Brandon B. Buhler, SVP and chief accounting officer at Playa Hotels & Resorts, and Melanie Glover, partner in PwC’s ESG Trust Solutions practice, join co-host Steve Soter to discuss assurance and integrated reporting. They navigate the nuances of collaborating with a professional services firm and adopting a robust approach to ESG reporting akin to financial reporting.
Looking for more? Subscribe to the ESG Talk podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and YouTube.
Originally published by Northwestern Mutual on December 6, 2023
Northwestern Mutual announced that the company earned a 100% for the ninth consecutive year in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index – a national benchmarking survey that assesses corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.
“Everyone deserves a work environment where they can show up as themselves, and at Northwestern Mutual we are committed to fostering that space where people feel welcome and valued,” said Amy Hanneman, vice president of diversity and inclusion. “We are honored to have earned another 100 on this survey as it acknowledges the meaningful work we have put in to build a truly diverse and inclusive workplace community.”
Northwestern Mutual’s score earns the company the HRC’s designation of Equality 100. This year’s report rated over 1,300 participants evaluating LGBTQ+-related policies and practices including non-discrimination policies across business entities, equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families, supporting an inclusive culture and corporate responsibility.
Northwestern Mutual has also been recognized with numerous workplace awards – including several that demonstrate the company’s commitment to driving greater diversity, equity and inclusion:
Forbes‘ Best Employers for Diversity (2018 – 2023)Five consecutive perfect scores on the Disability Equality Index (2019-2023)Forbes‘ America’s Best Large Employers (2023)Top 50 “Best-of-the-Best” Corporations for Inclusion, National Business Inclusion (2022-2023)Eight Employee Resource Groups Ranked Top 25 Nationwide, Association of ERGs and Councils (2021 – 2022)Military Friendly® Employer (2020-2023)
To learn more about Northwestern Mutual’s workplace accolades, please visit https://news.northwesternmutual.com/awards-and-recognition. For further information on the CEI, visit www.hrc.org/cei.
About Human Rights Campaign Foundation
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important. With more than $558 billion of total assets being managed across the company’s institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, nearly $35 billion in revenues, and $2.2 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 111 on the 2023 FORTUNE 500.
Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with “Advisor” in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.
Originally published by Northwestern Mutual on December 6, 2023
Northwestern Mutual announced that the company earned a 100% for the ninth consecutive year in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index – a national benchmarking survey that assesses corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.
“Everyone deserves a work environment where they can show up as themselves, and at Northwestern Mutual we are committed to fostering that space where people feel welcome and valued,” said Amy Hanneman, vice president of diversity and inclusion. “We are honored to have earned another 100 on this survey as it acknowledges the meaningful work we have put in to build a truly diverse and inclusive workplace community.”
Northwestern Mutual’s score earns the company the HRC’s designation of Equality 100. This year’s report rated over 1,300 participants evaluating LGBTQ+-related policies and practices including non-discrimination policies across business entities, equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families, supporting an inclusive culture and corporate responsibility.
Northwestern Mutual has also been recognized with numerous workplace awards – including several that demonstrate the company’s commitment to driving greater diversity, equity and inclusion:
Forbes‘ Best Employers for Diversity (2018 – 2023)Five consecutive perfect scores on the Disability Equality Index (2019-2023)Forbes‘ America’s Best Large Employers (2023)Top 50 “Best-of-the-Best” Corporations for Inclusion, National Business Inclusion (2022-2023)Eight Employee Resource Groups Ranked Top 25 Nationwide, Association of ERGs and Councils (2021 – 2022)Military Friendly® Employer (2020-2023)
To learn more about Northwestern Mutual’s workplace accolades, please visit https://news.northwesternmutual.com/awards-and-recognition. For further information on the CEI, visit www.hrc.org/cei.
About Human Rights Campaign Foundation
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important. With more than $558 billion of total assets being managed across the company’s institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, nearly $35 billion in revenues, and $2.2 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 111 on the 2023 FORTUNE 500.
Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with “Advisor” in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.
The Now for Tomorrow Scholarship, launched in 2021 by the Baker Tilly Foundation, supports students of color with a three-year scholarship of up to $30,000 per student, reflecting the firm’s commitment to empowering the next generation of accounting professionals and advancing equity in the professional services sector.
The Baker Tilly Foundation collaborates with six universities to select Now for Tomorrow Scholars. A student recipient from San Diego State University will be announced in August.
Each scholar is paired with a mentor at Baker Tilly and has the opportunity to complete an internship with the firm.
Meet this year’s class of Now for Tomorrow Scholars
John Ansu is a senior accounting major at Temple University with plans to start his Master of Accountancy program this fall. Originally from Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, John is an active member of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and serves as a full-time minister within his church.
He said the scholarship will help him focus on his studies and find more opportunities to expand his professional network.
“My father suffered an injury that made it difficult to juggle my studies and family responsibilities – this scholarship has lifted the burden of worrying about my finances,” John said.
A junior accounting major from Southlake, Texas, Kristen Nguyen will attain her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting through the University of Texas at Dallas Professional Program in Accounting (PPA).
She helps low-income households file their tax returns for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and is also a member of her school’s Accounting Club.
“This scholarship frees me from worrying about the costs of my education so I can focus on my future career – it means so much to me,” Kristen said.
Jennifer Roman is a sophomore at the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign majoring in accountancy and finance. Originally from Wheeling, Illinois, Jennifer serves as the social external chair for the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity and participates in the Illinois Investment Banking Academy.
Her other activities include participating in the Girls Who Invest Summer Intensive Program and working as a student facilitator for the Gies College of Business Early Arrival Program.
Jennifer credits her mentor, Tax Manager Domonique Anderson, for providing invaluable insights on the CPA career path at Baker Tilly.
“It’s been a pleasure working with Domonique. Her advice will help make me a better professional,” Jennifer said.
Fiza Sukhera is a first-generation college student living in Silver Spring, Maryland, and attending the University of Maryland (UMD) College Park. She plans to attain her bachelor’s degree in information systems and participates in her school’s student government Finance and Audit Committee, the Business and IT Society, International Business Club, Real Estate Club, and the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi.
Fiza is currently studying abroad at the American University in Dubai and works as a research assistant at UMD’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.
“As a first-generation college student, this scholarship supports my dreams of pursuing higher education and is a motivating force to continually strive for excellence,” Fiza said.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee sophomore Isaac Calderon-Alvarado studies information technology management.
With the financial burden of school lifted, Isaac said this scholarship allows him to pour his energy into his studies.
“My mentor at Baker Tilly, Senior Consulting Manager Joe Devroy, has been incredibly supportive and enables me to prioritize my schoolwork and professional growth,” Isaac said.
Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog
While attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an engineering student, Tristen Hazlett had a conversation with his brother that would change the trajectory of Hazlett’s life.
“My older brother was at a paramedic school in Minnesota and shared that guessing people’s weight to be able to provide medication made him feel awful,” said Hazlett, who lives in the Twin Cities.
Hazlett recalled his disbelief that a scale did not exist in an ambulance to provide accurate weight information so that paramedics could administer the correct dosage to patients as they were being rushed to the hospital.
“People are just not good at guessing people’s weight,” he said. “When you are helping people in a vulnerable situation, providing accurate doses is paramount.”
That conversation sparked an idea to help solve a problem facing hospital, fire department and third party-affiliated first responders providing emergency medical care around the world.
While attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Hazlett cofounded Hinckley Medical alongside Michael Elsbernd, who serves as the chief operations officer, and Hazlett’s younger brother, Colton, who serves as the chief technology officer.
One of Hinckley Medical’s first forays into the industry was sponsoring Hazlett and his group’s senior design project: the first prototype of a scale for a gurney called the patient weighing system or PWS.
“While that original design didn’t go anywhere, we spent three years in development before getting into any sort of field trial,” said Hazlett, who is the CEO of Hinckley Medical.
Six years later, the scale has been renamed OneWeight and is now assembled in Minnesota, where Hinckley Medical is based. Hinckley is part of the hundreds of Minnesota companies in Medical Alley, a group of healthcare organizations innovating and providing care.
OneWeight is now used by emergency medical service providers in six states. In 2023, Hinckley completed its first round of raising capital to support their growing business.
“There’s a real need to solve and innovate in this space,” Hazlett said. “We’re really trying to be that one-stop shop for cognitive offloading – the use of tools to assist with tasks – for emergency responders. It’s why we’ve developed and just launched a companion app to the scale called OneDose, which will take the patient’s weight from the scale, calculate dosages, and provide medical professionals access to tools and checklists.”
As the business has grown, so has the partnership with U.S. Bank.
Hazlett first opened personal accounts with U.S. Bank while in college because he wanted a bank that had branches in Lincoln and back home in Minnesota. When he and his team founded Hinckley Medical, they opened business accounts with U.S. Bank – ranging from checking to credit cards and lines of credit.
Hinckley’s bankers include Ryan Peterson, a client relationship consultant, and Nathan O’Keefe, a small business banker, who are based down the road from Hinckley Medical’s offices in Lakeville, Minnesota.
“Working with Ryan and Nathan has been great,” Hazlett said. “They and the bank provide that small bank feeling with the benefits of a larger bank. You can trust and rely on their stability.”
Peterson and O’Keefe said they look forward to hearing what’s in store for the Hinckley Medical team and supporting them as they continue to grow.
“At U.S. Bank, we want to make sure that all businesses have the tools they need to grow and build their business,” O’Keefe said. “As a banker, being able to help businesses reach their goals by taking advantage of our products and services is central to who we are. I couldn’t be prouder to be able to walk alongside Tristen and the Hinckley Medical team as they help medical professionals provide care.”
A focus on healthcare
In 2023, U.S. Bank announced its new cross-business initiative to provide healthcare practices with a comprehensive suite of solutions for business owners. In doing so, 50 U.S. Bank bankers will serve small- to mid-sized medical, veterinarian and dental practices as well as physician-owned medical and diagnostic laboratories and outpatient care centers.
This new healthcare initiative builds on the bank’s strong and well-recognized history of service to clients in the healthcare sector, including the expertise of the dedicated healthcare team in its Corporate and Commercial Banking group.
U.S. Bank has been in the healthcare business for more than 100 years, delivering solutions to help clients of all types and sizes meet their financial, operational and investment goals – so they can focus on their core mission of serving patients.
At its recent annual meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, The World Economic Forum (WEF) cited IBM SkillsBuild as one in a select group of “Skills-First Lighthouses.” It said that these programs demonstrate unique significance, quantifiability, scalability, and sustainability for long-term workforce and learner impact.
In an Insight Report, titled Putting Skills First: Opportunities for Building Efficient and Equitable Labour Markets, the WEF detailed the goals of IBM SkillsBuild, described as “a free education program dedicated to bridging the digital skills gap.” It placed IBM SkillsBuild at the heart of the company’s commitment to “skilling 30 million people by 2030, aiming to democratize economic opportunity in the digital economy.”
The WEF also positioned IBM SkillsBuild in the context of WEF’s Reskilling Revolution, powered by public and private-public sector initiatives projected to provide 680 million people with better skills, job opportunities, and education.
The WEF suggested that, as a Lighthouse, IBM SkillsBuild is one example of a public-private collaboration “taking innovative approaches to education and skills” that “inspire other organizations aiming to contribute to the Reskilling Revolution.” It noted that IBM SkillsBuild will also help IBM fulfill its pledge to inclusively skill two million people in AI through 2026.
Visit skillsbuild.org to learn more.
The tech world is increasingly looking to leverage technology in ways that enhance environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs. Equally, they are identifying how to ensure that technology is developed in sustainable, equitable, and accessible ways.
Here are some predictions from Keysight executives on how the technology world will consider ESG in 2024.
Environment
AI and the sustainability quandary – Gareth Smith, GM Software Test Automation
There has been significant hype around how AI systems will transform our lives, but little attention has focused on the compute power required. In 2024, AI’s impact on sustainability will enter the spotlight, and organizations will start to monitor the carbon footprint of their entire technology infrastructure as they strive to meet net-zero targets. As a result, companies will need to decide where and how to judiciously use AI rather than thinking it can be deployed everywhere. And when it comes to testing software and applications, businesses will also have to pivot from testing everything to predicting the tests that matter most to reduce the environmental impact.
Energy consumption and the need for more energy alternatives drive technology decisions – Mark Pierpoint, VP of Strategic Innovation and Partnerships
Technology decisions, rather than solely evaluating performance and cost, will increasingly take into account sustainability. Energy efficiency will be a C-suite imperative influencing every decision in order to achieve environmental goals.
To support the shift to more renewable energy, the grid will increasingly need to add storage to enable utility companies to manage the peaks and troughs of demand efficiently. Additionally, before the end of the decade, there needs to be a widespread acceptance that nuclear energy is a critical component required to meet Net Zero goals.
The wireless drive to net zero – Sara LaSelva, Director of 6G
With sustainability concerns growing around wireless networks, AI will play a pivotal role in helping reduce the environmental impact of 6G. For example, the technology can determine how to optimize power consumption by turning on and off components based on real-time operating conditions.
As 6G networks roll out and more devices and machines become wirelessly connected, it will create an opportunity to optimize operations and reduce carbon footprints. For example, 6G will help autonomous vehicles become more advanced, which will reduce traffic and some of the waste and inefficiencies associated with human-led driving. In farming, IoT devices connected to 6G will monitor soil conditions and help optimize water and fertilizer use. Once 6G becomes ubiquitous, it will usher in a new era of sustainability-driven operations.
The industry will look to standardize sustainability measurements in 2024, including measuring the total carbon footprint of a wireless network. This will help avoid greenwashing claims and accelerate the drive to net zero.
Social
AI & Digital Twins: Changing the face of healthcare – Marie Hattar, SVP and CMO
Digital twins are increasingly ubiquitous, and now, with AI-infused, they are creating a new reality in healthcare. The technology will significantly reduce the pressure on the system and provide individuals with more options, helping improve the quality of life. AI-powered digital twins will usher in a new era of caring for an aging population, allowing people to live independently for longer. AI will play a pivotal role in the early diagnosis of potential health issues. For example, full-body MRIs will tap into AI’s ability to identify, predict, and analyze data patterns to help diagnose disease long before it’s visible to the human eye. In addition, AI will take on a more prominent role in assisting medical staff to understand and interpret findings and provide treatment and care recommendations.
Emerging sectors of the cloud industry becoming significant in 2024 – Dan Krantz, CIO
As traditional cloud capabilities mature, I predict the emergence of Cloud High Performance Computing (HPC) in the next 12-18 months. Current HPC workloads typically utilize on-premise supercomputing infrastructure, but the cloud providers will bring to the HPC market supercomputing capabilities wrapped in cloud-native characteristics of elasticity, programmable automation, and metered usage, democratizing the most compute-intensive scientific and engineering workloads.
Inclusive Innovation: Quantum community champions gender equality – Dr. Philip Krantz, Quantum Engineering Solutions
Quantum has the potential to become the first technology sector to achieve gender equality. This will result from an ongoing concerted effort to attract women and ensure a diverse workforce is the norm rather than the exception.
Governance
Regulation on the radar – Sara LaSelva, Director of 6G
In 2024, regulation will be on the agenda as the industry looks to provide a framework so that the entire ecosystem, including companies, operators, and countries, can work in unison. Due to the complexity involved, particularly at the geopolitical level, this will take several years to resolve.
Regulation needs to be deep and wide – Gareth Smith, GM Software Test Automation
There is universal acceptance of the need to regulate AI. However, what the regulation should encompass will be subject to much debate due to the breadth and complexity of the technology involved. It will take a seismic event with significant negative consequences before the necessary funding is available. Only then will clear standards and best practices come into effect. If regulation doesn’t happen in the near future, it increases the risk that it will no longer be possible to rein AI in.
International Harmonization of IoT Cyber Regulations – Scott Register, VP of Cybersecurity Solutions
There are numerous country-wide regulations to improve IoT cybersecurity, including the Cyber Trust Mark in the US, the ETSI EN 303 645 standard in Europe, and a labeling program in Singapore. In 2024, there will be more harmonization of the legislation to avoid manufacturers having to grapple with a multitude of requirements, which slows production and drives up costs. However, a global standard will remain elusive for now.
Technology equity, accessibility, and sustainability for global good
Technology has the potential to transform the way we interact with the world. Because of this, Keysight’s executive leadership has taken deliberate and actionable steps to ensure that ESG is embedded into the culture and steers the decisions made at every level. In 2024, we will see a more concerted, collective effort to ensure that technology drives benefits for all well into the future.
January 29, 2024 /3BL/ – Businesses with major operations in Virginia today called for state lawmakers to pass the Savings Achieved Via Efficiency (SAVE) Act (HB 746 / SB 565), to ensure the Commonwealth’s utilities achieve robust energy efficiency targets and to align its efficiency standards with industry best practices.
Akamai Technologies, eBay, Holcim, IKEA Retail U.S., and Worthen Industries sent a letter to the General Assembly to support the legislation, stressing that energy efficiency yields cost-savings for ratepayers, improves the resiliency of the electric grid, and brings economic and anti-pollution benefits to the whole state.
“Our businesses have made substantial investments associated with our commitment to a clean energy economy in Virginia, and we think the SAVE Act is an important step the state can take to ensure the continued growth of the clean energy economy in Virginia,” the letter says. “The continued cost-savings associated with energy efficiency will allow businesses to make further investments in Virginia through expanded operations, additional sustainability commitments, and more.”
The SAVE Act would establish new efficiency targets for Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power for 2026-2028 and a new process to update those standards every three years. The state’s current standards, included in the Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020, expire in 2025.
“As a manufacturing company, Worthen Industries has long realized the value and benefits of energy efficiency for our business and the economy as a whole,” said Eric Worthen, president and CEO, Worthen Industries. “Virginia has made a great deal of progress in encouraging and enabling a cleaner, more efficient economy in recent years, and we strongly support the SAVE Act to ensure the Commonwealth continues to experience the benefits.”
“At eBay, we know that reducing energy waste is good for the climate and the bottom line,” said Renée Morin, chief sustainability officer, eBay. We encourage the Virginia General Assembly to pass the SAVE Act to make further progress in efficiency, so that the Commonwealth can continue building a more sustainable and competitive economy.”
The letter released today was organized by Ceres, a sustainability nonprofit that works with companies and investors to advance sustainability practices and policies, and which helped organize corporate support in 2020 for the Virginia Clean Economy Act. Businesses support strong climate and clean energy policy both to mitigate the significant financial threats of the climate crisis and to grow the economy by investing in solutions.
“Robust energy efficiency standards are a crucial foundation for a clean economy and reduce costs for all ratepayers,” said Alli Gold Roberts, senior director of state policy, Ceres. “The SAVE Act will strengthen that foundation, create policy certainty, and ensure Virginia remains an attractive place for companies to invest.”
About Ceres
Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.
Media Contact: Helen Booth-Tobin, booth-tobin@ceres.org, 617-247-0700 ext. 214
Sands Team Members around the world collectively assembled 57,000 hygiene kits from October through December as part of the 2023 Sands Cares Global Hygiene Kit Build, which supports Clean the World’s mission of providing hygiene supplies to people affected by hardship, disasters and personal crises.
Nearly 900 Sands Team Members and community volunteers assembled kits containing soap that had been recycled by Clean the World after collection from Sands’ resorts and other hospitality partners, along with shampoo, conditioner, dental care items and inspirational messages handwritten by Sands Team Members.
Sands has hosted the annual kit build since 2014 with Team Members creating nearly 1 million hygiene kits for Clean the World.
We continue to be awed by the incredible passion of Sands Team Members around the world for the annual Sands Cares Global Hygiene Kit Build,” Shawn Seipler, founder and CEO of Clean the World Global and chairman of the board of the WASH Foundation, said. “Sands’ global events are one of our longest-standing kit-build initiatives, and the thousands of resulting hygiene supplies have helped us provide critical support to organizations that are saving lives and restoring health and hope on the front lines. We extend our deep appreciation to everyone who joined the build – these efforts make a tremendous impact.”
The 2023 Sands Cares Global Hygiene Kit Build kicked off at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on October 25, with 600 Team Members assembling 27,200 hygiene kits in one day. Clean the World distributed a portion of the kits to Children International in the Philippines, and Marina Bay Sands provided kits to the Singapore Red Cross, The Food Bank Singapore and local nursing homes.
More than 70 corporate Team Members in Las Vegas assembled 2,600 hygiene kits over four days in late October for distribution to Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth and Clean the World’s Fresh Start mobile shower units for people facing homelessness in the region.
Kit builds culminated on December 1 in Macao, where nearly 200 Sands China Team Members and local community volunteers assembled 27,200 kits that are being distributed to Children International to aid families in need and people facing natural disasters and other crises.
“The annual Sands Cares Global Hygiene Kit Build with Clean the World is an essential and beloved part of our annual volunteerism calendar,” said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs, who oversees corporate responsibility initiatives and the global Sands Cares program. “This event represents the essence of what we aim to achieve through Sands Cares – providing community service work to address the hardships in our communities. We value our Team Members’ contributions to Clean the World and the needs of their communities and appreciate their continued excitement and dedication year after year.”
The 2023 Sands Cares Global Hygiene Kit Build with Clean the World addresses Sands Cares’ priorities on providing hardship relief and supporting disaster response and preparedness efforts. The kit builds are Sands’ longest-standing global Sands Cares initiative, which also includes the Sands Cares Accelerator, a program launched in 2017 to help advance nonprofit organizations for greater community impact, and the Sands Cares Global Food Kit Build launched in 2022.
Together, these programs unify Sands’ properties around the world in addressing the company’s core community priorities: hardship relief, disaster response and preparedness, education, local business and partner development, and preservation of the cultural and natural heritage of the company’s host regions.
To learn more about Sands’ focus on ensuring its regions remain great places to live, work and visit, read the latest environmental, social and governance report: https://www.sands.com/2022-environmental-social-and-governance-report/
KeyBank and the KeyBank Foundation announced an investment of $150,000 in South Bend’s Center for the Homeless, aimed at bolstering its brand new NEXT (Neighbors Excelling as Tenants) Program.
The NEXT program has been uniquely developed to help engage individuals who are living at the Center for the Homeless and are preparing to move out or who have recently moved into apartments or other housing. The 16-class curriculum is specifically designed to help educate this population on every aspect of finding and maintaining safe and permanent housing for themselves and their families. Most importantly, by creating good tenant practices will lead to creating good neighbors for community now and for the future. It’s expected that 40 individuals will go through the program each year.
“For more than three decades, the Center for the Homeless has helped improve the lives of thousands of people across the greater South Bend area and is a major advocate for systemic change,” said Bhumika Norris, KeyBank’s Northern Indiana Market President. “We are thrilled to support the Center and its new NEXT program to promote safe, quality and affordable housing for the individuals and families they serve. The work their staff is doing to ensure our most vulnerable neighbors can achieve their goals and dreams is truly invaluable. Most importantly, creating good tenant practices will lead to creating good neighbors for our community now and for the future.”
“We are so grateful to KeyBank for their steadfast support and for investing in the guests at CFH with their sponsorship of the NEXT initiative that will impact so many lives,” said Steve Camilleri, Center for the Homeless Executive Director.
The Center for the Homeless is the South Bend area’s largest residential facility for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. To date, the Center has served over 65,000 people and continues to serve as a place of hope and opportunity for the up to 200 people a night including children who walk through the front doors looking for safe shelter and a warm meal.
KeyBank has supported the Center for the Homeless since 1998.
Since 2017, Key has made community investments totaling more than $105 million in Northern Indiana which supports low to moderate income individuals and neighborhoods through lending for affordable housing, small businesses, mortgage and transformative philanthropy.
ABOUT KEYCORP
KeyCorp’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $188 billion at December 31, 2023.
Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
ABOUT CENTER FOR THE HOMELESS
The Center for the Homeless is the South Bend area’s largest residential facility for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. To date, the Center has served over 65,000 people and continues to serve as a place of hope and opportunity for the up to 200 people a night including children who walk through the front doors looking for safe shelter and a warm meal.
