Month: March 2024

A stay-at-home mother of two stepped out of her comfort zone and enrolled in a trades exploration program. It changed her life.

She started earning more than a living wage immediately after finishing her free training through Women Building Futures (WBF), a non-profit based in Edmonton, Alberta.

Within a few years, she had saved enough money to purchase the family’s first home.

Today, she’s furthering her education to become a second-class power engineer—and at the same time showing her young daughters that girls and women really can do anything.

“Women account for about 5% of apprenticeship registrations in construction, manufacturing and transportation,” says Caitlin Hartigan, WBF’s Director of Program Management and Delivery.

“These are resilient careers that women can work in, and there is a significant demand for new skilled tradespeople across Canada,” she observes.

WBF’s flagship program, Journey to Trades, guides cohorts of 18 women and gender-diverse individuals through introductory training needed to work in the construction industry. The program has been offered in Alberta since 2001, and will be offered in Regina, Saskatchewan for the first time in May, with similar training opportunities being developed in Ontario.

In Journey to Trades, students learn career and professional skills; receive hands-on technical instruction in areas such as welding, carpentry, and plumbing; and take safety certifications, such as WHMIS and first aid.

WBF also supports the employer’s side, helping the trades get “ready for women,” Hartigan adds.

The organization nurtures relationships with Employers of Choice to ensure WBF graduates have the opportunity to join inclusive and equitable workplaces where they can thrive.

To be included as an Employer of Choice, WBF reviews the companies’ policies to ensure that they “hold values of diversity, equity and inclusion as closely to their operations as we do,” Hartigan explains, noting graduates are more likely to succeed and stay in the trades when they work in companies whose values align with WBF’s.

Enbridge is proud to be a WBF Employer of Choice. We believe diverse workplaces contribute to healthy, vibrant communities. This week, as we all celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, we extend an invitation to women and women-identifying individuals to explore a fulfilling career at Enbridge.

In recognition of the impact Journey to Trades has on women workers in our industry, we awarded WBF a $105,000 Fueling Futures grant to support the expansion of its programming into Saskatchewan.

WBF anticipates a successful launch in the neighbouring province. “The program maintains a completion rate of over 90%,” says Hartigan, adding that Journey to Trades celebrated its 100th cohort in 2023.

Supports are in place for alumnae after graduation, too. At any time, they can rely on WBF for career advice to further their professional goals.

Adds Hartigan: “To see the success of women coming into the program, and then years later, seeing them thrive in industry is incredible.”

March 22, 2024 /3BL/ – Franklin Templeton is pleased to announce a new partnership with VIDAS, an organization in Italy that has been dedicated to home care for incurably ill adults and children for 40 years. Through this collaboration Franklin Templeton follows its dedication in making a positive impact on the world on behalf of our clients, shareholders, employees and other stakeholders in partnering with the communities where we live and work. VIDAS aims to improve the quality of life of patients and their families through highly specialized home care services.

With this collaboration and the donation by Franklin Templeton 568 days of care to people with incurable diseases can be guaranteed which includes visits by doctors, nurses and other professionals of multidisciplinary teams, such as volunteers and social workers who provide psychological and relational support to the patient and their families. This is particularly important in managing delicate situations, through the supply and transport of medicines, medical supplies, aids and supports to residual mobility. Since 1982, VIDAs has been defending people’s right to live with dignity until the very end. Every day it offers complete and free social and health care in palliative care to adults and children with incurable diseases. More than 2,300 people with incurable illnesses are assisted every year at home or in the hospices Casa VIDAS and Casa Sollievo Bimbi in Milan.

“We are excited to partner with VIDAS to improve home care for people with incurable diseases. This project reflects our commitment to social responsibility and community well-being” said Michele Quinto, Country Head e Branch Manager, Franklin Templeton.

“Partnering with Franklin Templeton will allow us to broaden our impact and reach more people. We are grateful for their support and trust in our work” has commented Ferruccio de Bortoli, VIDAS’ President.

Alessandro Rongo, Marketing Director Italy and Communications Coordinator, added: “We are extremely proud of our partnership with VIDAS, which translates into a concrete commitment to social responsibility and caring for the community. Instead of providing our clients, professional advisors and investors with event giveaways and merchandise, we will be able to donate to VIDAS and thereby making them feel part of and raise awareness of this important cause”.

About Franklin Templeton

Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is an international investment management firm with subsidiaries that operates as Franklin Templeton serving clients in more than 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s goal is to help clients achieve better outcomes through expertise in investment management, wealth management, and technology solutions. Thanks to its specialized investment managers, the company has developed expertise in all major asset classes on a global scale – including equities, fixed income, alternative solutions and custom multi-asset solutions. With offices in over 30 countries and over 1,400 investment professionals, the California-based firm has over 75 years of investment experience and $1.6 trillion in assets under management as of January 31, 2024. Franklin Templeton, which has been present in Italy for over 25 years, is one of the leading foreign asset management operators in the country. For more information, please visit www.franklintempleton.it.

LAS VEGAS, March 22, 2024 /3BL/ – Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) has contributed $500,000 through Sands Cares to The WASH Foundation, an evolution of the Clean the World Foundation, bringing the company’s total contributions to the nonprofit organization to more than $5.6 million since kicking off the partnership.

The 2024 Sands Cares investment supports three priority areas: the annual Sands Cares Global Hygiene Kit Build, which will mark more than 1 million kits built by Sands Team Members since 2014; the Drop By Drop Project, a program Sands established with The WASH Foundation to address water stewardship initiatives in the company’s regions; and capacity-building funding to help The WASH Foundation expand its hygiene education programs around the world.

After working with Clean the World for the collection and recycling of discarded hygiene amenities at the company’s resorts, Sands provided its first donation to the foundation in 2014. Since that initial Sands Cares engagement, the partnership has produced a number of impacts, firsts and new programs over the years, including transformation of the organization’s Las Vegas recycling center into a full soap manufacturing operation, expansion of Clean the World’s operations in Asia and launch of Las Vegas’ first mobile shower unit for people experiencing homelessness.

Through its partnership with Clean the World, Sands has diverted more than 618,000 pounds of waste from landfills since 2011. The company has worked with The WASH Foundation to distribute 4.1 million bars of soap to people in need. In the United States, Sands Cares’ support has enabled more than 62,000 showers to people experiencing homelessness.

“Across a remarkable decade-long partnership with Las Vegas Sands, we’ve embarked on numerous impactful initiatives rooted in improving public health and transforming communities worldwide,” Shawn Seipler, founder and CEO of Clean the World Global and chairman of The WASH Foundation board, said. “From pioneering projects like the Drop by Drop Project, which supports local water champions in Macao and Singapore, to our collaborative efforts in promoting access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), our journey has been one of innovation, resilience and meaningful change. As we celebrate this milestone, we not only honor the history we’ve built together but also reaffirm our commitment to continue championing these vital causes, ensuring a brighter, healthier future for all.”

2024 Sands Cares Contribution Components

Spanning an increased number of hygiene kits for people facing hardship and expanded support for water stewardship and foundation initiatives, this year’s Sands Cares engagement is providing accelerated support for The WASH Foundation’s mission to transform people’s lives and improve their health by promoting access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for communities in need across the globe.

Hygiene Kits to Address Hardship: One of the first companies to establish a global kit build program with The WASH Foundation, Sands has hosted these events in its regions around the world since 2014. During that time, the company’s Team Members have built 938,000 kits and will increase annual production to 70,000 kits this year, bringing the cumulative total to more than 1 million kits. The WASH Foundation provides these critical hygiene supplies to people and communities facing hardships and crisis situations.

Grants for Water Stewardship: As part of the $500,000 donation, Sands has increased its funding to The WASH Foundation for the Drop by Drop Project to provide larger grant amounts for the program’s two grantees designated in Macao and Singapore. This year’s recipients will be announced in summer 2024. The Drop by Drop Project was established by Sands and The WASH Foundation in 2019 to support innovative water stewardship projects in Macao and Singapore through grants to local environmental champions that are addressing the program’s goals to increase water resiliency, reinvigorate ecosystems, incubate new water solutions and engage the community in these areas.

Capacity-Building Support for the Foundation’s Mission: The third component in this year’s Sands Cares contribution is $100,000 earmarked for capacity-building to support The WASH Foundation in expanding its reach, with a priority on hygiene curriculum and programs for schools. The foundation has established hygiene curriculum for schools in Uganda and the Dominican Republic, which will become models for other school-centric initiatives.

“Our decade-long partnership with The WASH Foundation is our longest-standing global Sands Cares engagement, and it’s provided a critical mechanism for us to address several core priorities, including relief for people facing hardship and environmental advocacy in our resorts and regions,” said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs, who oversees corporate responsibility initiatives and the global Sands Cares program. “Many of the programs we’ve launched with Clean the World and The WASH Foundation have been pivotal, both for our communities and our people. The organizations’ entrepreneurial drive, understanding of our goals and ability to deliver on the mission are why we continue to support these programs and greatly value our long-standing relationship.”

Sands’ partnership with Clean the World and The WASH Foundation supports each of the company’s People, Communities and Planet corporate responsibility pillars – from providing an annual Team Member bonding opportunity through the kit builds as a supportive People program to addressing hardships and crisis situations through hygiene kit contributions and other hygiene-related initiatives under the Communities pillar and advancing recycling, conservation and water initiatives under the Planet pillar.

To learn more about Sands’ corporate responsibility initiatives and other global Sands Cares community engagement priorities, visit https://www.sands.com/responsibility.

To learn more about The WASH Foundation, visit https://thewashfoundation.org/.

About Sands (NYSE: LVS)

Sands is the world’s preeminent developer and operator of world-class integrated resorts. The company’s iconic properties drive valuable leisure and business tourism and deliver significant economic benefits, sustained job creation, financial opportunities for local businesses and community investment to help make its host regions ideal places to live, work and visit.

Sands’ portfolio of properties includes Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and The Venetian Macao, The Plaza Macao, The Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao and Sands Macao in Macao SAR, China, through majority ownership in Sands China Ltd.

Sands is dedicated to being a leader in corporate responsibility, anchored by the core tenets of serving people, planet and communities. The company’s ESG leadership has led to inclusion on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for World and North America. To learn more, visit www.sands.com.

About The WASH Foundation

The WASH Foundation, an evolution of Clean the World Foundation, is a nonprofit with the purpose to improve the quality of life of women, children and communities by providing enhanced access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), soap, hygiene education, microfinance programs and health programs. The WASH Foundation partners with local governments and nongovernmental organizations to strengthen communities’ policies, systems and infrastructure for future generations.

Since its establishment in 2009, The WASH Foundation has helped serve over 15 million people and helped provide disaster relief supplies to 1.5 million people. To learn more about The WASH Foundation, please visit https://thewashfoundation.org.

Contacts:

Kristin Koca
Sands
702.923.9142

Aurélie Grand
The WASH Foundation/Clean the World Global
407.574.8353