Welcome to “The Good Stuff,” where we highlight positive news and ways that NAED employees and member companies go above and beyond to give back to their communities! If you have some “Good Stuff” that you would like to share with tED, find out how below.
In this issue, Southwire is celebrating 20 years of “Back to School”:
Southwire celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Back to School giving efforts by expanding its impact in the communities where team members live and work. This year, the company donated 30,000 backpacks full of school supplies to students across more than 25 communities. In addition to the school supplies, the company also expanded its My Favorite Teacher competition to award 20 teachers with $500 gifts for the upcoming school year.
“Our commitment to Giving Back comes from our desire to create shared value for our communities and our team members. We all depend on each other,” said Kristian Whittington, director of Giving Back at Southwire. “We’re incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to support local students and teachers during the past 20 years, and we are excited for the future of our Giving Back initiatives.”
Each year, the company provides Southwire facilities across its footprint in North America with the necessary supplies to donate backpacks full of materials for students in need in their communities. This year, in July and August, team members at 27 sites packed and distributed 30,000 backpacks in their local communities. Over the last 20 years, Southwire has donated more than 380,693 backpacks to students in need.
As part of its Back to School efforts, Southwire also hosts a My Favorite Teacher Competition where students and parents are invited to nominate an educator who has made a positive impact on their family. In honor of the event’s 20th anniversary, Southwire expanded this year’s contest by teaming up with long-standing educational partner West Georgia Technical College to award 20 teachers with $500 gifts. The 20 winning teachers represent school districts across five states: Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan and Texas.
Southwire’s Back to School initiatives are one signature piece of the company’s larger philanthropic efforts around Giving Back. Southwire focuses resources on environmental sustainability and supporting educational endeavours aimed at science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics programming, as well as innovation and workforce development. In addition to Back-to-School efforts, Southwire also fosters a culture of service through several signature Project GIFT events each year:
• Disaster Relief Collection and Distribution
• Walk for Water benefiting Water Mission
• Hope for the Holidays and Annual Toy Drive benefitting Toys for Toys
In 2023, Southwire team members gave close to 17,000 volunteer hours to their communities through Project GIFT opportunities, and the company made nearly $3 million in charitable contributions with $750,000 focused on inclusion initiatives. View Southwire’s 2023 Sustainability Report here.
For more information about Giving Back at Southwire, visit southwire.com/sustainability.
Find more “Good Stuff” articles here on tEDmag.com.
tED wants to know about your “Good Stuff”. If you work with someone who is helping other people, or a group of co-workers that’s creating better outcomes, we want to know about it.
Please send your “Good Stuff” to Editorial & Web Assistant Marie Jakle at mjakle@naed.org and Online Editor Nicky Herron at nherron@naed.org. Send us details, names, and photos if you have them.
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