2011 community initiatives
G4S 2011 community initiatives in the United States, Canada and Latin America included Habitat for Humanity team builds, feeding the homeless and helping flood victims
Community Initiatives in the United States
G4S Employees in Sarasota, Florida, Participated in Many Community Efforts
Throughout the year, the G4S team hosted blood drives, donated hundreds of shoes and socks to the needy in Guatemala, and donated items for a rummage sale to support the Bradenton, Florida, Police Department Explorer Post 1004. A member of the staff was “locked up” to raise donations for “Jerry’s Kids,” a charity focused on Muscular Dystrophy research. Other local recipients include the Habitat for Humanity, Healthy Start, Mote Marine, Beyond the Spectrum, and Circus Sarasota.
G4S Hawaii Employees Step Up the Help the American Diabetes Association
First, G4S sponsored the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes, providing security services during the event. After the Hawaii office received a corporate G4S Secure Solutions Community Service Award, the prize money was donated to ADA Hawaii.The check presentation was made during a special luncheon held at G4S offices.
Everyone enjoyed the creative and diabetic-friendly food from the caterer. ADA Hawaii is using the G4S donation to provide 300 educational books, called “Diabetes A to Z,” to newly-diagnosed diabetics and their families.
G4S Secure Solutions (USA) sponsored its 14th Annual Charity Golf & Tennis Tournament
The Nov. 5, 2011 event, held at the Eastpointe Country Club in the heart of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, raised more than $111,000 for local charities and advanced the company’s mission to support the nation and local communities where G4S Secure Solutions employees live and work.
Charities supported include: Habitat for Humanity, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Junior Achievement, American Heart Association, PBA Love Fund, Crohn's & Colitis, Boys & Girls Club, Eastpointe Charity Drive, Chris Everett Children's Hospital, Joe DiMaggio's Children's Hospital, Palm Beach County PBA, PBG Police Dept. Explorer Program, Down Syndrome Foundation, and PBC Police Benevolent Association.
Nebraska "Meals on Wheels" Program
Since 2004, G4S Technology employees have delivered “Meals on Wheels” for the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. One day a week two employees take an hour out otheir day to make a difference. “It’s a great cause because the program helps to take care of the elderly and less fortunate in our community. It was also a great way for ouemployees to get to know one another and develop a sense of teamwork that radiates back into the workplace." So far, the G4S team has delivered about 5,000 meals.
Fundraising for Multiple Sclerosis Society in Florida
Since 2008, the G4S Secure Solutions (USA) cycling team has raised more than $100,000 to fight multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. The MS 150 Ride is Florida’s largest cycling event of the year. Participation in this event is a big commitment as each cyclist spends countless hours of their personal time raising funds for the MS Society and training for the event.
Prom Dress Program in California
The G4S Justice Services team in Rancho Santa Margarita hosted a prom dress, shoes, and accessory drive and collected 25 dresses and 10 pairs of dress shoes. The items were collected to support Cinderellas for Life, an annual event providing 500 young women from low income families with a series of workshops and chance to find the prom dress of their dreams. The G4S team also worked as mentors at the Cinderellas for Life event held on Saturday, March 12, 2011 in Irvine, California.
20th Annual Orange County Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Newport Beach, Calif.
On Sept. 25, 2011, more than a dozen G4S Justice Services team members, friends and family participated in the 20th Annual Orange County Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Newport Beach, Calif. The team raised $1,000 for breast cancer research and awareness.
“The day was inspiring, amazing and beautiful and we thank to everyone for their support of Komen’s vision of a world without breast cancer,” said Kim Lavigne, benefits administrator for G4S Justice Services.
In addition to raising money, the G4S Secure A Cure team beat their time from last year by 10 minutes. Way to go!
Habitat for Humanity Building Blitz in Liberty City area of Miami Dade
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami held its 13th annual Building Blitz from April 4-16, 2011. The G4S Secure Solutions office in Miami supported the organization's efforts by donating Custom Protection Officer® personnel for the two-week event.
Mario J. Artecona, Chief Executive Officer for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami, writes, "Your officers were the epitome of professionalism and not only did they provide security, but also engaged with the neighbors and served as great ambassadors for G4S as well as Habitat."
Habitat for Humanity Team Build in Jupiter, Florida
In February, 50 G4S headquarters employees volunteered to prime and paint the Habitat for Humanity retail operation, and the company made a $5,000 donation. Drew Levine, president of G4S Secure Solutions North America, said of the Team Build day, “Part of the G4S mission is to positively impact our nation, communities and stakeholders.
We encourage all of our 40,000-plus employees across the nation to become real and visible partners with their local communities. As we move to our new headquarters in Jupiter, we wanted to take this opportunity to invest in our new neighborhood in a hands-on way.” Habitat for Humanity of Palm Beach County is a non-profit organization and has built 111 homes over the past 25 years.
Raleigh Rescue Mission (2007-2011)
G4S Compliance & Investigations employees volunteered three different Saturdays to make brown bag lunches for homeless individuals in Raleigh, North Carolina. Employees were able to donate nearly 1,200 bag lunches to help the homeless in our community over the past five years.
Community Initiatives in Canada
G4S Secure Solutions (Canada) has Provided Ongoing Support to ProAction Cops & Kids
ProAction Cops & Kids, the largest private funder of police-initiated programs for youth in Toronto, is a catalyst for advancing community policing and supporting programs that build positive relationships between cops, kids and the community. Jean Taillon, President of G4S Secure Solutions (Canada), is Chairman of Board for ProAction Cops & Kids.
Community Initiatives in the Latin America
Guatemala High School Diploma Scholarship Program
The G4S Guatemala scholarship program was founded in 2008 as a management response to one of the major problems faced in the country. During the recruitment of guarding staff, it was discovered that potential employees lacked an adequate education. In many cases, this lack of education was due to the lack of educational opportunities — not a lack of motivation or ability.
With this in mind, local management decided offer G4S guards a chance to obtain a high school diploma while working. More than 1200 students have entered the program and 200 students have graduated. In total, 880 employees — 18% of the workforce — are studying this year.
Home Improvements for Employees in Chile and Peru
In an effort to provide adequate housing for G4S employees and thier families, G4S Peru and G4S Chile have implemented programs that support home construction or improvements to existing homes. In Peru, the program started in February 2011, and four homes have been built. In Chile, G4S has financed the construction of 12 houses in the last 8 years. The homes ensure that G4S employees live with dignity and —with a warm and safe place to live — their family has a better quality of life.
G4S Honduras Donated $50,000 in Services and Financial Contributions to Flood Victims
Sustained heavy rainfall in mid-October 2011 associated with a tropical depression caused flooding and landslides throughout Honduras, resulting in 13 deaths and affecting more than 38,000 people, according to the Government of Honduras.
The floods and landslides also affected more than 7,000 acres of cropland and damaged more than 2,000 houses, numerous roads, and several bridges. G4S, along with 30 other companies and the local Chamber of Commerce, donated a total of $1.5 million dollars to the victims of the flood in the 12 regions that were affected.
G4S Dominican Republic Renovates Elementary School
G4S Dominican Republic focused their community services efforts on the renovation of public elementary school, Escuela Manuel Emilio Jimenez II, in Los Alcarrizos city, located in the perimeter of the city of Santo Domingo West.
With five classrooms and two bathrooms, the 50x10 square-meter school serves 810 elementary to intermediate students, with students attending classes in the morning (315), afternoon (310) and evening (185). Even though the school was funded in 1980, it did not receive any funds to cover their maintenance needs or to fix their infrastructure.
As a result, the safety and hygiene standards of the school were poor. There was no running water in the bathrooms, no fresh air flow and no lighting system (a special need for night classes). In addition to dirty walls and broken ceilings, the school did not have a perimeter fence, which was a special issue for the teachers and principal because people walking on the street could enter the school whenever they pleased, interrupting the educational process of the children.
One of the main reasons why G4S undertook this project was because several G4S employees had their children registered in that school. The total project budget was RD$61,312.00