Tag: 3BL

The project started from humble beginnings—a group of concerned citizens coming together to breathe life back into a river that was showing signs of urbanization.

From there, the project took on a life of its own.

“The group had a vision beyond just river restoration,” says Rachel Spear, executive director of Platte River Trails. “They created a master plan around building pathways to better connect the community, and have been working to bring this to fruition since.”

The river pathway represents an 11-mile stretch of the North Platte River that courses through Casper, WY as the “spine” of the community’s trail system. With cooperation from the City of Casper, the City of Mills, and private donors, Platte River Trails Trust works to preserve the river corridor and enhance local pedestrian pathways to make non-motorized transportation accessible to people of all ages.

“It’s sort of the jewel of our community.”

Efforts are ongoing throughout the year to build new infrastructure and maintain existing trails, but Platte River Trails also hosts annual hallmark events for community participation and celebration.

PRTT’s Spring Cleanup Day is a city-wide event which sees more than 100 individuals partake in garbage pick-up and vegetation management to beautify the trails before summer. In 2023, the city estimated that nearly half a ton of garbage was recovered from the cleanup day.

And Riverfest, held in late summer, attracts between 1,500 to 2,500 people each year to enjoy community-building activities next to the river trail. The decades-old fundraising event offers a signature beer-tasting event complete with local craft brewers from Wyoming and neighboring states.

“Many people feel a real sense of ownership for the river,” says Spear. “Both of these events, plus our always-on activities throughout the year, provide numerous opportunities to partner and help take care of it.”

A recent Enbridge Fueling Futures grant of $5,000 to the Platte River Trails Trust sponsored the 2023 editions of the Platte River Cleanup Day and Riverfest. It also funded the installation of a pair of mile markers placed along the trail system to denote distance.

“These markers, while also nice to look at, are more of a way to recognize our partners who support the trails financially,” says Spear. “We frequently get large grants to build trails, but few people are as interested in maintenance to help take care of them.”

With more than 40 years of success behind them in trail-building and maintaining, Platte River Trails Trust ensures that the Casper community can look forward to a future of accessibility and preserved natural beauty.

“We want to be good custodians of what’s already developed, and preserve our beautiful river for future generations to enjoy.”

Antea Group recently facilitated our annual EHSxRetail event hosted by Burberry at their new New York City office. This is a peer-to-peer roundtable that allows environment, health, safety, and sustainability (EHS&S) professionals in the retail industry to gather with peers to discuss current trends that impact their operations, challenges, share success stories and best practices, and more.

The main topics of discussion this year included workplace violence and other emerging regulations, the importance of cross-functional teams for the successful implementation of EHS, and mental health in retail.

The discussions were facilitated by Kelly Sampliner, CSP (Retail Industry Leader), Lauren Corbett-Noon (EHS Auditing and Compliance Leader), Colleen Brents, PhD, AEP (Wellness Expert), and Jessica Hardy (Retail Industry Expert). The following sections provide an overview of the discussions that took place at EHSxRetail this year:

Workplace Violence

One of the most prevalent topics that has been on the minds of many EHS professionals is workplace violence. Workplace violence is especially concerning for retailers given they are interfacing with the public. On July 1, 2024, California will require businesses and employers in the state to develop a written workplace violence prevention plan (WVPP) and demonstrate that the plan is implemented and that all employees have been provided with associated training.

There has been a significant increase in shoplifting and organized retail crime, greatly impacting retailers across the board. However, retailers have a lot more to worry about than just profit losses. Many retailers now fear for their employees’ safety, with 88% of retailers reporting that shoplifters are more aggressive and violent compared with a year ago.

As EHS professionals, it can be stressful and difficult to know what to do to keep your workers and customers safe when workplace violence is on the rise. Mental health is an essential component to preventing workplace violence.

Retail EHS leaders are encouraged to define roles and responsibilities related to workplace violence. Many retailers are working closely with their security teams to implement WVPPs. We’ll discuss the importance of cross-functional teams in the next section.

Once you define the team responsible for implementing the WVPP, check in with the implementation team, as working closely with workplace violence-related matters can eventually take a toll on mental health.

Mental health first aid training, training that teaches workers to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse, is becoming more relevant in the retail industry, and is something retailers have been adding to their list of support resources. De-escalation is another important tactic for retail workers to utilize while interacting with the public. Training workers on how to de-escalate certain situations can empower them to feel more confident in their daily job, and it gives them methods for interacting with the public.

However, workplace violence training shouldn’t only apply to public-facing employees. In reality, it takes a team. That includes getting Human Resources (HR), Business Partners, security teams, etc., on the same page to plan and implement WVPPs in your workplace. What works for one retailer may not work for another – but the key is including various roles in the development and implementation of these plans to pool together the organization’s perspectives and expertise in combating one of retail’s biggest challenges.

Mental health in retail

Did you know that 1 in 5 retail workers plan to quit the industry? Due to increased workplace violence from shoplifting and organized retail crime, retail employees are facing a significant amount of stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues, especially when they are in public facing positions.

Employees who don’t feel safe at work are likely suffering from increased stress and anxiety, which can lead to burnout. One of the best things an EHS team can do to help alleviate this is to regularly check in with employees and make sure they feel supported not just from a safety perspective, but for mental health as well.

A great place to start is by assessing the culture and obtaining a baseline of how employees feel about a certain topic, such as safety, wellness, etc. This could include completing a culture survey to assess and measure beliefs, values, operations, perceptions, and overall culture at your organization. This initial survey can act as your baseline, providing valuable information about what employees are thinking and feeling and what they believe, which directly ties to how they behave. Then, trends can be monitored over time if subsequent surveys are deployed.

The best organizations realize that employee engagement is the key to success. Taking the temperature of your organization allows you to understand how employees feel about current policies and procedures, and in turn, it gives employees an opportunity to open up and share their recommendations for improvement.

Once you establish this baseline, checking in is key to promoting wellness. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which makes it a particularly good time to check in on your retail workers. Retail comes with high stress, burnout, and high turnover. Asking your employees questions about how they’re feeling can go a long way to promoting connection and trust.

There is a great amount of overlap between EHS and wellness, and the more you invest in worker wellness, the more job retention and satisfaction will increase. It’s also important to identify which department takes ownership of wellness. Oftentimes, that could include an overlap between EHS teams, Facilities, HR, and other teams as needed.

The Importance of Cross-Functional Teams for EHS

As mentioned above, it takes more than one team to handle EHS at your workplace, especially when it comes to workplace violence training and plan implementation. Utilizing a cross-functional committee to bring all the teams together is key to successfully implementing an EHS program.

When it comes to EHS, it’s too much for one person to handle. Without a cross-functional team, silos can pop up in your organization, which can lead to a lack of communication between teams. It’s important for teams to hear each other and come to an understanding instead of operating on their own.

Additionally, utilizing a cross-functional team to get input from all teams on EHS topics can help bring together different, but necessary perspectives. For example, HR might have one view of how to implement a WVPP, but that view could differ from the team that is public facing every day, or your security team. Working together eliminates silos, offers unique solutions to challenges, fosters a more positive work environment, and results in your teams being stronger together.

Key Takeaways

The event provided invaluable insights into the pressing issues facing the retail industry today. By prioritizing safety, leveraging cross-functional teams, and promoting mental health, retailers can build a resilient and thriving workforce prepared to face the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Learn more about EHSxRetail and stay tuned for future events here!

Marathon Pipe Line was honored with the 2023 American Petroleum Institute Distinguished Pipeline Safety Award in the large operator category for its commitment to safety and industry-leading initiatives.MPL stood out for its first-of-its-kind safety course for leaders, innovative aerial monitoring and vegetation maintenance along its right of ways, substantial progress in integrity management, and commitment to learning and sharing with the industry.MPL President Rich St. Amour said safety is ingrained in the culture and credits each employee for their dedication and commitment to safety.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) presented Marathon Pipe Line (MPL) with the 2023 API Distinguished Pipeline Safety Award in the large operator category. This award represents operators who are industry leaders for their exceptional safety performance, public engagement, and innovative work to drive the industry to zero mainline releases. “Marathon Pipe Line stood out for its excellence in every category of review,” said Mike Sommers, API President & CEO.

“At Marathon Pipe Line, safety is not just a priority – it’s ingrained in our culture.” 

API is a standards-setting organization that represents all segments of the natural gas and oil industry in the U.S. Each year, three pipeline operators – one small, one medium, and one large – are selected by their peers to receive the API Distinguished Pipeline Safety Award. The selection committee evaluates pipeline operators’ implementation of the framework for Pipeline Safety Management System and the operators’ commitment to learning and sharing with the industry.

“MPL distinguished themselves in 2023 by developing a new and revolutionary safety course for leaders,” said Sommers. “Their innovative approach to right-of-way aerial monitoring and vegetation maintenance and significant strides in integrity management have advanced the knowledge base of both the company and the industry as a whole.”

Last year, MPL executed a robust safety improvement plan, prioritizing an enhanced safety culture. As a part of the plan, the Tools for Exceptional Safety Leadership training was conducted to empower leaders to use safety tools effectively. MPL focused on enhancing pipeline integrity programs and shared insights with other operators, including improvements in geohazard management and girth weld defect assessments. Additionally, their dedication to safety fuels their pursuit of innovation in right-of-way maintenance and monitoring, demonstrated by MPL’s investment in Flyscan. This technology uses aerial imagery and artificial intelligence to detect leaks and threats along pipelines.

“At Marathon Pipe Line, safety is not just a priority – it’s ingrained in our culture,” said Rich St. Amour, MPL President. “This recognition is a testament to the dedication and commitment of every individual in our organization to prioritize safety above all else and to advance the industry, and last year our people did

LAS VEGAS, May 23, 2024 /3BL/ – Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) has contributed $300,000 to Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) to combat the critical issue of youth homelessness, which is one of the company’s top community engagement priorities in its Las Vegas corporate headquarters. The donation brings total Sands Cares funding for NPHY to $2.6 million since 2014.

In celebration of the 10-year partnership and the impact Sands has helped the nonprofit make since joining forces, NPHY presented Sands with the Game Changer Award at its inaugural gala, Homecoming 2024: Celebrating the Journey Home, on May 16.

“Sands’ partnership in the fight to end youth homelessness continues to be a critical resource and factor in our success,” NPHY CEO Arash Ghafoori said. “We are celebrating a decade of partnership that has been instrumental to NPHY’s growth and impact, allowing us to evolve our mission and build our capacity to address one of the most serious social challenges in our state. Sands’ willingness to take a seat at the planning table and be engaged in our vision has helped us build new platforms that are bringing lasting and sustainable progress.”

Continuing the strategies Sands has established for addressing youth homelessness, the 2024 Sands Cares contribution will support the core pillars of meeting the immediate needs of youth in crisis with support for NPHY’s emergency shelter and housing programs; building lasting solutions to address youth homelessness by helping NPHY strengthen its organizational capacity; and fueling advocacy and awareness initiatives through the Movement to End Youth Homelessness, including the annual Nevada Youth Homelessness Summit and ongoing Movement Institute.

Sands’ 2024 support is helping NPHY meet the growing need for emergency housing in Southern Nevada as young people face heightened barriers to housing stability due to rising rent and living expenses, while providing vital resources to address increased costs for rent, utilities, food, fuel and other supplies necessary to operate these life-saving assets. NPHY’s housing and shelter programs empower youth in transitioning to stability and self-sufficiency through accompanying case management and supportive wraparound services.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of young people experiencing homelessness in Nevada increased by 14% from 2022 to 2023. In addition, homelessness risk factors have accelerated as the State of Nevada is facing the most extreme shortage of affordable housing in the nation, with only 14 affordable rentals available for every 100 extremely low-income rental households, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

The 2024 Sands Cares contribution also will support NPHY’s efforts to increase its research, policy and advocacy capacity and bolster its development efforts to build the agency over the long-term. As NPHY has expanded its role in community planning and systems-level work to catalyze local and state efforts around ending youth homelessness, the nonprofit is expanding its infrastructure and capability to continue this pivotal role while mobilizing for a sustainable future.

Finally, the Sands Cares investment again will enable NPHY to produce the eighth annual and second statewide Nevada Youth Homelessness Summit, which has been presented annually by NPHY and Sands since 2017. Since 2017, the Summit has been a central part of the Movement to End Youth Homelessness by providing a leading venue to coalesce local and state stakeholders around creating sustainable plans and solutions to aid vulnerable youth in building pathways to independence.

Funding also will provide NPHY with resources for the quarterly Movement Institute advocacy program, which delivers year-round opportunities for stakeholders and community members to gain education and take action around advancing initiatives outside of the Summit.

“NPHY’s evolution and the impactful changes it has led over the 10 years we have worked together have been remarkable,” said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs, who spearheads corporate responsibility initiatives. “Under NPHY’s leadership of the Movement to End Youth Homelessness and with more resources from both the public and private sectors, our state can turn around the high incidence rates that have been a mainstay here – and more importantly, provide the safety net our community’s vulnerable young people need.”

Sands’ support for youth homelessness falls under Sands Cares’ priorities on addressing hardship relief for disadvantaged groups and removing barriers to opportunity and advancement. To learn more about the global Sands Cares program, visit sands.com/responsibility/communities/.

To learn more about Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, visit nphy.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.

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

About Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth

NPHY is the most comprehensive service provider for the thousands of homeless youth in Southern Nevada, serving hundreds of youth through core programs and touching the lives of thousands more through outreach each year. NPHY’s programs stabilize homeless teens’ lives, meeting their immediate needs and providing a safe, supportive environment and a path to self-sufficiency. Through work with homeless youth, NPHY creates productive, healthy adults who contribute to society. Strengthening and complementing the high-quality direct services for homeless youth, NPHY is dedicated to advocating with and for the Las Vegas Valley’s homeless youth population and serves as a leader in systems-level efforts to eliminate homelessness among Nevada’s youth. For more information or to support our life-changing work for homeless youth, please visit www.nphy.org.

Contacts:

Kristin Koca
Sands
702.923.9142
Kristin.Koca@sands.com

Lanette Rivera
Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth
702.688.1013
lanette@nphy.org

Originally published in Qualcomm’s 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

We work to have a sustainable supply chain management program that emphasizes product quality while minimizing risk and improving overall sustainability. Our due diligence strategy focuses on making appropriate supplier selections, assessing for risk, conducting comprehensive onboarding and monitoring adherence to our Supplier Code of Conduct.

We want our products to be distinguished not only by their capabilities but also by the responsible way in which we design and produce them. Because we primarily employ a fabless production model, we rely on suppliers to perform the manufacturing of our integrated circuit products. We regularly work with the primary semiconductor foundries and assembly suppliers that manufacture our products to assess risks and monitor conformance to our Supplier Code of Conduct.

We expect our suppliers to uphold the same corporate responsibility standards as ours, including respect for human rights, responsible sourcing of minerals, reducing emissions and minimizing use of resources such as water and energy.

As a Full Member of the RBA, we require suppliers to adopt either the RBA Code of Conduct or a similar code. By leveraging RBA tools and resources in our supply chain management program, we can focus on driving our suppliers to conform to high standards in relation to labor issues, health and safety, the environment, ethics and management systems.

The RBA Code of Conduct, which serves as our Supplier Code of Conduct, and The Qualcomm Way: Our Code of Business Conduct, are the cornerstones of our commitment to the RBA and responsible supply chain management.

Understanding risks and enabling supply chain sustainability is a key part of acting responsibly. As part of our risk-based approach, we require our primary semiconductor manufacturing suppliers to complete the RBA Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) annually. The SAQ is a risk-assessment tool that enables companies to evaluate specific supply chain risk in areas such as labor, health and safety, environment and ethics. The SAQ results from our suppliers have indicated that 100 percent of our primary semiconductor manufacturing suppliers all have low-risk manufacturing facilities according to the SAQ ratings.

Regularly assessing and monitoring suppliers for compliance with the Supplier Code of Conduct allows us to minimize potential harm to individuals, communities and the environment, as well as create more resilient supply chains. In addition to completing the SAQ, our direct suppliers are subject to RBA VAP audits and/ or customer managed audits. We also conduct sustainability audits of selected non-primary manufacturing suppliers and suppliers that are new to our supply chain for conformance to our corporate responsibility requirements.

RBA VAP audits are conducted by our supply chain management team and include RBA Lead Auditor trained personnel who conduct on-site audits of selected suppliers for their adherence to our Supplier Code of Conduct and other corporate responsibility requirements, including product environmental governance and conflict minerals. For more on our audit program, see Human Rights.

Over the last two years, RBA VAP audits of our direct primary manufacturing suppliers discovered 62 non-compliance findings, of which 19 were minor, 40 were major and three were priority instances of non-compliance. Corrective action plans and closure audits are put in place to resolve non-compliance as part of the RBA VAP audit process.

We have a 2025 goal of ensuring 100 percent of our primary semiconductor manufacturing suppliers are audited at least every two years. As of 2023, 88 percent of them are receiving biennial audits.

Learn more about how Qualcomm is driving innovation, societal advancement and sustainability in the 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

Originally published in GoDaddy’s 2023 Sustainability Report

Customer Experience

We deliver top-tier personalized support.

At every stage of an entrepreneur’s journey, we deliver leading technology and personalized support. Offering this experience enables us to foster deep relationships with our customers as we encourage entrepreneurs to realize chances taken, risks rewarded, and potential fulfilled. We know that every entrepreneur’s story is different, and that’s why we offer customized support — whether that’s thinking about business names, creating a compelling brand, building a website that draws in customers, spreading awareness, harnessing and leveraging analytics, or growing through sales.

We strive to not only satisfy but exceed our customers’ expectations and to enable our customers to realize the full value of the products and services we offer. We uphold our commitment to excellent customer service through our dedicated GoDaddy Guides, our customer support programs, and resources. These efforts deliver the right products and services at first contact, drive value, exceed expectations, foster accessibility, and support customers in ways that best fit their unique needs.

21 Million: GoDaddy had 21 million customers in 2023.

Awards and Honors

2023 Stevie Bronze Award 
Customer Service Team of the Year2023 Stevie Gold Award 
Sales and Customer Service2023 Forbes Advisor 
10 Best Website Builder for Service Providers

GoDaddy Guides

Our GoDaddy Guides are more than customer service representatives — they’re champions, experts, sounding boards, partners, and cheerleaders. Every Guide is trained and eager to ‘wow’ our customers with an outstanding experience, whether helping with a password reset or building an entrepreneur’s complete web presence.

While our Guides handle millions of conversations per year, each interaction with a Guide is characterized by real, human interaction. Through a collection of managed service offerings, our Guides apply their deep expertise and personal knowledge to help our customers in a way that’s right for them. Our Guides are located globally and provide inregion support in several local languages. GoDaddy Guides work hard to meet the customer where they are, either through personalized service or easy-to-understand self-help tools that guide our customers through the answers to their most-asked questions.

Customer Conversations and Support 

We work diligently to uphold our reputation for outstanding customer service. Our level of care for every stage of an entrepreneur’s journey is a major reason we stand out from our competitors. GoDaddy customers can choose their preferred guidance channel, including phone and text channels like webchat, WhatsApp, WeChat, SMS, and Google Chat Suggest, among others.

We learn from customer conversations to understand and improve how we show up for our customers. This commitment to continuous improvement is reflected in our customer feedback. In 2023, we achieved a Trustpilot score of 4.7 out of 5.0. Because of our dedication, our customers choose to stay with us.

Expert Guidance 

While conversations with our GoDaddy Guides are an essential component of our customer service offerings, we also share information as thought leaders and industry experts through a wide variety of on-demand tutorials and resources. These resources are available to entrepreneurs when and where they need them. Timely, practical, and actionable information can be found on GoDaddy Resources, where all entrepreneurs (not just customers) can browse by topic or product. On third-party sites like YouTube, we host tutorials that cover the most upto-date, in-demand topics that shepherd entrepreneurs along every stage of their journeys, from starting to growing their businesses.

8.5 Million: We engaged customers through more than 8.5 million inbound voice conversations and almost 5 million texts and messages in 2023.

We want to give our customers a voice to name problems and get fast solutions. That’s why we created our Voice It program. Through Voice It, GoDaddy Guides collaborate internally with our Care Product Team to address customer pain points and develop and share solutions to benefit our wider customer base.

Ambitions for 2024 

We always aim to elevate our level of care — at every stage, for every entrepreneur and for every unique need. In 2024, we’ll continue to enhance the efficiency of our customer engagements — whether in our services or ecommerce offerings — and leverage responsible use of GenAI platforms and other technological innovations.

To learn more, read our 2023 Sustainability Report.

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About this Report 

The GoDaddy 2023 Sustainability Report details our progress toward our corporate sustainability goals, strategies, and initiatives in support of our overarching corporate mission and values. Unless otherwise noted, this report reflects our corporate sustainability performance across our global operations covering the fiscal year period from January 1 to December 31, 2023. To demonstrate our commitment to transparent communication regarding our sustainability progress, we routinely share updates through our website and our annual Sustainability Report. We welcome your questions, comments, and feedback on this report by contacting ESG@GoDaddy.com.

This report references the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and includes select Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) metrics for the Internet Media and Services sector. We also disclose our contributions and progress toward priority UN SDGs. For additional information on how we align with these frameworks and key indicators demonstrating our sustainability performance, please review the Frameworks and Metrics section.

Originally published on Bristol Myers Squibb News & Perspectives

Globally, communities are struggling to support growing healthcare needs. This is especially true in regions with limited financial resources, collectively known as low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although LMIC populations have grown nearly four times faster than those of other nations, many LMICs are not able to facilitate consistent access to high-quality care and treatments.

This contributes to pervasive health inequities. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates more than three-quarters of global deaths due to non-communicable diseases – like cancer or heart disease – occur in LMICs. And the life expectancy of a person living in a low-income country is 18 years shorter than that of someone living in a high-income country.

The imbalance in healthcare access is just one of the systemic barriers faced by the world’s most vulnerable populations, where worse health outcomes and lack of economic opportunities keep individuals and entire communities from achieving their full potential.

At BMS, our vision to transform patients’ lives through science extends to all patients. That is why we have a long-standing commitment to promote health equity and help people in underserved communities access the care and medicines they need.

We built on this commitment with a 10-year strategy to help patients in LMICs live healthier lives, called ASPIRE, which stands for Accessibility, Sustainability, Patient-centric, Impact, Responsibility and Equity. ASPIRE will help us achieve our goal to reach more than 208,000 patients in LMICs by 2033. The effort reflects our unwavering focus on operating responsibly and sustainably.

BMS is leading the way for access to immuno-oncology therapies in LMICs by collaborating with the Access to Oncology Medicines (ATOM) Coalition. BMS joined the ATOM Coalition as a founding supporter at its launch in 2022. Working with the ATOM Coalition and their partners, BMS will make Opdivo™ (nivolumab) available via a safe, scalable and sustainable access model in select countries including Pakistan, Rwanda and Zambia while working to develop an integrated pathway that can expand access in multiple LMICs by 2026.

By investing in solutions that reduce quality-of-care gaps and strengthen health systems, BMS will help drive equitable access to innovative medicines to patients around the world, regardless of where patients live. Enabling timely access to innovative medicines in LMICs is part of BMS’ commitment to health equity globally and our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy. 

To learn more, read our press release.

About Bristol Myers Squibb

Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. As global citizens, we work sustainably and responsibly to create a positive impact in the communities where we live and work.

Originally published on DICK’S Sporting Goods Sideline Report

Today we’re bringing you the latest quarterly giving series from The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation to highlight the great work being done in support of our mission to help inspire and enable youth sports participation.

In our first quarter of 2024, we:

Celebrated the 10-year anniversary of our Sports Matter Program with a new grant initiative.Surprised 20 organizations in Boston and Pittsburgh with $10,000 grants at our House of Sport grand openings.Partnered with some major Hollywood star power to donate $300,000 in grants to organizations across the country.

10 Years of Sports Matter

In April, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation marked the 10-year anniversary of its Sports Matter Program. For the past decade, The DICK’S Foundation has committed over $100 million to support more than two million youth athletes with equipment, registration fees, league costs and playing fields. Check out the video above for a trip down memory lane!

To celebrate 10 years of changing lives through sport, The DICK’S Foundation announced a new $2 million grant initiative to empower even more young athletes to pursue their passions!

The initiative kicked off during the grand openings of House of Sport in Pittsburgh and Boston. Ten organizations or schools in both cities were awarded a $10,000 grant each.

Sports Matter X DICKS.com

In February, DICK’S Sporting Goods launched its Click on DICKS.com campaign directed by screenwriter and actress Lake Bell and starring actors Will Arnett and Kathryn Hahn. As part of the campaign, The DICK’S Foundation provided the Hollywood stars with $300,000 worth of Sports Matter Grants to go towards deserving youth sports organizations of their choosing. Beat the Streets Cleveland received $100,000 to renovate their new building with a classroom and tutoring space, alongside the gym. Other grantees included Girls Play LA, New Haven Soccer Club, Angel City Sports, KEEN LA, Stride Adaptive Sports, and Peace Players.

A Sports Matter Night in Pittsburgh

On Jan. 27, we painted PPG Paints Arena green for The DICK’S Foundation’s annual Pittsburgh Penguins Sports Matter game. Teammates from our top three POS conversion stores for holiday – Store 3216 in Naples, FL; Store 224 in Pittsfield, MA; and Store 782 in Horseheads, NY – joined us for the fun.

We raised over $30,000 for our Sports Matter Program.

During the first intermission of the game, we also awarded a $25,000 Sports Matter Grant for the girls’ division of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League.

These moments are made possible by contributions to the sports matter fund. If you’d like to donate, visit www.sportsmatter.org.

Mastercard

PURCHASE, N.Y., May 28, 2024 /3BL/ – Mastercard and the African Development Bank Group today launched the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance: Africa to extend digital access to critical services to 100 million individuals and businesses in Africa over the next 10 years. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the U.S.-Africa Business Forum hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The Alliance will initially focus on supporting the agricultural sector and women. Among the first efforts will be a pilot program launching this year to support three million farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria by working with local banks to provide digital identities and access to high-quality seeds and agricultural inputs. The Alliance intends to expand to Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana and the rest of the continent.

“Mastercard’s work leading the new MADE Alliance: Africa aims to provide 100 million people greater digital access to critical services,” said Michael Miebach, CEO of Mastercard. “Across Africa, people are driving new growth and opportunity, and Mastercard wants to support their success. This Alliance builds on the innovations and investments we are already making with partners in 45 countries to enhance Africa’s digital infrastructure and accelerate inclusive growth.”

As co-chairs, the African Development Bank Group will invest $300 million to support Alliance programs, providing funding for digital infrastructure and incentivizing ecosystem actors to enhance digital access, and Mastercard will register 15 million users in Africa onto its Community Pass platform within five years, with interoperable digital infrastructure to facilitate involvement from a range of ecosystem participants. Launched in 2020, Community Pass is a social enterprise at Mastercard that digitizes and connects remote, underserved communities to governments, NGOs and the private sector for access to critical services.

“The African Development Bank Group believes that digitalization via Mastercard Community Pass can play a vital role in increasing the adoption of agricultural technologies to help feed Africa, as well as improve incomes of millions of African smallholder farmers. Joining the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy Alliance: Africa will amplify and multiply the impact of the Bank’s investments to build sustainable, climate-smart food systems across the continent. We applaud U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’ commitment to financial and digital inclusion in Africa,” said African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina.

To enable more people to join the digital economy, an ecosystem of public and private sector partners is critical. The Alliance matches partners’ complementary strengths in key geographies to promote sustainable digital access. Together, the partners will deliver connectivity, skilling, employment and digital access to financial and other critical services.

More than half a dozen organizations have committed to participate in the MADE Alliance: Africa at launch, including Equity Bank, Microsoft, Heifer International, Unconnected.org and Syngenta Foundation. The African Development Bank Group and Mastercard will serve as initial co-chairs of the effort.

The efforts of the MADE Alliance: Africa will support the U.S. Digital Transformation with Africa Initiative (DTA) and the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (DTS). It also ties into other business objectives announced this year focused on Africa, including:

A memorandum of agreement with the International Trade Administration, a bureau within the U.S. Department of Commerce, to advance digital access and inclusion in Africa based on a mutual interest to support the aims of the U.S. Government’s Digital Transformation with Africa initiative and MADE Alliance: Africa. This collaboration builds on Mastercard hosting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo during AmCham in Nairobi in April for a “Digital Showcase” on best practices and lessons learned for building and scaling digital solutions across the continent of Africa.EdTech Africa, a new partnership between the Government of Kenya, Kenyan President Ruto and the U.S., which builds on Mastercard’s existing multi-million-dollar investments with the Atlanta University Consortium (AUC) Data Science Initiative and Howard University’s Center for Applied Data Science & Analytics Initiative. This effort cultivates educational exchanges between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and African scholars in the ever-evolving landscape of emerging technology and is an example of innovation, talent empowerment and cross-cultural connectivity across the African diaspora, poised to drive forward education and technology for young leaders of Africa and America.A new partnership involving Mastercard Community Pass, the Co-operative Bank of Kenya, the Shell Foundation, and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office that gives smallholder farmers access to a digital marketplace and enables affordable credit to buy clean energy tools that support farmers’ incomes, such as solar-powered irrigation pumps. First announced in January, the effort aligns to Mastercard’s involvement with two USAID initiatives: the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) and the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF).

Bringing together public and private sector leaders will create and enhance accessible, affordable and trusted technology and digital tools that are scalable, enabling more people to join the digital economy.

Media Contacts

Jessica Jeng-Mitchell, Mastercard

Jessica.Jeng-Mitchell@mastercard.com

About Mastercard (NYSE: MA)

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

www.mastercard.com

Originally published by Mastercard

Follow along Mastercard’s journey to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere.

Originally published on Built From Scratch

Morris Brown College, a historically Black college in Atlanta, Georgia, has experienced its share of setbacks and challenges over the years. From almost closing in 2012 to graduating its largest class in 20 years this month, the institution has proven to be resilient.

In support of this historic comeback, The Home Depot’s Retool Your School program is helping to transform spaces on campus. President Kevin James shares how their story of growth and resurgence wouldn’t be possible without the community’s support.

Established in 2009, Retool Your School has invested more than $12 million in financial support, providing HBCUs with needs-based grants for campus renovations. For a look at this year’s Retool Your School winners, visit RetoolYourSchool.com.

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