Tag: 3BL

NEW YORK, November 20, 2024 /3BL/ – CECP’s CEO Investor Forum, the premier platform that brings CEOs and investors together to discuss Integrated Long-Term Plans, hosted eight CEOs and CFOs from the world’s largest companies on AI. They presented to investors representing trillions of dollars in assets under management on November 19 in New York and virtually.

The following CEOs and CFOs shared Integrated Long-Term Plans for AI including material financial opportunities and risks, as well as non-financial risks, such as ethical concerns and impacts on human capital. Leading companies know that they not only need to be prepared for what is to come, but also to communicate that they are addressing AI in an ethical way. It featured Integrated Long-Term Plans and company strategies for addressing AI from:

Aradhana Sarin, CFO, AztraZeneca (Nasdaq: AZN) John Murphy, President & CFO, The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) Gil Quiniones, President & CEO, ComEd (Nasdaq: EXC)Rohit Kapoor, Chairman & CEO, Exlservice Holdings (Nasdaq: EXLS)Matthew Kissner, President & CEO, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: WLY)Raj Koneru, CEO & Founder, Kore.AIAna Cabral, Co-Chairperson & CEO, Sigma Lithium (Nasdaq: SGML) Amit Bajaj, President – North America, Tata Consultancy Services (NYSE: TCS) 

The presentations will soon be posted on CECP’s YouTube channel.

More than 65 CEOs to date have presented their Integrated Long-Term Plans at the CEO Investor Forum to an audience of institutional investors, representing $25 trillion in assets under management. The next CEO Investor Forum will be held in New York in November 2025; watch cecp.co for more information.

Key themes from the Integrated Long-Term Plans presentations and discussions emerged, including:

It’s important to calculate return on investment (ROI); AI is not free. There are massive upfront costs around implementation– disclosures, security, privacy, data sources, network connectivity, security, agility, and more.If we do not put in the guardrails today, in two to three years, models might become too sophisticated to reign them in.No one wants to be first; they will be close followers of the leaders.Users don’t have to build their own systems but can build an ecosystem of partners.AI will not replace jobs; people using AI will replace jobs since it compresses time, enables better decisions, and empowers the workforce. But with worker participation, who benefits from added productivity?Humans are involved in all of the AI; their jobs are not all tasks–they are benefits and goals.Equip people with a toolkit, watch what they do.Technology creates consumer demand; invest in what will create value for customers.Diversity of thought supports innovation.Key uses for AI include product roadmaps; workflows; systems of insight and action; data management; scale; reduced pain points; improved processes; reliability; resiliency; self-service, automation, assistance; guided individual decision making; and desk time optimization.

“Short-term market pressures often clash with long-term goals,” said Daryl Brewster, CEO of CECP. “The CEO Investor Forum helps companies align their purpose, capital, and innovation to address global challenges while building investor confidence in long-term solutions regarding the opportunities and risks with AI.”

Additional speakers included:

Daryl Brewster, CEO, CECPBrian Buchwald, Global Head of Product, EdelmanNavishka Pandit, Engagement Expert, EOS at Federated Hermes Limited Christopher Wellise, Vice President, Sustainability, Equinix (Nasdaq: EQIX)Diane Brady, Executive Editorial Director, FortuneMichael del Castillo, Senior Finance Reporter, FortuneAnthony West, Director, Engineering, Gainwell TechnologiesLyndon Park, Managing Partner, ICRGeorge Murphy, Chief Growth Officer, Kore.aiStephanie Mehta, CEO and Chief Content Officer, Mansueto VenturesMike Kubzansky, CEO, Omidyar NetworkNelson Griggs, President, Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ)Karen Snow, Global Head of Listings, Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ)Chip Cutter, Reporter, The Wall Street JournalBrian Sozzi, Executive Editor, Yahoo! Finance

CECP thanks its sponsors for their generous support of 25th anniversary year: Visa Foundation, Bank of America, Exelon, Panasonic, RHR International, StateFarm, Tata Consultancy Services, Vanguard, and Wynn Resorts.

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About Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP)

Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose® (CECP) is the only business counsel and network dedicated to driving measurable returns on purpose. We promote responsible purpose-driven business as it increases customer loyalty, builds employee engagement, improves brand trust, attracts top talent, connects with strategic investors, and contributes to the bottom line.

More than 200 of the world’s leading companies seek to improve their return on purpose through access to CECP’s solutions in research and insights, strategy and benchmarking, and convening and communications. With our companies, we harness the power of purpose for business, stakeholders, and society.

For more information, visit http://cecp.co.

NEW YORK, November 20, 2024 /3BL/ – CECP’s CEO Investor Forum, the premier platform that brings CEOs and investors together to discuss Integrated Long-Term Plans, hosted eight CEOs and CFOs from the world’s largest companies on AI. They presented to investors representing trillions of dollars in assets under management on November 19 in New York and virtually.

The following CEOs and CFOs shared Integrated Long-Term Plans for AI including material financial opportunities and risks, as well as non-financial risks, such as ethical concerns and impacts on human capital. Leading companies know that they not only need to be prepared for what is to come, but also to communicate that they are addressing AI in an ethical way. It featured Integrated Long-Term Plans and company strategies for addressing AI from:

Aradhana Sarin, CFO, AztraZeneca (Nasdaq: AZN) John Murphy, President & CFO, The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) Gil Quiniones, President & CEO, ComEd (Nasdaq: EXC)Rohit Kapoor, Chairman & CEO, Exlservice Holdings (Nasdaq: EXLS)Matthew Kissner, President & CEO, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: WLY)Raj Koneru, CEO & Founder, Kore.AIAna Cabral, Co-Chairperson & CEO, Sigma Lithium (Nasdaq: SGML) Amit Bajaj, President – North America, Tata Consultancy Services (NYSE: TCS) 

The presentations will soon be posted on CECP’s YouTube channel.

More than 65 CEOs to date have presented their Integrated Long-Term Plans at the CEO Investor Forum to an audience of institutional investors, representing $25 trillion in assets under management. The next CEO Investor Forum will be held in New York in November 2025; watch cecp.co for more information.

Key themes from the Integrated Long-Term Plans presentations and discussions emerged, including:

It’s important to calculate return on investment (ROI); AI is not free. There are massive upfront costs around implementation– disclosures, security, privacy, data sources, network connectivity, security, agility, and more.If we do not put in the guardrails today, in two to three years, models might become too sophisticated to reign them in.No one wants to be first; they will be close followers of the leaders.Users don’t have to build their own systems but can build an ecosystem of partners.AI will not replace jobs; people using AI will replace jobs since it compresses time, enables better decisions, and empowers the workforce. But with worker participation, who benefits from added productivity?Humans are involved in all of the AI; their jobs are not all tasks–they are benefits and goals.Equip people with a toolkit, watch what they do.Technology creates consumer demand; invest in what will create value for customers.Diversity of thought supports innovation.Key uses for AI include product roadmaps; workflows; systems of insight and action; data management; scale; reduced pain points; improved processes; reliability; resiliency; self-service, automation, assistance; guided individual decision making; and desk time optimization.

“Short-term market pressures often clash with long-term goals,” said Daryl Brewster, CEO of CECP. “The CEO Investor Forum helps companies align their purpose, capital, and innovation to address global challenges while building investor confidence in long-term solutions regarding the opportunities and risks with AI.”

Additional speakers included:

Daryl Brewster, CEO, CECPBrian Buchwald, Global Head of Product, EdelmanNavishka Pandit, Engagement Expert, EOS at Federated Hermes Limited Christopher Wellise, Vice President, Sustainability, Equinix (Nasdaq: EQIX)Diane Brady, Executive Editorial Director, FortuneMichael del Castillo, Senior Finance Reporter, FortuneAnthony West, Director, Engineering, Gainwell TechnologiesLyndon Park, Managing Partner, ICRGeorge Murphy, Chief Growth Officer, Kore.aiStephanie Mehta, CEO and Chief Content Officer, Mansueto VenturesMike Kubzansky, CEO, Omidyar NetworkNelson Griggs, President, Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ)Karen Snow, Global Head of Listings, Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ)Chip Cutter, Reporter, The Wall Street JournalBrian Sozzi, Executive Editor, Yahoo! Finance

CECP thanks its sponsors for their generous support of 25th anniversary year: Visa Foundation, Bank of America, Exelon, Panasonic, RHR International, StateFarm, Tata Consultancy Services, Vanguard, and Wynn Resorts.

###

About Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP)

Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose® (CECP) is the only business counsel and network dedicated to driving measurable returns on purpose. We promote responsible purpose-driven business as it increases customer loyalty, builds employee engagement, improves brand trust, attracts top talent, connects with strategic investors, and contributes to the bottom line.

More than 200 of the world’s leading companies seek to improve their return on purpose through access to CECP’s solutions in research and insights, strategy and benchmarking, and convening and communications. With our companies, we harness the power of purpose for business, stakeholders, and society.

For more information, visit http://cecp.co.

Nasdaq

Nasdaq ESG Solutions’ CSRD readiness series is tailored to help you navigate the complexities of preparing for the CSRD with Nasdaq’s ESG Solutions ecosystem as your partner. No matter where your organization is on its journey to sustainability reporting, you will walk away with actionable insights that will streamline your strategy and workflow. Our ESG specialists hosted two sessions covering:

Understanding regulatory requirements for CSRD complianceConducting a gap assessment to identify areas for improvementEstablishing efficient data collection mechanisms using tools like Nasdaq Metrio™Engaging stakeholders to align ESG reporting with expectationsImplementing governance strategies, risk management, and performance metrics to drive transparency and sustainable practices

Session 1: The Nasdaq ESG Solutions Ecosystem and Product Experience
A deep dive on the technologies designed to streamline your data collection, engagement, oversight, and disclosure processes.

Session 2: Five Things to do to Prepare for CSRD
Hear from Nasdaq thought leaders and guest speakers on 5 things they are doing to prepare for CSRD, and how you can too.

Submit this form to access the webinar replay

Nasdaq

Nasdaq ESG Solutions’ CSRD readiness series is tailored to help you navigate the complexities of preparing for the CSRD with Nasdaq’s ESG Solutions ecosystem as your partner. No matter where your organization is on its journey to sustainability reporting, you will walk away with actionable insights that will streamline your strategy and workflow. Our ESG specialists hosted two sessions covering:

Understanding regulatory requirements for CSRD complianceConducting a gap assessment to identify areas for improvementEstablishing efficient data collection mechanisms using tools like Nasdaq Metrio™Engaging stakeholders to align ESG reporting with expectationsImplementing governance strategies, risk management, and performance metrics to drive transparency and sustainable practices

Session 1: The Nasdaq ESG Solutions Ecosystem and Product Experience
A deep dive on the technologies designed to streamline your data collection, engagement, oversight, and disclosure processes.

Session 2: Five Things to do to Prepare for CSRD
Hear from Nasdaq thought leaders and guest speakers on 5 things they are doing to prepare for CSRD, and how you can too.

Submit this form to access the webinar replay

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when bacteria no longer respond to antibiotics, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk and spread of disease. AMR is an urgent health challenge—leading to more than 1.27M deaths globally each year. And its toll is only expected to grow; by 2050, it is estimated there will be 10M deaths from AMR each year.

Production 
Last year, we took bold steps to ensure our sites were addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) throughout the entire manufacturing process. We were one of six companies to participate in an AMR Industry Alliance (AMRIA) certification pilot at our Germany manufacturing site. The pilot program supports appropriate control of antimicrobial manufacturing waste. We also were one of the first two pharmaceutical companies to receive the British Standards Institution (BSI) Manufacturing Certificate—meeting international standards that ensure antibiotics are made responsibly.

Protection 
Exposure to antibiotics or antifungals through the environment, including water and soil, increases the risk of AMR. We have strict protocols across all our sites to prevent pharmaceutical pollution, keeping active pharmaceutical ingredients out of our wastewater. 

Education 
Once medicines leave our sites, we work hard to make sure healthcare providers and patients use antibiotics correctly. We recently piloted a new program in Germany to share AMR prevention tips with those picking up antibiotics from a pharmacy or clinic. Digital messages help patients learn how to prevent AMR—already reaching over 11,000 pharmacies, 50,000 healthcare professionals and 200,000 patients—and prompt important, educational conversations between providers and patients.

Collaboration 
We serve on the board of the AMRIA, which convenes more than 100 healthcare companies and associations. We also contribute to the AMR Action Fund, the world’s largest public-private partnership investing in new antimicrobial initiatives.

Learn more here. 

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when bacteria no longer respond to antibiotics, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk and spread of disease. AMR is an urgent health challenge—leading to more than 1.27M deaths globally each year. And its toll is only expected to grow; by 2050, it is estimated there will be 10M deaths from AMR each year.

Production 
Last year, we took bold steps to ensure our sites were addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) throughout the entire manufacturing process. We were one of six companies to participate in an AMR Industry Alliance (AMRIA) certification pilot at our Germany manufacturing site. The pilot program supports appropriate control of antimicrobial manufacturing waste. We also were one of the first two pharmaceutical companies to receive the British Standards Institution (BSI) Manufacturing Certificate—meeting international standards that ensure antibiotics are made responsibly.

Protection 
Exposure to antibiotics or antifungals through the environment, including water and soil, increases the risk of AMR. We have strict protocols across all our sites to prevent pharmaceutical pollution, keeping active pharmaceutical ingredients out of our wastewater. 

Education 
Once medicines leave our sites, we work hard to make sure healthcare providers and patients use antibiotics correctly. We recently piloted a new program in Germany to share AMR prevention tips with those picking up antibiotics from a pharmacy or clinic. Digital messages help patients learn how to prevent AMR—already reaching over 11,000 pharmacies, 50,000 healthcare professionals and 200,000 patients—and prompt important, educational conversations between providers and patients.

Collaboration 
We serve on the board of the AMRIA, which convenes more than 100 healthcare companies and associations. We also contribute to the AMR Action Fund, the world’s largest public-private partnership investing in new antimicrobial initiatives.

Learn more here. 

Mastercard

Every weekend, as people stumble home from packed bars and clubs in Aarhus, Denmark’s second biggest city, they leave behind a messy trail of cups, burger wrappers and pizza boxes, which clog gutters and drift into waterways.

It’s a costly problem for the Viking-founded coastal city, which has been looking for ingenious ways to eliminate the takeaway garbage it calculates is responsible for nearly half the litter on its streets.

That’s why, since January, the municipality has been testing out an innovative deposit return program for reusable drink cups, the world’s first system of its kind, which it hopes will eradicate the millions of single-use cups the city’s baristas hand out each year.

Now, each time people order their flat white to go, they can pay a 5-krone (70 cent) deposit for a lidded plastic cup with a blue REUSABLE logo. After their caffeine fix, they can feed their used cup into one of 27 machines dotted around the city to be cleaned and redistributed, and they just tap their phone or card to the machine to get their deposit back.

“Our working vision is a city without waste bins,” says Simon Smedegaard Rossau, Aarhus’s project manager for circular systems. “It’s about turning your thoughts a little bit and being ambitious.”

So far this year, the introduction of some 630,000 REUSABLE cups has slashed city waste by about 10 tons, and the trial is popular with the public as well as many small retailers that struggled to find ways to reduce single-use products. Next, Aarhus plans to pilot reusable boxes for sushi, burgers and salads.

The implications of Aarhus’s pilot expand far beyond its city limits. Takeaway bags, cutlery, drink containers and wrappers now dominate waterway litter throughout the world and have clogged landfills in some cities. As one response, many governments have banned certain single-use plastics, including bags and plates. As many municipalities grapple with their waste crises, city leaders in countries from Japan to Brazil are closely watching the Danish city to decide it they should follow suit with reusable programs too.

These communities are keenly aware that reusable packaging will not take off unless the business model becomes financially viable. The cost of collection, sanitization, quality inspections and redistribution makes it tricky to undercut the price of single-use products (approximately just 15 cents for each throwaway cup) and scale the program, which can help cities cut their emissions as well as waste management bills.

That’s why policies are needed to provide the conditions and incentives to transition to well-designed reuse systems, unlocking their full environmental and economic potential, says Geir Saether, the senior vice president of circular economy for TOMRA Systems, the Norwegian sustainable technology company that partnered with Aarhus to pilot the REUSABLE containers.

TOMRA was able to adapt its existing bottle and can reverse vending machines to accommodate coffee and drinks cups. For consumers who select the more sustainable reuse option, the 5-krone returnable deposit is added to the product purchase. The deposit is an efficient incentive for consumers to return the packaging, ensuring high collection rates, Saether says.

Keen to encourage people to make the extra effort to reuse, they tried to make the process as painless as possible by installing returns machines in busy spots roughly every 500 yards in the pilot area, where 50,000 people live.

Integrating the cashless deposit payments provided by Mastercard Move, the company’s near-real-time payments platform that allows people to securely send and receive money via both cards and accounts worldwide, has proven key to creating a much smoother experience for consumers instead of asking them to use clunky apps each time they grab a coffee.

“A solution based on reusable packaging is not as convenient as a solution based on disposable packaging, so at least we should minimize the inconvenience factor,” Saether says.

Highlighting Lisbon’s plastic cup ban and Dubai’s move to prohibit all single-use plastic packaging, Saether says measures such as taxes or restrictions on disposable products would encourage stronger take-up of reusable systems. It’s a consideration that could determine if countries or cities choose to introduce broader policies to encourage using similar sustainable alternatives.

Nearly a year into the trial, Rossau says he’s seeing less litter around Aarhus as 88% of cups are now being returned and recycled.

If the three-year trial works in a compact city like Aarhus, it could be scaled up to densely populated cities such as New York, if they can find spots to install the thousands of reverse vending machines they would need.

“We need to make a mature choice to say we need to take a little bit of space here and there to minimize the growing waste crisis we’re seeing in all cities,” Rossau says. “If you’re a city official, you need to ask yourself otherwise, ‘Where are we going to put all this waste that’s overflowing our streets?’”

Originally published by Mastercard

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

Mastercard

Every weekend, as people stumble home from packed bars and clubs in Aarhus, Denmark’s second biggest city, they leave behind a messy trail of cups, burger wrappers and pizza boxes, which clog gutters and drift into waterways.

It’s a costly problem for the Viking-founded coastal city, which has been looking for ingenious ways to eliminate the takeaway garbage it calculates is responsible for nearly half the litter on its streets.

That’s why, since January, the municipality has been testing out an innovative deposit return program for reusable drink cups, the world’s first system of its kind, which it hopes will eradicate the millions of single-use cups the city’s baristas hand out each year.

Now, each time people order their flat white to go, they can pay a 5-krone (70 cent) deposit for a lidded plastic cup with a blue REUSABLE logo. After their caffeine fix, they can feed their used cup into one of 27 machines dotted around the city to be cleaned and redistributed, and they just tap their phone or card to the machine to get their deposit back.

“Our working vision is a city without waste bins,” says Simon Smedegaard Rossau, Aarhus’s project manager for circular systems. “It’s about turning your thoughts a little bit and being ambitious.”

So far this year, the introduction of some 630,000 REUSABLE cups has slashed city waste by about 10 tons, and the trial is popular with the public as well as many small retailers that struggled to find ways to reduce single-use products. Next, Aarhus plans to pilot reusable boxes for sushi, burgers and salads.

The implications of Aarhus’s pilot expand far beyond its city limits. Takeaway bags, cutlery, drink containers and wrappers now dominate waterway litter throughout the world and have clogged landfills in some cities. As one response, many governments have banned certain single-use plastics, including bags and plates. As many municipalities grapple with their waste crises, city leaders in countries from Japan to Brazil are closely watching the Danish city to decide it they should follow suit with reusable programs too.

These communities are keenly aware that reusable packaging will not take off unless the business model becomes financially viable. The cost of collection, sanitization, quality inspections and redistribution makes it tricky to undercut the price of single-use products (approximately just 15 cents for each throwaway cup) and scale the program, which can help cities cut their emissions as well as waste management bills.

That’s why policies are needed to provide the conditions and incentives to transition to well-designed reuse systems, unlocking their full environmental and economic potential, says Geir Saether, the senior vice president of circular economy for TOMRA Systems, the Norwegian sustainable technology company that partnered with Aarhus to pilot the REUSABLE containers.

TOMRA was able to adapt its existing bottle and can reverse vending machines to accommodate coffee and drinks cups. For consumers who select the more sustainable reuse option, the 5-krone returnable deposit is added to the product purchase. The deposit is an efficient incentive for consumers to return the packaging, ensuring high collection rates, Saether says.

Keen to encourage people to make the extra effort to reuse, they tried to make the process as painless as possible by installing returns machines in busy spots roughly every 500 yards in the pilot area, where 50,000 people live.

Integrating the cashless deposit payments provided by Mastercard Move, the company’s near-real-time payments platform that allows people to securely send and receive money via both cards and accounts worldwide, has proven key to creating a much smoother experience for consumers instead of asking them to use clunky apps each time they grab a coffee.

“A solution based on reusable packaging is not as convenient as a solution based on disposable packaging, so at least we should minimize the inconvenience factor,” Saether says.

Highlighting Lisbon’s plastic cup ban and Dubai’s move to prohibit all single-use plastic packaging, Saether says measures such as taxes or restrictions on disposable products would encourage stronger take-up of reusable systems. It’s a consideration that could determine if countries or cities choose to introduce broader policies to encourage using similar sustainable alternatives.

Nearly a year into the trial, Rossau says he’s seeing less litter around Aarhus as 88% of cups are now being returned and recycled.

If the three-year trial works in a compact city like Aarhus, it could be scaled up to densely populated cities such as New York, if they can find spots to install the thousands of reverse vending machines they would need.

“We need to make a mature choice to say we need to take a little bit of space here and there to minimize the growing waste crisis we’re seeing in all cities,” Rossau says. “If you’re a city official, you need to ask yourself otherwise, ‘Where are we going to put all this waste that’s overflowing our streets?’”

Originally published by Mastercard

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

Family Promise of WNY, an emergency family homeless shelter, has received a KeyBank Foundation Grant for $300,000 over the next three years. The grant, the largest gift in the organization’s history, is targeted for capacity building as Family Promise of WNY is in the initial stages of building a second emergency family shelter site in Buffalo. Projected to open in 2027, the new shelter site will more than double their ability to serve the Erie County family homeless population. The grant will support the addition of two key positions at the organization – a Housing Specialist who will provide more targeted intervention to assist homeless families securing permanent housing and a Development Director to help grow the organization’s fiscal position.

“Family homelessness is at crisis levels in our community right now. On any given night, there are over 100 families who need a space in shelter – but there are simply no spaces for them. That is why we are trying to open a second family shelter,” said Luanne Firestone, Executive Director of Family Promise. “Taking a small organization to the next level is hard. We are simply overwhelmed by and grateful for the opportunity that this KeyBank Foundation grant provides to our growing shelter program. We are confident that this capacity-building grant will allow us to house families faster and provide the strongest foundation possible for our future expansion in the community.”

“Family Promise of WNY serves a vital role in our community, keeping families experiencing homelessness together by offering emergency housing and compassionate support as they work to find their way back home,” said KeyBank Buffalo Market President Michael McMahon. “Their mission and work gives children and their families hope. We believe in their work and are excited to help them grow and serve more people.”

“This grant to Family Promise of WNY is symbolic of the partnerships KeyBank works to forge in the communities we serve,” said KeyBank Buffalo Corporate Responsibility Officer Chiwuike Owunwanne. “Securing safe and decent housing is a first step out of homelessness and gives children and their families a chance to move forward to brighter futures.”

Family Promise of WNY is one of just two emergency family shelters in Erie County that keep families together through the crisis of homelessness. Over 70% of their guests are children.

Learn more about KeyBank’s commitment to helping clients and communities thrive

Family Promise of WNY, an emergency family homeless shelter, has received a KeyBank Foundation Grant for $300,000 over the next three years. The grant, the largest gift in the organization’s history, is targeted for capacity building as Family Promise of WNY is in the initial stages of building a second emergency family shelter site in Buffalo. Projected to open in 2027, the new shelter site will more than double their ability to serve the Erie County family homeless population. The grant will support the addition of two key positions at the organization – a Housing Specialist who will provide more targeted intervention to assist homeless families securing permanent housing and a Development Director to help grow the organization’s fiscal position.

“Family homelessness is at crisis levels in our community right now. On any given night, there are over 100 families who need a space in shelter – but there are simply no spaces for them. That is why we are trying to open a second family shelter,” said Luanne Firestone, Executive Director of Family Promise. “Taking a small organization to the next level is hard. We are simply overwhelmed by and grateful for the opportunity that this KeyBank Foundation grant provides to our growing shelter program. We are confident that this capacity-building grant will allow us to house families faster and provide the strongest foundation possible for our future expansion in the community.”

“Family Promise of WNY serves a vital role in our community, keeping families experiencing homelessness together by offering emergency housing and compassionate support as they work to find their way back home,” said KeyBank Buffalo Market President Michael McMahon. “Their mission and work gives children and their families hope. We believe in their work and are excited to help them grow and serve more people.”

“This grant to Family Promise of WNY is symbolic of the partnerships KeyBank works to forge in the communities we serve,” said KeyBank Buffalo Corporate Responsibility Officer Chiwuike Owunwanne. “Securing safe and decent housing is a first step out of homelessness and gives children and their families a chance to move forward to brighter futures.”

Family Promise of WNY is one of just two emergency family shelters in Erie County that keep families together through the crisis of homelessness. Over 70% of their guests are children.

Learn more about KeyBank’s commitment to helping clients and communities thrive