SPECIAL FEATURE # CITIZENS PHILANTHROPY HAS BECOME PART AND PARCEL OF CORPORATE LIFE IN MANY NATIONS.FOR SOME COMPANIES IN THE LIFESCIENCES, HOWEVER,THERE IS A GROWING DESIRE TO TAKE THAT ONE STEP FURTHERWITH GRASSROOTSVOLUNTEERISM.
Last month, PharmaVOICE told its readers about some of the remarkable volunteer activities of seven pharma and biotech companies and their employees. This month, we discuss the commitment to communities of more lifesciences companies. Many companies have a long history of philanthropy. Novartis, for example,has established a number of foundations to support global philanthropy and commits to a community partnership day every year, in which affiliates from around the world take part in initiatives to support local communities.Many of the companies in this article have community days where employees are given time off to volunteer. Volunteering is something employees at these companies feel passionate about and increasingly it’s being seen as an integral part of good corporate stewardship. In addition, forwardthinking and philanthropic companies understand that in a world where criticism is rife, communitymindedness has benefits for the company as well as the recipients. “Doing well by doing good is today the prevailing motive behind corporate giving,”says Klaus Leisinger in the report Corporate Philanthropy:The Top of the Pyramid. Volunteering helps companies build strong relationships with community organizations and also helps to build relationships between colleagues. For the many individuals who give up their time for others — to cheer up sick children, to provide mentoring or support to help lessprivileged kids achieve, to help the home less, to clean up their local environment,or to help others just feel good about themselves — volunteerism is integral to their personal values and provides real perspective. As one volunteer from Solvay puts it,“When you volunteer, you look outside of yourself and your daily routine.You see how blessed you are and how important it is to help people in need.” EMD SERONO Community Minded GOOD CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP TAKES PRIDE OF PLACE AT EMD SERONO WITH SPONSORSHIP, FUNDRAISING, AND VOL UNTEER ACTIVITIES BEING DRIVEN BY THE EMPLOYEERUN COMMUNITY SERVICE COUNCIL. The EMD Serono council was formed in January 2005 and compris es about 15 employees who act as ambassadors for volunteerism and fundraising. The beginning of the council was an initiative in Decem ber 2004 called the Spirit of Giving, which that year involved sending supplies and holiday cards to the U.S. troops in the Middle East. “We got such a great response from employees who wanted to do more, and we felt we really needed to be giving back to the communi ty where a lot of our employees live and work,” says Colleen Minden, director of communications, endocrinology, who created the council along with a colleague in human resources. “The response to the Spirit of Giving initiative was proof that there is a need for the council and that employees wanted to get involved and have a voice in what we do.” A key goal of the council has been to develop a more strategic approach to community relations and take a proactive approach to issues in local communities. “We wanted a coordinated way to identify needs and work toward solutions with some organizations in our community, develop a more coordinated volunteer effort, and assess how our involvement with com munity organizations would fit strategically with our business objec tives,” says Wayne Levy, director, U.S. communications and communi ty relations and chair of the Community Service Council. Corporate CITIZENSHIP BY KIM RIBBINK Good A Growing Community Part II L # 36 J un e 2 008 PharmaVOICE PV0608 Layout FINAL2 5/20/08 12:45 AM Page 36 Last year, the group started a Community Fair with the goal of bringing organizations and EMD Serono employees together and rais ing awareness for community groups. Another goal of the council is to track the amount of volunteering EMD Serono employ ees are doing. “Last year our employees logged in about 3,000 volunteer hours, and those are just the ones we were able to track,” Mr. Levy says. “We know our employees are doing more, so we’re trying to do a better job of quantifying their efforts.” The council also organizes two community service days to make it easier for busy employ ees to get involved in volunteer activities — one in the summer and one in the fall. “Historically, we’ve taken part in local school initiatives in the summer, and in the fall we like to offer a number of choices,” Ms. Min den says. “For example, we’ve helped out at a food bank, a soup kitchen, and a local zoo.” Charitable and voluntary commitments are numerous. EMD Serono has an extensive rela tionship with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, participating in an annual twoday, 150mile ride in June called the Cape Cod Getaway as well as several other events throughout the year. These initiatives are designed to raise muchneeded funds and awareness to aid in the fight against MS. The company also supports similar walks and rides in other therapeutic areas. One example is the annual AIDS Walk Boston. “It’s events like these where a lot of our employees are now taking the initiative on their own to organize and participate in differ ent community events,” Ms. Minden says. “It makes you proud of your colleagues as it truly demonstrates their dedication and passion for the patients and the community.” In addition, the company supports the American Cancer Society; the Pine Street Inn, an organization that supports homeless peo ple; the Greater Boston Food Bank; Cradles to Crayons, which provides basic essentials to low income and homeless children; among others. Aside from the pleasure Ms. Minden gets from giving back to the communities where she works and lives, another great benefit to volunteering is the camaraderie and team building that goes with it. “Our corporate tagline is Unmet Needs Met,” Ms. Minden says. “At every level our employees are looking to constantly meet the needs, whether through research, patient pro grams, or working with patient organizations. It’s refreshing to see that we take this dedica tion one step further and give back to the community, whether this is through the com pany or on an individual level. It’s something that makes me feel good about coming to work every day.” SPECIAL FEATURE Corporate CITIZENSHIP GLAXOSMITHKLINE A Lesson in Generosity An EMD Serono volunteer helps out in one of the many activities supported by the company’s Community Service Council. AT A GLOBAL, NATIONAL, AND LOCAL LEVEL, GSK HAS LONG BEEN A LEADER IN PHILANTHROPY AND CORPORATE VOLUNTEERISM AND HAS BEEN PAR TICULARLYCOMMITTEDTOPROGRAMS AIMED AT ADVANCING EDUCATION. From partnerships with organizations working to further educational achievement, to endowments for science education, to school projects, to a host of science fairs, the company participates in a broad range of edu cation initiatives. For employees at GSK’s Durham, N.C., office, the Durham Rescue Mission’s annual Back to School Party has become an important and exciting day on employees’ calendars. Volunteers prepare backpacks with school supplies and donate clothes and groceries for parents. The day is a fun, carnival atmosphere for the kids, with activities such as tattoo painting, juggling, games with prizes, a slid 37 PharmaVOICE J un e 200 8 # PV0608 Layout FINAL2 5/20/08 12:45 AM Page 37 ing board, as well as a clown and many mas cots. The program, which is in its sixth year, began when GSK’s finance department decided to organize the event as a teambuilding exer cise. Since then, the U.S. pharma IT depart ment has taken over the management of the ini tiative. Employees spend about six months getting ready for the event, with teams meeting every two weeks and each person taking a role to make the day a success. The party is held just before the Durham public schools begin their academic year at the end of summer. While the day itself is all about fun for the kids and their care givers, the focus is on education. “The Back to School party is all about edu cation, which is one of the company’s major areas of focus in the community,” says Mary Linda Andrews, director of N.C. community partnerships. “Ensuring that atneed children start out the school year with the same tools — pens, notebooks, rulers, markers, binders — as the other students, puts them on equal ground, makes them feel included, and helps them do the necessary work and learn. Better educated children take better care of themselves and have fewer health problems than less educated ones.” For GSK, the program makes sense on many levels. “The Durham Rescue Mission is a great fit; it resides in the same county as GSK and it provides a wide range of services for the resi dents in this area,” says Bill Shore, director of U.S. community partnerships. It’s just one way GSK staff members seek to give back to kids in their community. Employees volunteer as tutors in local schools, mentor college students, and participate in other GSK programs, including SPARK!, Sharing Science, and the Sally Ride Festivals. SPARK (Scientists Participating in Active Research with Kids) is a biologyfocused pro gram that takes place at GSK’s Center for Sci ence Teaching and Learning in Research Trian gle Park, N.C. Students spend a day conducting a research experiment led by GSK scientists and interact with science professionals through a panel discussion. In the Sharing Sci ence program, GSK scientists share ageappro priate curriculumlinked science activities in area schools, supporting the North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and K12 science standards. GSK also partners with Sally Ride Science for a handson science street fair for middle school girls and their parents. The festival vis its 10 to 12 U.S. cities each year and serves up to 10,000 participants. Attendees listen to an inspiring talk by a renowned female scientist or astronaut and participate in indepth handson workshops. Across the business, GSK employees com mit themselves to their local communities. For example, some of the company’s attorneys, paralegals, and support staff volunteer their services at no fee to people with low incomes, publicservice groups, and charitable organi zations. These employees help people resolve housing issues, assist individuals with wills, and make time to work on any number of other legal issues. The list of activities in which GSK and its employees gets involved to improve educa tion, interest in science, as well as community wellbeing, is extensive. “The company and its employees believe community involvement is more than just writing a check,” Mr. Shore says. “Quite sim ply, we are part of the communities in which we work and live, and therefore we want to give back, help our neighbors, and do our part.” Corporate CITIZENSHIP SPECIAL FEATURE Employees from GlaxoSmithKline’s Durham,N.C.,office prepare for the annual Durham Rescue Mission Back to School Party. 38 J un e 2 008 PharmaVOICE # PV0608 Layout FINAL2 5/20/08 12:46 AM Page 38 We’re changing the workflow paradigm by making the right connections. Let us show you what we can do for you. John M. Hudak, MBA Founder and President Knows How to Connect FullService Contract Research Organization CRITERIUM In the world of global clinical trials, having the right connections is everything. Criterium Inc.’s proprietary stateoftheart technology solutions, worldclass network of investigative sites, and experienced staff strategically located around the globe provide the strongest link for any clinical trial. With superior, fullservice CRO services, Criterium has been improving the clinical trial workflow process since 1990. GET CONNECTED! www.criteriuminc.com CONNECT. COMMUNICATE. CONTROL. NEW YORK / CALIFORNIA / FLORIDA / CANADA / SOUTH AFRICA / THE NETHERLANDS / INDIA / RUSSIA / ISRAEL PVVad0608_JH_Criterium 5/13/08 12:17 PM Page 1 Corporate CITIZENSHIP SPECIAL FEATURE INVITROGEN Learning for the Future VOLUNTEERING AND PHILANTHROPY HAVE A LONG HISTORY AT INVITROGEN AND RECENTLY THE COMPANY DECID ED TO MAKE A FORMAL COMMITMENT TOSCIENCEEDUCATIONWITHTHEFOR MATION OFTHE INVITROGEN FOUNDA TION. Launched in February, the nonprofit foun dation aims to increase participation in and understanding of the life sciences among stu dents, teachers, scientific professionals, and the public. Invitrogen has granted an initial $1 million to the foundation and plans to pro vide additional funding in the future. “As an active partner in the San Diego community and beyond, we saw a need for a focused, strategic initiative around lifescience education,” says Lisa Peterson, community relations manager for Invitrogen. “Science is driving advances in healthcare, environmental conservation, alternative fuels, etc., yet there is no clear champion for this amazing field. Whether through inspiring students to pursue their scientific passions or educating society about how science is changing all of our lives, The Invitrogen Foundation was created to serve as a champion for scientific discovery and advancement.” A key focus of the foundation is to encour age more students to pursue scientific careers. It is a further string in the company’s phi lanthropic bow. The company sponsors paid time off for employees to volunteer, providing free products to science education programs, sponsoring scientific lectures from worldrenowned thought leaders, and donating hundreds of thousands of dol lars to educationfocused programs. Among these are The Life Sciences Summer Institute, a program devel oped by the San Diego Workforce Partnership and BIOCOM that pro vides exposure for teachers and stu dents to the lifesciences industry; the GenzymeInvitrogen Biotech Educator Award, which recognizes teachers for outstanding innovation in developing a biotech curriculum in partnership with the Biotechnology Institute; and the West Eugene Wetlands Education Center and Science Laboratory, which supports the construction of a center to provide the Eugene, Ore., area with sciencebased opportunities to educate the public about how lifesciences technology can help conserve precious habitats and endangered species. Another initiative is Invitrogen’s Global Volunteer Day, which provides employees a half day of paid time off to volunteer in companysponsored pro jects. “We have 29 different international sites that participate, and volunteer projects are as diverse, innovative, and compelling as our employees,” Ms. Peterson says. “Our colleagues in Israel have built rafts with young cancer survivors and sailed the sea of Galilee; in India we orga nized a `kids day’ for orphans in temporary housing; and for the last three years, in Carls bad, Calif., we helped clear the Batiquitos Lagoon of invasive plant life, an effort that will allow the group to plant anew for the first time this spring.” With the launch of the foundation, Ms. Peterson predicts volunteers will become more actively involved in building science awareness. “In time, I’m sure the foundation will have its own volunteer activities,” Ms. Peterson says. “We have an incredible wealth of scien tific talent and as many already do, I’m sure our scientists will be involved with supporting foundation initiatives.” Students conduct experiments, aided by Invitrogen’s support for science education as well as the Invitrogen Foundation, which is aimed at increasing the understanding of the life sciences. 40 J un e 2 008 PharmaVOICE # PV0608 Layout FINAL2 5/20/08 12:46 AM Page 40 Cited more than any other endocrine journal in 2006, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) remains the mustread publication for clinical practitioners and clinical researchers alike. In fact, each month JCEM reaches more than 8,000 of the most influential endocrine thought leaders in the US. With a new, easytoread format and expanded clinical content, JCEM gives endocrinologists the most important information and developments on endocrine disorders and patient care. JCEM readers influence the sales o millions of dollars of pharmaceutical and biomedical products every year. Get your message in front of this powerful target audience. Expand your reach and save. Add Endocrine News to your advertising plan and extend your reach to 27,000 physicians and endocrine scientists, including all Boardcertified endocrinologists in the US. You’ll also save up to 70% on your media placement in Endocrine News when you advertise in JCEM. For more i nformat i on, contact Steve Hamburger at 201.653.4777 x17 or [email protected] or visit www.endojournals.com. Media placement discount details can be found at www.scherago.com/endonewsbundle/. Reaching Endocrinology’s Thought Leaders. Stay up front with the top clinical journal in diabetes, endocrinology & metabolism. 07END036 JCEM 9.5×11.5 MECH 2/20/08 2:21 PM Page 1 PHILANTHROPY HAS LONG BEEN INTE GRAL TO NOVARTIS’ CORPORATE PHI LOSOPHY.WITH MORE THAN 12 CHARI TABLEFOUNDATIONS,THECOMPANY IS COMMITTED TO FOUR PILLARS THROUGH ITS CORPORATE CITIZEN PROGRAM: PATIENTS, BUSINESS CON DUCT, PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES, AND HSE — HEALTH, SAFETY, AND ENVIRONMENT. Novartis seeks to support communities and society through contributions to schools and universities, research prizes, and the under writing of cultural events and sports teams and also supports projects in many developing nations through the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development. One particular program supported by Novartis’ generics division Sandoz is the “Down Syndrome — We’re a Part!” cam paign, which focuses on disadvantaged chil dren, young people, and adults. The program was started by the management of Hexal, which Novartis acquired in 2005 to bolster its generic arm, and continues to receive strong support from Sandoz. The program began in 2001 with the goals of abolishing prejudice, promoting understand ing, and bringing issues to public attention. “At the time the campaign was started, the emphasis was very much on communicating a positive message,” says Andreas Rummelt, CEO of Sandoz. “Though the campaign tack les extremely serious issues, such as the prob lem of schooling and occupational training for children with Down Syndrome, the nature of the events mean that participants are left with a happy impression.” In 2003, the program was expanded to include a sports festival, the German Down Sports Festival in Frankfurt. A huge response led to the decision to expand the event in 2005 to a second Down Sports Festival in the city of Magdeburg. Each year, the festivals continue to grow in Corporate CITIZENSHIP SPECIAL FEATURE NOVARTIS Best Foot Forward It’s smiles all around for children involved in Sandoz’s annual German Down Syndrome Sports Festival, which has been operating since 2003. 42 J un e 2 008 PharmaVOICE # PV0608 Layout FINAL2 5/20/08 12:46 AM Page 42 WARNING: Doesn’t it feel like pharma marketing itself has a black box on it? You feel handcuffed. Hamstrung. You can only say certain things and you’re forced to say certain others and your agency’s taking orders so the message may be there but no one cares and you’ve got to get it all done and through regulatory in a shorter period of time with less money but it still has to be a blockbuster and, no, you can’t show that chart yet or that clinical trial data and somehow you need to get your story across in the 40 seconds you actually have with the doc and not the 20 minutes you y had in the focus groups and now you hear that HCPs have gone digital and you know you need to go more digital but everything’s siloed and your interactive folks don’t know what the professional side is doing and vice versa, not to mention the patient, and you’ve got to show an ROI and If you’re up for challenging the challenges, give Brian Heffernan a call at 614.543.6474 and give us a visit at www.gsww.com. find your free. 33838_ncgsmc_phrmvc_ad_fa.indd 1 5/13/08 1:59:53 PM terms of participants and spectators. The 2006 events, for example, had 565 contestants and 1,350 spectators. Every participant is awarded a medal and gets to enjoy the cheers of the spectators. “It is a festival in which everybody is a win ner and the only festival of its kind in the world,” Mr. Rummelt says. In addition to the financial support Sandoz provides to the program — the festivals cost around $250,000 a year — volunteers from the company help out on that day. Besides being a highlight in the lives of the children and their families, the festival has also helped to bring greater media coverage about the issues faced by those living with Down Syndrome and the social problems involved. “This media focus in itself is already a major success,” Mr. Rummelt says. Efforts to broaden understanding about the issues Down individuals face were enhanced at the 2006 festival with a symposium for gener al practitioners about therapy and ways to pro mote support for people with the disease. The program has resonated across the com pany, and Sandoz affiliates in other countries have developed or are developing similar initia tives after visiting the Down sports festival; one example is the Sandoz Switzerland program for disabled children, Mr. Rummelt notes. Corporate CITIZENSHIP SPECIAL FEATURE SOLVAY Building Community Foundations IN 2003, SOLVAY PHARMACEUTICALS CREATED THE COMMUNITY ACTION TEAM (CAT) PROGRAM TO BACK MONETARY DONATIONS WITH A VOLUNTEER PRESENCE. The company had long been supporting organizations in the Atlanta area and beyond, but employees wanted to do more. The CAT program is employeedriven, with activities being put forth and led by Solvay staff. Initia tives that the company supports fall into four main areas: health (mental and physical), youth and older adults, safety, and the environment. Since CAT began in 2003, employees have logged more than 11,600 volunteer hours. One early CAT initiative, led by more than 150 Marietta, Ga.based employees and their friends and family, was to support the 2003 Special Olympics of Georgia Winter Games. Solvay Pharmaceuticals has supported the Marietta branch of the Center for Fam ily Resources (CFR), an organization that helps lowincome families with in kind donations, volunteer hours, and gifts since 2003. “Our employees donate their time and energy to help with community impact projects, such as sorting, pack ing, and distributing food to CFR clients during the week of Thanksgiv ing,” says Della Ridley, health, safety and environmental manager and CAT program leader. “Solvay Pharmaceuti cals also adopts several of the CFR’s housing apartments each year and pro vides all of the necessary items needed to furnish the apartments. Our employ ees volunteer to set them up properly before a deserving family moves in.” In 2006, Solvay Pharmaceuticals established the “Solvay Stars” reading program with Sawyer Road Elementary School in Marietta in conjunction with its Partnership in Education program. Employees tutor ele mentary school children to help them improve their reading skills. “As our partnership has grown, we have pro vided the school with a donation for a new play ground, participated in a joint adoptamile cleanup program, supported the school’s fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Some of Solvay Pharmaceuticals’ CAT volunteers outside one of the houses they helped to build last year as part of the Habitat for Humanity build program. 44 J un e 2 008 PharmaVOICE # PV0608 Layout FINAL2 5/20/08 12:46 AM Page 44
