gildan’s respect for people here.

NORWALK, Conn., September 28, 2023 /3BL/ – Shatterproof, the leading grassroots organization focused on reversing the course of the addiction crisis in America, will kick-off its walk series beginning Saturday, September 30 in the Chicago area, and it will conclude Saturday, November 11 in Dallas. The six markets hosting Shatterproof walks, in addition to Chicago, include Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. More than 46 million Americans ages 12 and older identify as having a substance use disorder (SUD) in the U.S. but, unfortunately, only 10% of that number receive treatment.

When it was founded, Shatterproof was named to emphasize people’s need for support so that addiction doesn’t shatter more lives. The annual Shatterproof Walk gives communities the opportunity to bring the disease of addiction into the light and share inspiring stories of hope and recovery. Participants will unite to engage in several activities geared toward ending the stigma associated with SUDs, including the community walk.

Additional walk day highlights:

The Shatterproof Community Resource Village will showcase SUD resources from local organizations.Participants can select a bracelet that speaks to them personally to represent why they are participating in the Shatterproof Walk — whether it be in memorial of a loved one, for themselves in recovery, or to show their support to those who have SUDs.An opening ceremony will profile local walkers touched by addiction and recognize top teams, fundraisers and leading event sponsors.

Funds raised from the walk series will support Shatterproof’s work in advocating for changes in federal and state policy as well as programming focused on saving lives and changing the conversation about addiction. More than 80 cents of every dollar from the event goes directly toward programs and services to transform the treatment system, end addiction stigma, and support and empower communities.

Gary Mendell, founder and CEO of Shatterproof who lost his son to the stigma of addiction said, “We’ve seen firsthand how addiction touches each of our lives — through our own experiences, our loved ones, and those in our community. It’s time to change the way we view and treat those struggling with a substance use disorder, which is a chronic and treatable disease. In addition to saving lives today, we are transforming the treatment system in the U.S., ending stigma that dehumanizes those with addiction, and supporting families and communities through advocacy, resources and action. We are dedicated to creating a Shatterproof community that is stronger than addiction.”

For more information or to register for the Shatterproof Walk event, visit: 
https://www.shatterproofwalk.org

To learn more about the Shatterproof Walk, view this video from 2022: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blHnuk1LkLI

Shatterproof extends sincere thanks to the sponsors of the Shatterproof Walk:

Champion Sponsors: Elevance Health Foundation, Hyatt, Indivior, Mariner Wealth Advisers, and PaciraSignature Sponsors: Allmed, Braeburn, CHUBB, Hilton, ICG Advisors, JP Morgan Chase & Co, and SoundCloudGold Sponsors: Alkermes, Captivate, HEI, Lockton, and G-P (Global Made Possible)Media Sponsors: HOT 99.5, NBC4 Washington, WCVB 5 ABC, WFAA-TV, and Lemonada Media

ABOUT SHATTERPROOF:

Shatterproof is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the U.S. Shatterproof is focused on guiding communities, removing systemic barriers to recovery, mobilizing the country to advocate for change, and ending addiction stigma in the U.S. Find Shatterproof on Facebook, X and YouTube @ShatterproofHQ or follow us on Instagram at @weareshatterproof. To learn more, visit www.Shatterproof.org. If you are experiencing anxiety, depression or a substance use disorder, text SHATTERPROOF TO 741741 for help.

ABOUT THE SHATTERPROOF WALKS:

Since 2017, The Shatterproof Walks have been uniting thousands of friends, families, coworkers, and communities to raise vital funds and transform how addiction is treated in America. Walk is a day for communities to come together and celebrate those living in recovery, bring hope to the millions still suffering, and honor those who lost their lives to this disease. Regardless of age, gender or race – families, corporations and community alliances show up for their loved ones, customers and employees in the communities in which they live and serve.

CONTACT: 
Lauren Lawson-Zilai 
Shatterproof 
press@shatterproof.org