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.

On Sunday the winning chant in the Make Some Noise! competition played on the maxi-screen during an AC Milan home game at San Siro stadium. It was the culmination of a special contest on the AC Milan and Nutrilite Facebook pages that started in mid-October.

AC Milan soccer fans submitted videos of their original chants, ten chants were selected out of the submissions, and then the community of fans from both pages voted for their favorite chant.

And the winner… “Rosso e Nero” by Fabiano Fumerola.

It was a collaborative effort that was performed by a choir loudly singing out the chorus. Mr. Fumerola’s chant submission even received coverage in his local newspaper. It was played a total of four times in the stadium on Sunday, much to the delight of the players and the fans in the stadium.

AC Milan won the game beating Chievo Verona by a score of 4-0, so perhaps the extra encouragement helped spur the team on to victory! : )

Click here to see more photos of the winnng chant playing in the stadium on the Nutrilite Facebook page.

Some of the most passionate soccer fans on the planet root for AC Milan. And why not? Their team, affectionately known as the “Rossoneri” or the “Red & Black,” has won the highest number of trophies in the history of any soccer team. Those are achievements to shout about!

And now, no matter where you are in the world, you can show your pride and chant out loud in front of millions!

Through social media, Nutrilite is giving A.C. Milan soccer fans the chance to turn their unbridled passion into chants that will power the San Siro Stadium. You can submit your own video chants up to 30 seconds in length on the AC Milan and Nutrilite Facebook pages.

So show your spirit, and give us your chant for the “Red & Black!” You could be powering San Siro stadium and leading the team to victory!

Need some inspiration? Check this out!

Amway is full of great stories and we’re always excited when reporters agree to share them.

Take for example, the Sunday, October 2 broadcast of “Michigan Matters” on the Detroit CBS affiliate. Reporter Carol Cain devoted her segment to interviews with Doug DeVos, Steve Van Andel and other Amway executives to provide an overview of our global business and Michigan operations. In the end, a series of four videos were published.

Fast forward two weeks and the Detroit Free Press and Grand Rapids Business Journal ran articles on our commitment to our home state and the technology driving our new Midwest Regional Service Center, respectively.

Said one interviewee and fellow Michigan business leader, “Doug and Steve are exceptional leaders in a firm that is an entrepreneurial and American success story. . . I have tremendous respect for both of them.”

We call that solid coverage.

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.

The U.S. State Department’s “100,000 Strong Initiative” has just gotten a little stronger.

Today Amway and Michigan State University announced a partnership to create opportunities for West Michigan college students to study in China through the “Amway China 100,000 Strong Scholarship.” 

A total of 30 students – 15 from Michigan State and 15 from seven other West Michigan colleges and universities – will have the opportunity to study in China through the three-year program.

The partnership is the result of Amway’s commitment  to join the U.S. State Department’s “100,000 Strong Initiative” earlier this year.   The initiative seeks to significantly increase the number of students traveling to China and increase investments in the future of U.S.-China relations.

Amway is and has always been considered a “local” company here in West Michigan, even though today we have a global presence in more than 80 countries and territories around the world.

And now, we’re helping shine a spotlight on other local businesses through sponsorship of business content on  The Rapidian, a citizen journalism project designed to “increase the flow of local news and information in the Grand Rapids community and its neighborhoods.” 

Amway sponsored the development of ”The Marketplace“ section of The Rapidian and is the underwriter of the “Innovation Spotlight” stories about local businesses.  

In making the announcement this week, Amway Brand Manager David Madiol called the relationship between The Rapidian and Amway a “perfect match” because we’re both about celebrating innovation in our community. 

It’s just one of the many ways we’re involved in local activities here in our hometown and in the dozens of cities in which Amway operates around the world.

Two years ago Amway China launched the Amway Environmental Theme Park, a traveling exhibition offering fun, games and activities that helped  encourage environmental protection.

In 2010 the Theme Park went online with the launch of a web site that brought activities to a wider audience, while Amway China continued the offline park tour.

And this summer the Amway Environmental Theme Park was on the road again, touring 16 cities and reaching 240,000 people  – a 140 percent increase since the program began in 2009.

These numbers make the Amway Environmental Theme Park better than ever – online and off! 

A new sponsorship for Amway North America is taking flight – or in this case, taking wing.

The U.S. National Hockey League Detroit Red Wings team announced that Amway will be the team’s presenting sponsor and Nutrilite the official nutritional supplement of the Wings.  

The agreement makes Amway the first presenting sponsor in the Red Wings’ 86-year history and follows a 2010 deal that made Amway the official practice jersey sponsor of the Red Wings.

Amway will also present the Detroit Red Wings Facebook Fan of the Day and other social media events and partner with the team on a Boys and Girls Clubs of America program benefiting Detroit and Grand Rapids youth.

It’s time to start thinking about back to school shopping, but not every family can afford the essential items needed for their student to start school in the Fall. That’s why we’re stuffing the bus!

For the second year, we’re teaming up with Fifth Third Bank, the Student Advancement Foundation, Hand2Hand Ministries and our community to fill 3,000 backpacks with school supplies for middle school students in the greater Grand Rapids area.

We’re encouraging local residents to stop at any Fifth Third Bank financial center in the greater Grand Rapids area to donate new classroom essentials including: folders, pencils, pens, rulers, notebooks and erasers. Monetary donations are also being accepted. The collection period will conclude on August 20.

Whether you’re in our community or in another location around the world, there are many ways to help students prepare for back to school. What are some of the most creative ways you’ve seen an organization support schoolchildren?