Tag: 3BL

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., August 28, 2023 /3BL/ – Summertime brings warmer temperatures, which can translate into financial stress for customers on a tight budget. Over the last several months, Entergy Arkansas has been committed to supporting Arkansans during the high-energy usage months of summer. Our “Beat the Heat” fan drive focuses on helping low-income customers and communities stay cool in the summer. This annual program is vital to many residents, as it can provide relief from the summer heat and offer potential cost savings on their energy bill.

“With it being so extremely hot right now, it’s important to be careful and safe. I need this fan to do that,” said Monica Williams, Entergy Arkansas customer. “My air filters in my home need to be replaced and I’m still waiting on building maintenance to do that. This fan will really help in the meantime.”

Heating and cooling costs make up about 55% of an average customer’s electric bill, so taking steps to save energy can help customers better manage usage when temperatures are hot. Placing fans strategically throughout a room can help supplement the use of air conditioning and help the room feel several degrees cooler.

This summer’s hot weather and triple-digit temperatures across the Entergy Arkansas service area has resulted in higher energy usage. These conditions can be challenging to customers, and Entergy Arkansas wants to do whatever we can to help.

“The cost of living has gone up so much and to receive anything free that will help during the hot summer months is a blessing,” said Erie Blakely, Entergy Arkansas Customer. “I’ve been an Entergy customer for 40 years and this is a good project for the whole community.”

Entergy Arkansas has partnered with several organizations across the state to help distributed fans including:

Ozark Center of Hope – Mountain HomeArkansas River Valley Area Council – RussellvilleMississippi County Arkansas Economic Opportunity Commission – BlythevilleBlack River Area Development Corp. – PocahontasWatershed Human Community Development Agency – Little RockArea Agency on Aging – Pine Bluff

Since many of our customers are facing rising costs for everything from bills to groceries, Entergy Arkansas is doing our part to provide support where we can.

“We recognize the strain that summer energy usage costs can have on our customers,” said Laura Landreaux, Entergy Arkansas president and CEO. “We are committed to doing everything we can to help customers manage the summer heat and their utility bills.”

In addition to helping provide fans to customers in need, Entergy Arkansas is also equipping residential customers with information and tools to reduce the impact of high summer temperatures and increased energy usage, including partnering with community action agencies to:

Commit more than $230,000 to The Power to Care program, which provides bill assistance to older adults and customers with disabilities.Provide an online platform that allows customers to apply for utility bill assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The addition of this online option has resulted in a dramatic increase in LIHEAP applications this summer compared to past years.Promote Level Billing, Pick-a-Date, and Deferred Payment Arrangements (DPAs) to give all customers helpful options for payment.Distribute $4.7 million in energy efficiency resources to customers.

For more information about Entergy Arkansas’ “Beat the Heat” program, visit www.entergy.com/answers.

About Entergy Arkansas

Entergy Arkansas, LLC provides electricity to approximately 730,000 customers in 63 counties. Entergy Arkansas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 electric company. Entergy powers life for 3 million customers through our operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. We’re investing in the reliability and resilience of the energy system while helping our region transition to cleaner, more efficient energy solutions. With roots in our communities for more than 100 years, Entergy is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate citizenship. Since 2018, we have delivered more than $100 million in economic benefits each year to local communities through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has approximately 12,000 employees. For the latest news from Entergy, visit the Newsroom.

Episode Summary

Women’s Equality Day is the focus of this episode of the “Better Together” podcast with guest Lauren Nennig Tucker who serves as Vice President of Global Total Rewards at SEE® (formerly Sealed Air). Lauren shares details about her career path and how her current role provides her the opportunity to learn about the challenges women, and other employees, are facing in business and how she is not only helping be part of the solution but also bringing attention to pay equity, representation, and leadership.

Listen to the episode here.

About the Podcast

Believing employees can strengthen connections by learning from the experiences of co-workers, global packaging solutions provider SEE® (formerly Sealed Air) created “Better Together,” a DEI-focused podcast that gives employees the opportunity to share personal stories and perspectives that spark understanding and respect. The corporate podcast encourages employees to embrace their identities and look beyond differences to help foster inclusion in the workplace. “Better Together” is hosted and produced by Akilah Garvin, SEE’s Senior Manager of Supply Chain Communications.

Originally published by Walgreens Boots Alliance

I’m Aaron Kim, an HIV specialty pharmacist at Walgreens, and my passion is providing holistic care for my patients living with HIV and AIDs. As a pharmacist, I know that HIV disproportionately affects gay and bisexual men—they make up 63% of patients, according to the CDC. And as a gay man, I’m empathetic to the challenges and successes my patients experience.

I joined the Walgreens family in 2011 as a pharmacy manager at a Duane Reade store in my native New York City. On a visit to my own doctor, I made an appointment to start PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis medication, a highly effective and commonly used medication for preventing HIV. The doctor just gave me a blank look and asked what I was “prepping” for.

It hit me like a ton of bricks that if a trained medical professional didn’t know what PrEP is, then they’re not having the right conversations with their patients and they’re holding back our community’s ability to fight the epidemic. It dawned on me then: I could use my role as a pharmacist to be an advocate for my community.

I requested a transfer to a specialty pharmacy (we have more than 300), and it was there that my journey into the world of HIV medicine began. By immersing myself in a new community, I gained experience caring for those vulnerable to HIV. Even as a gay pharmacist living in an urban area, there was so much that I still didn’t know about treating HIV.

Thankfully I met another pharmacist familiar with HIV, and they became my mentor. They introduced me to the real-life implications of the virus and helped me understand the importance of allyship in the community on a human level. It was such a formative time for me.

While I’m a proud New Yorker, I recently made a big life change and moved to a specialty pharmacy in the Chicago area to grow my professional skill set and be closer to the Walgreens headquarters. It’s been a great opportunity and I’ve been working with my current team in Glenview, Illinois, for just over two months.

A day providing healthcare to the LGBTQ+ community

My co-workers and I wear many hats in our roles as Walgreens specialty pharmacists. On any given day, we could be working with physicians, physician assistants, nurses, case workers, outside clinical pharmacists, or public aid partners on behalf of our patients.

You’ll see us on the phone a lot, connecting with patients and other healthcare providers. There are about 50 team members (pharmacy technicians and specialty pharmacists with expertise in myriad disease states) who I get to interact with daily. It’s wonderful because as a specialist in HIV medicine, I get to consult with my colleagues in treating the patient more comprehensively.

But our work can also be challenging, navigating the healthcare system and providing long-term care for what is a chronic health condition. On any given day, I can also play the roles of “problem solver,” “billing detective” and “cheerleader” in motivating my patients to stick with what can be a complex daily regimen.

When people living with HIV and AIDS are discriminated against because of their sexuality, which is not a choice, it affects their self-worth and they lose the motivation to take care of themselves. Many of my patients are unhoused and uninsured because navigating the insurance process is so cumbersome.

That’s why I try to keep patients motivated by sharing my own experiences as someone in the rainbow community. I want to create a safe space for them to confide in me, knowing that they won’t be judged or criticized. Nothing brings me more joy than when a barrier is broken down and a connection is made with another person.

After a busy day at work connecting with patients and caregivers who all have unique needs, I head home to relax with my husband, Chris.

A lot of my free time centers around my love of food and traveling and connecting with others through food. Since moving here, I’ve been exploring Chicagoland and all the diverse cuisine. After work, I spend time putting together Instagram reels of all my travel and food adventures!

Taking steps on National HIV Testing Day

In 2023, we are at a point where a single, small pill has the ability to keep most people’s viral level suppressed (undetectable), which means they can’t transmit the virus (untransmissible). Together with simple prevention regimens, we have the tools to end the HIV epidemic. It’s a matter of getting the knowledge and tools out there, and that’s what this role helps me to do.

That’s why June 27—National HIV Testing Day—is so important. It’s about encouraging people to get tested for HIV, know their status, and find avenues to care and treatment. This year’s theme is “Take the Test & Take the Next Step,” and it highlights the actionable steps people can take, regardless of their test results.

Just as my mentor helped me early in my career, I now mentor others and do my best to pay it forward. I am happy to help someone take their first steps on their healthcare journey or even just talk and connect.

My work with the Pride Alliance BRG

I’m proud to be involved with Walgreens Boots Alliance’s Pride Alliance business resource group (BRG), which has been a source of support for me. Growing up queer was an isolating experience and certainly not an aspect of myself I thought would be present in my professional life. But I’ve come to understand that I am a whole person and can’t compartmentalize my identity. Most people spend more time at work than they do at home, and when I’m at work, the Pride Alliance BRG gives me comfort in knowing I’m supported at my “home away from home.”

Moving to Chicago has allowed me to attend more in-person Pride Alliance BRG events, which has been great to build community. I’m grateful to the Pride Alliance BRG because it advocates for all people to be authentically themselves knowing we are supported by a global organization—one I’m so proud to work for and one that helps me navigate through this journey.

As published in Qualcomm’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report

Our ongoing collaboration with FIRST is another important way that we are increasing access to STEM education and investing in the development of our future workforce. FIRST is the world’s leading youth-serving non-profit organization advancing STEM education. It engages students in grades PreK-12 in hands-on, mentor-based robotics programs to help them become science and technology leaders and well-rounded contributors to society. We have been a proud supporter of FIRST since 2006. As a FIRST Strategic Partner, we are a thought leader along with several Fortune 500 companies that are helping to advocate for equitable access to these programs and drive innovative thinking in how programs are delivered. We also directly support FIRST programming, events and thousands of teams globally through both funding and time donated by hundreds of employees.

In 2022, FIRST programs and competitions welcomed teams back to a hybrid approach of virtual and in-person events. Our 2022 FIRST engagement highlights include:

Presenting Sponsor of the 2021-2022 Future of Transportation season, which reached approximately 534,0000 students in 90 countries.For the first time since 2019, FIRST was back in person for its 2022 World Championship event in Houston, Texas. Approximately 33,000 students and guests from more than 40 countries were in attendance — surpassing the 2019 numbers.Sponsor of the Global Innovation Awards 2022, in which 110 teams from across the world identified a problem or opportunity connected to the season’s transportation theme, designed a solution, created a business model and advanced their skills by using technology. Students developed new ways to address cargo packaging, vaccine and medicine delivery, remote transportation, shipping efficiencies and more. Qualcomm employees helped to mentor students along their innovation journey and provided workshops on Sustainable Design and Patent process.Expanded our support to Brazil and Singapore FIRST programs with help from local leadership and employees.

The season’s virtual and in-person programming made it possible for our Company to maintain our high level of employee engagement in FIRST programs. Employees across the Company donated more than 9,500 hours of their time as coaches, mentors, judges and volunteers to support students in nine countries.

Looking ahead, we are excited to be the presenting sponsor for the 2022-2023 youth robotics season, FIRST ENERGIZE, which focuses on reimagining the future of sustainable energy and powering new ideas forward.

Learn more in Qualcomm’s 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report

BOISE, Idaho, August 28, 2023 /3BL/ – KeyBank has awarded a $100,000 grant to Life’s Kitchen, a non-profit organization that prepares at-risk youth in Idaho to be successful in food service and other careers. The KeyBank grant will allow Life’s Kitchen to expand its program and equip more young adults with the skills and training needed to secure employment.

“KeyBank is proud of the mission and work of Life’s Kitchen,” said Scott Schlange, president of KeyBank Idaho. “This grant will help to equip more young adults in our community with the confidence, skills and training needed to navigate the workplace and manage their household budgets.”

Founded in 2003 by localrestaurateur Rory Farrow, Life’s Kitchen operates three foodservice businesses to provide on-the-job work experience to trainees. In addition to foodservice training, students receive GED training, and attend life skills and employability classes each week. The curriculum covers a broad range of topics, including financial literacy, healthy relationship skills, mock job interviews, understanding insurance, taxes, college enrollment and more.

“Life’s Kitchen offers the confidence and training so desperately needed for at-risk youth to gain sustainable employment, escape poverty and learn to become financially stable,” said Angel Reyes, corporate responsibility officer for KeyBank in Idaho and Utah. “KeyBank is honored to support this valuable and much-needed community initiative.”

More than 53% of Life’s Kitchen students live at or below the poverty level and 20% experience homelessness. In addition, many of these young adults face other serious challenges, such as mental illness, addiction, and abuse.

“We have seen the increased need in our community to support and provide workforce development, life skills and GED services to our young adults,” said Tammy Johnson, Executive Director of Life’s Kitchen. “The $100,000 impact grant from KeyBank Foundation will provide the means to help us reach more young adults to become independent and self-sustainable. On behalf of the board, staff, and our young adults we are deeply grateful. The KeyBank investment will open doors for more youth in our community.”

About Life’s Kitchen

Life’s Kitchen is a 501c3 nonprofit social enterprise organization, providing Opportunity Youth (at-risk youth) ages 16-24 with wrap around work and life skills since 2003. Through our Workforce Development, Food Service, Life Skills, and GED Training Program, trainees receive the valuable skills and resources they need to become independent, financially stable, and successful. Life’s Kitchen students not only graduate from our program – they become part of a community. Upon graduation from the program, alumni maintain access to support from Life’s Kitchen for multiple needs including connecting with resources, continuing education, job placement and much more. Fifty-nine percent of alumni continued to engage whether for assistance or volunteer opportunities. Over the years, Life’s Kitchen has provided over 575,000 hours of job training to more than 900 young adults, while providing more than 1,350,000 meals to community members in need. Life’s Kitchen provides 1,000 meals a week to Interfaith Sanctuary to help feed the homeless community.

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 $195 billion at June 30, 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 1,300 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.

CONTACT:

Life’s Kitchen:  
Tammy Johnson  
208-331-0199 x 302  
tammy@lifeskitchen.org

KeyBank:  
Jennifer Shermer  
303-902-9419  
jennifer@keetonpr.com

Millions of students around the world lack access to education to prepare them for future Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and sustainability careers. The problem is more dire for students from low-income and under-resourced communities. At Trane Technologies, our vision is to uplift and engage these young learners throughout their educational journeys.

Our corporate citizenship strategy, Sustainable Futures, is helping us achieve our goals. Through collaborative non-profit partnerships around the world, we are building pathways for students to access education and careers in STEM and sustainability.

As part of this work, two years ago, Trane Technologies established a partnership with Yuanshan Education Charity Foundation – a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring equitable access to quality education throughout China, with a focus on rural communities.

Bridging the gap through STEM

Rural education in China faces numerous challenges attributed to limited resources and uncertainties regarding the future prospect of rural students. The rapid evolution of technology and industries globally has significantly altered the landscape of innovation and competition, underscoring the growing necessity to foster innovative talents for the future. Now, more than ever, the adoption of a comprehensive and systematic approach is critical to effectively prepare rural students for success.

Recognizing this, Trane Technologies China partnered with the Yuanshan Education Charity Foundation, providing funding, volunteers, and other support to develop the STEM Enlightenment Class Program.

“Our goal is to help students have extensive experiences in STEM education by inspiring their innovative thinking and spirit for exploration,” shared Ivy Wang, director of communications and marketing of Trane Technologies Asia Pacific.

The program provides a dual-teacher science education model that delivers innovative STEM content and helps educators gain insight into the educational needs of rural schools. In September 2022, the program launched at five of them in Leishan County of Qiandongnan Miao, Dong Autonomous Prefecture, and Bijie in Southeast China Guizhou Province.

Revitalizing rural education

“With this program, we want to increase the supply of educational offerings, and make them readily available through technological means,” said Wang Jing, program leader of Yuanshan Charity Education Foundation. “Education consists of knowledge acquisition and student development. Knowledge acquisition can be done through technology, while student development requires more efforts from local teachers.”

The STEM Enlightenment Class Program equips all five schools with audio/video equipment and enlists expert STEM lecturers from the region to deliver comprehensive training to teachers.

“Our hope is that through better teaching, technology and resources, the students can better connect to the world and learn,” said Ivy.

Equipped with newfound knowledge, educators are empowered to inspire children, fostering a scientific mindset that encourages exploration, learning and critical thinking.

Empowering minds through volunteerism

Recently, the STEM Enlightenment Class Program organized a dynamic two-day volunteer event, where Trane Technologies volunteers visited three out of the five rural schools. As an integral component of the program, the volunteer event served as a platform for our employees to actively engage with the students and gain valuable insights about their lives and experiences.

The volunteers provided engaging STEM classes, interactive games, and other fun learning activities for the students. They also visited the families of two students and provided essential daily necessities. These visits served as an opportunity to understand the students’ study plans, learn about their family conditions, and offer encouragement and support.

“We send our volunteers to these distant rural communities not only to support the students, but also to better understand their needs and explore how we can be of assistance,” Ivy shared. “Their experiences provide valuable insights into the lives and challenges faced by the rural student population.”

Expanding program impact 

In the first year of its launch, the program successfully provided 96 science courses and distributed 2,144 science experiment packs to the five rural schools. Starting in September 2023, the program is set to expand its reach to 21 rural schools in Guizhou and Sichuan, benefitting over 2,100 students. This expansion will further extend the program’s impact, empowering a greater number of students with the opportunity to engage in enriching STEM education experiences.

As part of our 2030 Sustainability Commitments, we have allocated $100 million and 500,000 employee volunteer hours of support to ensure that communities around the world have the resources to teach and inspire all students to build sustainable futures. Our collaboration with Yuanshan Charity Education Foundation is one of a growing number of partnerships helping us carry out our mission.

Learn more about our 2030 Sustainability Commitments.

August 28, 2023 /3BL/ – Direct Relief has donated and delivered more than $1 billion in medicine and medical supplies to the people of Ukraine since Russia launched its war against its neighbor 18 months ago, a conflict that has driven 12 million Ukrainians from their homes, killed or injured more than 26,000 Ukrainian civilians and disrupted the nation’s health care systems.

In response to the brutal fighting, continuing attacks on Ukraine’s civilians, destruction of the country’s electricity infrastructure, and infliction of widespread psychological trauma, Direct Relief has conducted its largest and most sustained humanitarian aid response in its 75-year history.

The $1 billion milestone reached this month includes more than 292 million daily defined doses of prescription medicine for all kinds of conditions, including diabetes, infections, seizures, cancer, hypertension, psychological conditions, transplants and more, reaching millions of Ukrainians.

As Direct Relief operates without government funding, the $1 billion in donations comes entirely from private sources. (The U.S. government has provided $3.9 billion in humanitarian assistance since the war’s start.)

In the city of Kremenchuk along the Dnieper River, the children’s hospital had received no new supplies from early February through April, when a large shipment of Direct Relief donations arrived, delivered by the Association Internationale de Coopération Médicale (AICM), Direct Relief’s core partner in the eastern Poltava region. The hospital was treating around 250 children, many of them suffering war wounds, when the supplies arrived.

The donations from Direct Relief “should sustain us for the next six months,” Deputy Director Iryna Roman told Direct Relief.

“It is hard to overestimate the impact of Direct Relief’s emergency response to the war in Ukraine,” said Nataliia Bohachenko, head of Ukrainian Soul, an Odesa-based NGO that is a partner of Direct Relief. “Continuous support, diversified grant programs and repeating shipments helped to fill gaps in the supply of Ukrainian hospitals and other healthcare facilities caused by war, thus helping and saving the lives of many Ukrainians who needed the help.”

For people with diabetes, Direct Relief has delivered 2.2 million bottles and vials of insulin, 3.7 million needles and syringes, and 4.1 million test strips. Direct Relief has been the largest humanitarian supplier of insulin to Ukraine since the war began.

The aid also has included large quantities of medical supplies ranging from battlefield tourniquets to diabetes test strips to prenatal vitamins.
The $1 billion total figure represents the wholesale value of the products delivered between Feb. 2022 and August 2023. Direct Relief has based the valuation on the wholesale costs of prescription medications in Europe, where prices for certain products are as much as 70% lower than comparable products sold in the United States

In addition to the $1 billion in donated medicine and supplies, Direct Relief has committed $35 million in grants in financial support to local healthcare organizations providing care in Ukraine and others in countries, including Poland and Slovakia, that have opened their doors to Ukrainian refugees.

That funding has covered medication costs for more than 266,000 Ukrainian refugees in Poland, provided mental health care for close to 25,000 Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia, and funded rehabilitation programs focused on working with amputees, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and psychosocial support. Direct Relief is also providing funding to support Ukraine’s national system for distributing medicine around the country to the people who need it.

“Direct Relief has reached this milestone through the generous support of people in 84 countries around the world, as well as from dozens of the world’s leading pharmaceutical makers,” said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief’s President and CEO. “It reflects the breadth of support for the people of Ukraine and our ongoing commitment to help them through this terrible national ordeal.”

SUPPORT FROM COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

Seventy-nine pharmaceutical and medical supply companies and organizations donated their products to Direct Relief’s Ukraine response. Of the 292 million daily defined doses of medicine donated to Ukraine, about 163 million have been of generic drugs. 

The companies and organizations that provided donations include: 3M, Abbott, AbbVie, Accord Healthcare, Ajanta Pharma USA, Alvogen, AmerisourceBergen, Amgen, Apotex, AstraZeneca, Baxter Europe, Baxter International, Bayer AG, Bayer USA, BD, BD Europe, Belmora, Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cal OES, Carlsbad Technology, Coherus Biosciences, Covidien, CVS, DeVilbiss Healthcare GmBH, Dragerwerk AG, Drive Medical GmBH, Edenbridge Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly & Company, Encube Ethicals, Ethicon, Genentech, Gilead, Grifols US, Greenstone, Grifols Worldwide, GSK, GSMS Incorporated, Haleon, Henry Schein, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, ICU Health, ICU Medical, Inogen, Integra LifeSciences, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, J&J Consumer, Kate Farms, Kenvue, Kirk Humanitarian, LifeScan, Liquid IV, McKesson Medical Surgical, Medline Industries, Medtronic, Merck & Co., Merck KGaA, Meitheal Pharmaceuticals, MSD, Novo Nordisk A/S, Organon, Perrigo Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Purdue Pharma, Sanofi, Society of Critical Care Medicine, Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA, Mepha Schweiz, Teva Pharmaceuticals Europe, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Trifecta, Unilever, Unite to Light, Viatris Europe, Viatris USA, ViiV Healthcare, Westminster Pharmaceuticals, and Zydus Pharmaceuticals.

SUPPORT FOR REHABILITATION

Events of the past 18 months have made some of the long-term health consequences of the war very clear. People who have sustained disabling injuries will require lifetime care, including children who have lost limbs and will require new prosthetic devices as they grow up. Supporting rehabilitation and recovery from war injuries, both physical and psychological, has been a core focus of Direct Relief. The organization has allocated $15 million to specifically support rehabilitation and injury recovery efforts in Ukraine, including support for the Unbroken National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv.

HELPING UKRAINIANS MANAGE PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA

A significant portion of the Ukrainian population has suffered from psychological trauma. Trauma-focused psychologists are providing care at the scene of Russian attacks, to help victims begin to process what they have experienced. Direct Relief has provided funding to organizations, including a $550,000 grant to Razom for Ukraine, a Ukrainian-American nonprofit that, with this funding, is providing mental health services to war-impacted individuals in Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine.

A $320,000 grant has enabled HromadaHub, a Ukrainian nonprofit, to train Ukrainian psychologists to provide emergency psychological support. During five-day sessions, it has so far trained more than 300 participants on how to interact with people at the site of attacks, as well as those who have suffered trauma accumulated over longer periods.

“By organizing the training, we are not giving the fish but the fishing rod to the psychologists so they can start helping their communities,” Hromada Hub’s head Lily Bortych told Direct Relief. The goal is to build up the resilience and sustainability of the country’s psychological support system. “Ukraine doesn’t have to rely only on foreign specialists but can build up an army of trained emergency psychologists speaking the same language, living in the same area, and sharing the same problems with the people they help,” Bortych said.

“Miracles happen when you work with the right people,” Hromada Hub’s emergency psychology coordinator Melinda Endrefy told Direct Relief.

“There is a proverb in Ukrainian: ‘In grief and your hour of trouble, you will recognize a loyal person,’” said Marina Makarenko, head of Charitable Fund Modern Village and Town. “From the first day of the war, we have felt the support of a friend – Direct Relief. Thanks to this powerful financial support of our charitable projects and initiatives, ambulances, medicines, oxygen concentrators, and emergency medical aid backpacks, our NGO was able to withstand the first week of the war and continue to help thousands of Ukrainians.”

August 25, 2023 /3BL/ – Bath & Body Works announced today it has been named one of the top 10 most innovative companies in Fordham University’s American Innovation Index.

For the past six years, Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, The Norwegian School of Economics, and market research firm Rockbridge Associates, Inc. have recognized top brands for their innovative work driving successful customer experiences. Bath & Body Works joins a list of top retailers including Apple, Ikea, Amazon and Louis Vuitton.

The American Innovation Index evaluates brands through a national survey of over 6,000 U.S. consumers who rank companies they do business with across 20 industries on key metrics, including innovation, customer engagement and market disruption. The study also tracks customer perceptions of the brand’s status as social innovators to give a complete picture of how companies impact customers and society.

Bringing products to market with industry-leading speed is a key driver of Bath & Body Works’ innovation and made possible by the company’s vertically integrated, predominantly U.S.-based supply chain. This model also drives growth into new categories; this past June, Bath & Body Works expanded its top-selling men’s collection into face and beard care, and this fall the brand launches its first-ever fabric care collection.

“We’re proud to be ranked by the American Innovation Index as a top innovative brand,” says Maurice Cooper, Bath & Body Works Chief Customer Officer. “We continually leverage our core strengths and competitive advantage in fragrance to elevate our brand, optimize our business and bring innovative new ideas to Bath & Body Works customers. Our customers guide every decision we make and directly influence how we launch newness and continue to deliver on the heritage fragrances we know they love.”

Learn more about Bath & Body Works at bbwinc.com.

New Holland Agriculture, a brand of CNH Industrial, has commercially launched the world’s first accessible farm tractor. The TL5 ‘Acessível’, produced at the Brand’s plant in Curitiba (PR), has been designed for people with lower limb disabilities, enabling them to work in fields independently.

“People with disabilities, including those who live and work in the countryside, want autonomy so they can carry out their activities independently. This is the main premise of inclusion. As a full-liner brand, whose portfolio meets the needs of small, medium and large producers, New Holland is further expanding its product range with the launch of the accessible tractor. It will help eliminate barriers that today make it impossible for many farmers to get on a machine”, says Eduardo Kerbauy, vice president of New Holland Agriculture for Latin America.

First presented as a concept tractor at Rural Coopavel and Expodireto Cotrijal in 2020 – two of the main agricultural fairs in the country – it was met with both public and press acclaim. The final product has been created in partnership with the inclusive mobility company Elevittá, Arteprima and Senai from São Leopoldo (RS).

The development of the Accessible TL5 also involved the participation of a New Holland customer, who uses a wheelchair. “As a brand committed to improving overall customer experience, this accessible tractor emerged from the real needs of many farmers, and they played a fundamental role in the development of the final product. And safety was always at the forefront”, observes Flávio Mazetto, Director of Product Marketing for New Holland Agriculture for Latin America.

Following the concept’s success, New Holland has sought to make the commercialized unit financially viable. An opportunity was identified through a Brazilian government financing line – the ‘Rota 2030’ (Route 2030), which sees most of the investment absorbed by the government to support and encourage socially inclusive innovation projects.

Alongside new TL5 units, those from model year 2019 onwards can also have the accessibility platform retrofitted.

“With the launch of this accessible tractor, we want to empower people. It is not just a question of making new technology available in the agricultural machinery market, but also enabling people with disabilities to return to their occupations with independence”, says Paulo Máximo, director of Commercial Marketing for New Holland Agriculture for Latin America.

Banco CNH Industrial, in partnership with New Holland and its dealership network, will offer customers attractive financing conditions to facilitate the purchase of an accessible tractor, this is in addition to the government lines available through the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).

In its 2022 Sustainability Report and under its description of innovative and inclusive products, Fifth Third detailed its offering of Achieving a Better Life Experience, or ABLE accounts.

ABLE accounts are state-sponsored savings and investment accounts that allow individuals with disabilities and their families to save and invest private assets for disability-related expenses without losing, or losing access to, federal means-tested benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid, HUD, SNAP and other benefits.1

Fifth Third was the first bank to design a checking account for the ABLE program and has been offering the product for six years.

Key benefits of ABLE accounts include:

Debit card.Unlimited check writing.No overdraft or nonsufficient funds fees.Balances earn interest.2FDIC insurance up to the maximum amount permitted by law.Tax advantages3: Pay no taxes on interest earned or on withdrawals used for qualified expenses.4Online and mobile banking.Fifth Third Instant Alerts.Monthly paper or online statement options.Access to a nationwide network of fee-free ATMs.5

There is no monthly service charge if the average monthly balance is $250 or more during the statement cycle or the customer signs up for paperless statements.

Qualified ABLE expenses6 include education, health and wellness, housing, transportation, legal fees, financial management, employment training and support, assistive technology, personal support services, oversight and monitoring, and funeral and burial expenses.

Notched ABLE Debit Card

Fifth Third also offers the Notch debit card to assist visually impaired customers to identify the card easily and help ensure the card inserts correctly into ATMs and PIN pads. The ABLE debit card allows easy access to an ABLE account and can be used to pay for qualified ABLE expenses.

For information about ABLE accounts and other inclusive products offered by Fifth Third, please read the Company’s 2022 Sustainability Report.

1 Certain limitations may apply based on applicable state or federal law.

2 This account earns interest. Please visit your state’s plan website for the interest rates and annual percentage yields (APY). At the Bank’s discretion, the Bank may change the interest rate and APY at any time on your account without notice. Your interest begins to accrue no later than the business day funds from the plan administrator post to your account. Interest on your account will be compounded continuously and credited monthly. The Bank uses the daily balance method to calculate interest on your account. This method applies a daily periodic rate to the balance in your account each day. When your account is closed you will forfeit any accrued interest.

3 Fifth Third Bank does not provide tax or legal advice; consult your attorney or tax advisor.

4 Earnings on withdrawals not used for qualified expenses may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal tax penalty.

5 Fifth Third Bank is part of a nationwide network of more than 40,000 fee-free ATMs. Customers of Fifth Third Bank can use their Fifth Third debit, ATM or prepaid card to conduct transactions fee-free from ATMs listed on our ATM locator on 53.com or our Mobile Banking app. Fees will apply when using your credit card at any ATM to perform a cash advance or when using a credit card to withdraw cash. See the Deposit Account Rules & Regulations for additional information on ATM fees and services. ATM network is fee free for Fifth Third Bank customers when using their debit or prepaid card to withdraw cash. When you use an ATM not owned by us, you may be charged a fee by the ATM.

6 Visit www.irs.gov for the full list of qualified expenses. Mastercard is a registered trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.