Did you know that Amway employees and distributors have volunteered more than 2.5 million hours to make the communities where they work and live a better place?
Read about our ongoing efforts around the world in the 2011 Amway Global Corporate Citizenship Report published today, or in the Amway One By One blog. That blog, by the way, was recently honored as the “Best Corporate Social Responsibility” blog by PR News.
We believe it’s important for people to have a safe, clean place to live.
Since the Amway One by One Campaign for Children partnered with Habitat for Humanity last year, distributors and employees across the Americas have worked hard to make that happen.
Here are three examples where our distributors and employees are building hope for others.
In Guatemala, Amway employees and distributors from the United States, Mexico, Barbados, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Colombia and El Salvador built a dozen homes. They also raised half a million dollars, matching a $250,000 gift of Tim Foley, longtime Amway distributor and Amway Founders Council member. These funds will finance construction of more than 40 homes throughout Latin America over the next five years.
In São Paulo, Brazil, Amway distributors and employees raised nearly $5,000, and used it to renovate two homes. Their next project? Already they are evaluating how to apply their time and talents to help people affected by the devastating floods in Rio de Janeiro.
Finally, after raising $16,000, more than 25 Amway Colombia distributors, employees and their families constructed two homes in only two days.
Visit our Amway One by One blog to learn how we’re making a difference in 2012. Make your own difference, too, at Habitat for Humanity.
For 20 years, our certified organic farm located near El Petacal, Jalisco, Mexico, has grown plants for our Nutrilite vitamin and mineral supplements. Today El Petecal exports nearly 1 million tons of raw materials for our products.
That growth has meant greater opportunities for our 345 employees and their families in this community. That’s because we’ve invested in bringing educational and other resources to the town.
Last week more than 1,200 current and former employees and their families gathered for cake, dancing and festivities to commemorate the anniversary.
But there was even more to celebrate as 18 employees and residents who had been working on their GEDs “graduated” during the event. And another seven were recognized for earning their elementary-level education certificate.
To learn more reasons we’re celebrating, listen to El Petecal General Manager Gerardo Gordillo describe our operations there.
Sometimes, getting a bit of recognition inspires us to do more.
Take for example the Amway Nutrilite “Little Bits” program in Mexico. The program was recently recognized with the 2011 Corporate Citizenship Best Practices Responsabilidad Social Empresarial award from the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI).
“Little Bits“ seeks to make a measurable difference in the health of malnourished children ages one to five, which some might say is too lofty a goal.
Amway Mexico Marketing Manager Florentino Gutiérrez thinks the encouragement pushes us even further toward improving the health of children in Mexico and beyond.
“Receiving this important award reinforces our commitment and encourages us to continue with this project and take it to other places to contribute to the healthy development of children in Mexico and around the world,” he said.