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ATLANTA, Aug. 10, 2015 – The Coca-Cola Foundation awarded $26.2 million USD to 74 community organizations during the first half of 2015. These grants will benefit more than 90 million people across 76 countries, and are focused on The Coca-Cola Company’s core sustainability priorities women, water and well-being.

“As a global company operating in more than 200 countries, Coca-Cola is part of a large and diverse community and we are proud to support the well-being of the communities where we live and work,” said Lisa M. Borders, Chair, The Coca-Cola Foundation and Vice President, Global Community Affairs. “By working with local organizations, we are helping to find solutions to the global challenges we collectively face.”

During the first half of 2015, the Foundation awarded $2.3 million to support women’s empowerment initiatives, $9.3 million to support water and environmental initiatives, $12.2 million to support well-being, initiatives including active healthy living, education, youth development and HIV/AIDS, and $2 .3 million to support of other community improvement programs, including $1 million in disaster relief efforts. Organizations receiving grants more than $100,000 during the first half of the year are included below. For a full list of grantees, please click here.

Well-Being

Well-Being: Active Healthy Living
•Sağlıklı Hayatı Teşvik ve Sağlık Politikaları Derneği, “The Promotion of Active Life Project,” Turkey, $1,100,000.
•German Sports Youth, German Olympic Sports Confederation, “SMART SPORT,” Germany, $730,000.
•Centre National pour les Développement du Sport, “Sport Health and Wellness,” France, $680,000.
•streetfootballworld gGmbH, “Football for Social Change—Scaling Football 3,” Germany, $550,000.
•Die Internationale Vereinigung für Sport für Alle e.V., “Take Back Your Streets… Take Back Your Future!” Multiple European Countries, $450,000.
•Beijing Normal University Education Foundation, “Balanced Diet—Active Living,” China, $400,000.
•Fundacja Aktywności Fizycznej i Zdrowia—Sport Support, “2015 Leader Sports Animators—Wake Your Body Program,” Poland, $300,000.
•Fondazione per la Ricerca sul Diabete ONLUS (Diabetes Research Foundation), “Epode Umbria Region Obesity Intervention Study EUROBIS,” Italy, $205,000.
•Klichko Brothers Foundation, “Call Your Friends—Let’s Play Together!” Ukraine, $200,000.
•PRAIS Foundation, “We are the Moving Generation,” Romania, $200,000.
•Swedish Swimming Federation, “The ABCs of Swimming,” Sweden, $200,000.
•Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, “Trails and Healthy Recreation for All: Metropolitan Grants Program,” United States, $175,000.
•Interfaith Youth Core, “Better Together Campaign,” United States, $100,000.
•Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, The Department of Sport Science & Kinesiology, “SALTO—Salzburg Together Against Obesity,” Austria, $150,000.
•Udruzenje gradjana Delpas (Civil Association Delpas), “Find the Right Measure,” Serbia, $150,000.
•Girls on the Run International, “Girls on the Run Middle School Project,” United States, $100,000.
•San Francisco Parks Alliance, “Mobile Rec,” United States, $100,000.

Well-Being: Education and Youth Development
•The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation – Mercy Corps, “Youth Empowered for Success (YES!) Program,” Multiple African Countries, $3,150,000 million.
•Thurgood Marshall College Fund, “TMCF/Coca-Cola HBCU First-Generation Scholarship Program,” United States, $500,000.
•UNIS-CITE, “Booster,” France, $260,000.
•Apollo Theater Foundation, “Apollo Theater Academy and K-12 Education Programs,” United States, $200,000.
•Central Washington University Foundation, “Coca-Cola First-Generation Scholarships,” United States, $100,000.
•The Institute for Responsible Citizenship, “2015 Institute,” United States, $100,000.
•University of Kentucky Research Foundation, “Coca-Cola First Generation College Student Support,” United States, $100,000.
•White House Fellows Foundation and Association, “White House Fellows Leadership Development Program,” United States, $100,000.

Well-Being: HEALTH
•Global Environment &Technology Foundation, “Bolstering Africa’s Resilience (BAR) Initiative,” Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, $1,000,000.
•San Francisco AIDS Foundation, “Bridgemen Program,” United States, $100,000.

Women
•PACT Institute, “Swan Yi II: Strengthening Abilities for Women’s Economic Empowerment (Myanmar Language for Empowerment),” Myanmar, $2,000,000.
•Metroplex Economic Development Corporation, “The Success Factor: The Fast Track to Owning Your Own Business,” United States, $200,000.
•FORCE FEMMES, “Women in Business Academy,” France, $100,000.

Water and Environment
•United Nations Development Programme, “New World: Inclusive Sustainable Human Development Initiatives,” Multiple Eurasian and African Countries, $2,250,000.
•Pronatura México, “Water and Wastewater Plant for Marginalized Communities,” Mexico, $1,700,000.
•World Wildlife Fund-UK, “Water Sensitive Farming for English Chalk Streams and Sustainable Supply Chains,” United Kingdom, $1,545,000.
•Institute Doe Seu Lixo, “ICCB-Recycling Cooperative Management Capability Program,” Brazil, $950,000.
•United Nations Development Programme, “Conservation and Sustainable Use of Water Resources in the Lower and Middle Reaches of the Yellow River Basin and the Haihe River Basin,” China, $800,000.
•Shenzhen One Foundation, “Clean Water Project,” China, $600,000.
•TERI University, “The Coca-Cola Department of Water Resource Management at TERI University,” India, $350,000.
•The Nature Conservancy, “North America Freshwater Replenishment Partnership,” United States, $200,000.
•Pact Institute, “Community WASH Response: Hmaw-bi Township,” Myanmar, $154,255.
•Georgia-Alabama Land Trust, “Replenishing Water to Nature Through Watershed Protection Conservation Easements Program,” United States, $123,950.
•Forest and Sea for Life Foundation, “Enhancing the Klong Yan Watershed Resource Conservation and Rehabilitation Network Project,” Thailand, $110,000.
•Fundación para la Sostenibilidad y la Equidad (ALIARSE), “The Water Vigilants Program 2015,” Costa Rica, $100,000.
•World Wildlife Fund-US, “Freshwater Ecosystems Conservation and Protection in Mesoamerican Reef Communities,” Multiple Central American Countries, $100,000.

Community
•American Red Cross, “Nepal Disaster Relief,” Nepal, $1,000,000.
•Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, Inc., “Arts Center Program Support,” United States, $600,000.
•Pronatura Mexico, A.C., “Improve Quality of Life of Communities in the Coca-Cola Mexican Reforestation Program,” Mexico, $500,000.
•National Urban Fellows, “Collaborative Leadership for Stronger Communities,” United States, $200,000.

About The Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Foundation is the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company. Since its inception in 1984, the Foundation has awarded more than $750 million in grants to support sustainable community initiatives around the world. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please visit www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/the-coca-cola-foundation.

About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company’s portfolio features 20 billion-dollar brands including, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, POWERADE, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia, Dasani, FUZE TEA and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at
www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo, visit our blog,
Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.

ST. LOUIS– Delta Health Alliance and Monsanto are teaming up to improve the health of Delta residents in Bolivar and Washington counties, Mississippi. Monsanto Company is providing Delta Health Alliance with a $500,000 grant to carry out a comprehensive program of physical education for children, greater access to farmers markets, community gardens and nutritious food, and an expansion of the popular Imagination Library program.

“Monsanto passionately supports rural communities and the communities where our customers and employees live and work. As a company positioned at the beginning of the food chain, we seek to collaborate with local organizations to make sure everyone has access to an affordable, balanced meal,” said Mike Frank, Monsanto’s Vice President of Global Commercial, at the July 6 check presentation. “Delta Health Alliance proposed an approach that focuses on providing more nutritious food offerings and teaching children how to live a healthier life. We are pleased to partner with them and help fund this robust program.”

A major component of the Delta Health Alliance plan will involve five elementary and middle schools in Washington County (Boyd, Trigg and Webb Elementary Schools in Greenville) and Bolivar County (Ray Brooks in Benoit and McEvans School in Shaw.) The students in these schools will participate in the CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) Kids Club, which promotes physical activities and nutrition education in an after-school setting. In addition, Delta Health Alliance will work with school officials to increase the amount of physical activity in which students engage during the day. Students will also receive nutrition education for selecting healthy food, reading nutrition labels and goal setting.

According to Marlin Womack, Delta Health Alliance CFO, “We recognize the need to create greater access to nutritious food. The Monsanto grant will enable us to partner with grassroots organizations and faith-based groups to expand farmers markets and community gardens as well as provide students with nutritious food offerings on the weekends. For example, our proposal calls for establishing community gardens next to day care centers and schools.”

Monsanto’s grant will also fund an expansion of the Delta Health Alliance Imagination Library program into Washington and Bolivar counties. This program provides each child from birth to age five with a free book each month. Staff will work with area childcare centers to improve reading comprehension skills by developing reading circles and providing nutritious snacks based on reading books in the Imagination Library program. According to Womack, “Kindergarten readiness tests in pre-reading and pre-math show that children enrolled in Imagination Library are more than twice as prepared to enter kindergarten as students not enrolled in the program.”

Research shows us that improved nutrition and better literacy leads to a healthier population. When children are reached at an early age and families are engaged in changing behavior of the whole household, real improvements in obesity and healthy living can be achieved.

“The health of the people in the communities where Monsanto operates is imperative; they are our employees, their families and our neighbors. We invest in community health and safety initiatives on a global scale,” said Frank.

To learn more about Delta Health Alliance visit www.deltahealthalliance.org.

About Monsanto Company
Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits, vegetables and key crops – such as corn, soybeans and cotton – that help farmers have better harvests while using water and other important resources more efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for soil health, help farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve natural resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. To learn more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated employees, please visit: discover.monsanto.com and monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter® at twitter.com/MonsantoCo, on the company blog, Beyond the Rows® at monsantoblog.com or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.

SEATTLE, — Giving has a way of making people feel good. Now, when you purchase a Nordstrom Gift Card, you can feel even better about the gift you give because Nordstrom is donating one percent of every Gift Card sale to local nonprofits in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.

“As a company we’ve focused on giving back to the communities that support us, so we’re really excited that through this new gift card giving program, we have an even bigger opportunity to do more,” said Jamie Nordstrom, president of stores for Nordstrom, Inc. “When a customer buys a gift card this Mother’s Day and beyond, we hope they’ll feel good knowing that the gift they’re giving is a part of Nordstrom helping some great non-profit organizations do amazing things for their communities.”

Nordstrom will use funds from gift card sales to support two giving programs: Nordstrom-directed corporate contributions and a newly-launched Employee Charitable Match program. Each year for the last 40-plus years, hundreds of organizations (from thousands that apply) are selected to receive cash grants from Nordstrom. Though the company supports a variety of programs and organizations, it primarily focuses its giving on efforts aimed at taking care of kids and empowering youth. Funds from the Nordstrom Gift Card program will also support the company’s new Employee Charitable Match program. Launching in summer 2015, the program will provide employees who have been at the company for one year with $5,000 annually to match their personal donations to qualified non-profit organizations.

“Giving back to the communities we serve has long been a tradition for us here at Nordstrom,” Nordstrom continued. “Tying our company’s commitment to giving back to our gift cards is a great way for us to further demonstrate to our customers, our employees and those who receive a Nordstrom Gift Card that we are a company that is invested in the long term health of our communities. We can’t wait to see how our efforts are making an impact, hopefully for years to come.”

To buy a Nordstrom gift card, visit nordstrom.com/giftcard. To learn more about organizations Nordstrom supports, the online application process for donations and other ways the company gives back, visit nordstromcares.com.

About Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is a leading fashion specialty retailer based in the U.S. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 299 stores in 38 states and Canada. Customers are served at 116 Nordstrom stores in the U.S. and two in Canada; 173 Nordstrom Rack stores; two Jeffrey boutiques; and one clearance store. Additionally, customers are served online through Nordstrom.com, Nordstromrack.com and HauteLook. The company also owns Trunk Club, a personalized clothing service serving customers online at TrunkClub.com and its five clubhouses. Nordstrom, Inc.’s common stock is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.

(Conshohocken, PA – IKEA US is pleased to announce today that 42 charities across the U.S. will be receiving IKEA makeover and product donations as a result of winning this year’s IKEA Life Improvement Challenge. Additionally 60 other charities, who were first and second runner ups, will win IKEA gift cards.

IKEA wants to play a part in creating a better life for the many people, as well as communities touched by IKEA business. While IKEA works on a global level to improve the lives of people in developing countries, IKEA also wants to be a good neighbor in its local communities. The IKEA Life Improvement Co-worker challenge is one way to make a difference closer to home.

How the IKEA Life Improvement Challenge Works:
Each year, IKEA receives many inspiring proposals from IKEA co-workers as candidates for the campaign. Then the IKEA steering committee – at each store – selects up to three organizations for co-workers and customers to vote online (this year’s voting period was February 16 – March 2). The charitable organization, from each store market, with the highest number of online votes becomes the winner, and the 2nd and 3rd place winners receive IKEA gift cards.

Two of this year’s 42 winners are listed below as good examples of just how meaningful these charities are as well as the impact of these makeovers:

The Center for Habilitation (TCH), Tempe, Arizona
TCH provides services that support, care for, and empower children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities. Their classrooms are used for participant dining, arts and crafts, and leisure time. TCH needs new furnishings in these spaces that are more comfortable, inviting, and functional. A makeover of these spaces will provide a better visual representation of TCH’s mission, as well as improving the common space for the participants and staff.

Burbank Community Day School, Burbank, California
Burbank Community Day School provides a supportive atmosphere for students grades 7-12 who are having difficulties with behavior, attendance, and/or grades; with the goal of students returning to comprehensive school. They also have a garden that students maintain with a senior artist colony. A makeover of the kitchen will give students a better space to cook what they grow. These changes would include a prep area and storage for the cooked food and vegetables.

IKEA US started the IKEA Life Improvement Challenge in 2011, and since then over 120 local charities have received over $1 million in IKEA products, design expertise, and manpower.

About IKEA Group
The IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Our business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. There are currently 315 IKEA Group stores in 28 countries. Additionally, there are 40 IKEA stores run by franchises. There are 40 IKEA stores in the US. In FY 14, IKEA Group had 716 million visitors to the stores and 1.5 billion visitors to IKEA.com. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information, please visit www.IKEA.com, facebook.com/IKEAUSA, @IKEAUSANews, @IKEAUSA, http://pinterest.com/IKEAUSA/, www.youtube.com/IKEAUSA, www.theshare-space.com, www.theshare-space.com/en/Blog

New York, NY – Unilever, Acumen and the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, have launched a landmark Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action called the Enhanced Livelihoods Investment Initiative (ELII) to improve the livelihoods of as many as 300,000 smallholder farmers and their communities in Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Enhanced Livelihoods Investment Initiative
President Bill Clinton and Frank Giustra, Co-Founders of the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO of Acumen, announced the collaboration today on a panel at the Clinton Global Initiative’s 2015 Winter Meeting in New York City.
Catalyze economic growth in low-income communities

The ELII will be a three-year, minimum USD $10 million investment initiative to catalyze economic growth and alleviate poverty amongst low-income communities in the developing world, while creating more inclusive and sustainable value chains. One of the primary goals of the partnership, which leverages Acumen’s and the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership’s market-based approaches to poverty alleviation, will be to create and scale-up privately-held enterprises which will support smallholder farmers and link them to Unilever’s global supply chains and distribution networks.

“I’m excited about this partnership between the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, Acumen, and Unilever, which will improve the lives of smallholder farmers by bringing them into global markets and distribution networks, empowering hundreds and thousands of people to expand their skills and lift themselves from poverty,” said President Bill Clinton.

“We believe that in the long term, successful businesses can only be sustainable ones. Our vision is to decouple our growth from our environmental footprint and increase our positive social impact. We can only do this by working with others. This partnership has the potential to dramatically increase the scale of what we can do to support smallholder farmers, empower women across our supply chains and in turn help build sustainable, viable businesses that alleviate poverty. Ultimately, we see this as a new model for creating a vibrant ecosystem of enterprises across supply chains.” said Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever.

According to the International Fund on Agricultural Development, 2.5 billion people are involved in smallholder agriculture globally, accounting for an estimated 500 million small farms producing 80% of the food consumed in emerging markets, from Southern Asia to sub-Saharan Africa.

In addition, the increasing trend in global demand for food in developed as well as emerging countries, driven in part by population growth, has created opportunities for the expansion of smallholder agriculture.

However, many of these smallholder farmers face challenges to accessing and adopting beneficial agricultural innovations that can help pull them out of poverty, as the companies providing them with those products and services face a number of challenges in reaching these customers and achieving profitability. Leveraging the findings from a recent study(Link opens in a new window) titled Growing Prosperity: Developing Repeatable Models® to Scale the Adoption of Agricultural Innovations, Unilever’s, Acumen’s and the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership’s investments will help these companies overcome these challenges.

Similarly, for corporations, responsible sourcing of raw agricultural products, which is a growing priority, relies heavily on the ability to enable farmers to run viable, profitable farms that can guarantee a reliable supply of raw materials while incorporating best practices in ethical farming. Building sustainable and inclusive supply chains must also extend beyond achieving reliable, high-quality sources for key commodities, and rather should lead to more prosperous communities with improved livelihoods and quality of life.

To overcome these barriers, the ELII has been specifically designed to create, invest in, and accelerate the growth of agricultural enterprises and innovative business models that can bring smallholder farmers into global markets while improving the livelihoods of their customers, families, and communities.

According to Acumen’s CEO and Founder, Jacqueline Novogratz, “It is my hope that this partnership will set a new standard for how social enterprises and corporations must work together if we are to achieve a shared vision of creating more inclusive economies that bring dignity and positive change to those traditionally left behind by traditional aid and capital markets.”

Frank Giustra, Founder of the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, said “This partnership builds on our years of experience and success creating and scaling enterprises globally that bring thousands of smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs into the supply chains and distribution networks of large multinational corporations, like Unilever. Under this model, entrepreneurs and farmers will gain access to capital and skills training – all essential tools needed to pull them out of poverty.”

All three organizations will engage their global teams across India, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean in a collaborative process to identify investments, provide capital and deliver technical expertise and capacity building to support enterprise development and impact measurement work.
Leveraging the findings from a recent study titled Growing Prosperity: Developing Repeatable Models® to Scale the Adoption of Agricultural Innovations, Unilever’s, Acumen’s and the Clinton…
ENDS

About Acumen
Acumen is working to change the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders, and ideas. We invest patient capital in business models that deliver critical goods and services to the world’s poor, improving the lives of millions. Since 2001, Acumen has invested more than $88 million in 82 companies across South Asia and Africa. We are also working to build a global community of emerging leaders that believe in creating a more inclusive world through the tools of both business and philanthropy. Learn more at www.acumen.org(Link opens in a new window) and on Twitter @Acumen(Link opens in a new window).

About the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership
The Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership established by President Bill Clinton and Canadian philanthropist Frank Giustra, combines the best of non-profit and for-profit approaches to create new enterprises that capitalize market opportunities to generate social impact and financial returns by addressing existing market gaps in developing country supply and distribution chains.

The Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership has been refining its approach for several years and believes there is great potential to enhance the economic and social benefits of marginalized communities by incorporating these individuals into one of three “market-driven” models – Distribution Enterprises, Supply Chain Enterprises, and Training Center Enterprises. Through these models, the Enterprise Partnership seeks to help people work themselves out of poverty. Learn more at www.CGEPartnership.com(Link opens in a new window), on Facebook at Facebook.com/CGEPartnership(Link opens in a new window) and on Twitter @CGEPartnership(Link opens in a new window)

About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 180 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date, members of the CGI community have made more than 3,100 Commitments to Action, which have improved the lives of over 430 million people in more than 180 countries.
CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal(Link opens in a new window) and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative(Link opens in a new window).

Committed to supporting organizations that strengthen local communities, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) announced today a United Way Worldwide Grant of $11,500 on behalf of Wells Fargo to DAREarts. Based in Ontario, DAREarts is a nonprofit organization in Canada that uses the arts to empower and instill confidence, courage and leadership skills in children and at-risk youth. In addition to Ontario, DAREarts currently operates in British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia and Quebec and has helped more than 190,000 children and youth between the ages of 9-14 years old, in rural and urban communities across Canada.

“DAREarts deeply appreciates Wells Fargo’s support,” said Marilyn Field, DAREarts founder and president. “This will allow many children from underserved neighborhoods to experience DAREarts summer camps that will build their creativity, life skills and leadership.”

With guidance from art professionals, students with DAREarts participate in a variety of specialized out-of-school workshops such as music, drama, literature, dance, fashion, architecture and visual arts. The students also share their experiences with school classmates to influence and inspire their peers in building safe and vibrant school communities.

Zlata Huddleston, regional manager for Wells Fargo’s Global Financial Institution (GFI) business based in Toronto, volunteers at DAREarts.

“By working with DAREarts, I’ve had the unique opportunity to see first-hand how this organization improves the lives of its students as they become more self-confident, develop leadership skills and make positive life choices,” she said. “On behalf of Wells Fargo, we applaud DAREarts and their outstanding work to create invaluable opportunities for youth and children throughout our local communities.”

For more information on Wells Fargo in Canada, visit www.wellsfargo.ca

About Wells Fargo & Company
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,700 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortune’s 2014 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.

About DAREarts
DAREarts is a Canadian charity which stands for “Discipline, Action, Respect, Responsibility and Excellence in Education”. DAREarts’ 5-year program works with 9-14 year olds from schools in high-priority neighbourhoods, empowering them to become leaders. DAREarts First Roots program works with Elders, artists, schools and children in FNMI communities. Using the arts, DAREarts empowers children and youth to ignite change within themselves and become leaders. Visit www.darearts.com for more information.

WASHINGTON DC – The Urban Institute and JPMorgan Chase & Co. today launched a multi-year program that aims to inform and assess the impact of JPMorgan Chase’s key philanthropic initiatives.

JPMorgan Chase will commit $10 million over five years for Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization, to examine the firm’s Corporate Responsibility initiatives and philanthropic programs focused on increasing economic opportunity and strengthening communities. Urban will draw upon its deep policy expertise to produce research and analysis that will further strengthen these programs and provide wider knowledge and understanding of critical economic and social challenges.

JPMorgan Chase’s Corporate Responsibility programs focus on the economic growth of cities, strengthening workforce systems, and achieving household financial stability, among other areas. Urban will draw from its scholars and the work of its research and policy centers to:

Identify critical barriers to success and provide research and analysis that point the way to overcoming them;
Assess whether JPMorgan Chase’s philanthropic programs are achieving intended long-term outcomes;
Establish a learning network for JPMorgan Chase’s grantees and other leading experts to share best practices; and
Share lessons learned from these programs with the broader field of scholars, local leaders, practitioners and policymakers.
As part of the program, JPMorgan Chase is also committing to support the institutional modernization and capacity-building that will strengthen Urban for the future.

The decision to collaborate comes as JPMorgan Chase has launched significant, long-term efforts to expand economic opportunity, such as the firm’s $250 million, five-year New Skills at Work initiative to help close the skills gap and its $100 million commitment to Detroit’s economic recovery. The firm now seeks additional data and insight on the effectiveness of these programs.

Urban Institute President Sarah Rosen Wartell explained that Urban’s goal is to elevate the public debate with evidence-based social and economic policy solutions. “Our job as researchers and analysts is to ask and answer the hard questions – ‘Is this program really working?’ ‘Have lives improved?’ ‘How can we do this better?’ JPMorgan Chase is committing to learn from the answers we provide, and our organizations each will play an important role in sharing that knowledge across sectors.”

Urban has a well-established track record in serving as an advisor to prominent national foundations and is also well known for its expertise in assessing government programs at local, state, and national levels. In addition to hosting prominent programs on nonprofit performance management, it has been a leading center of independent thought about innovative strategies that strengthen communities across a range of policy silos. Urban has had long-standing, large-scale research collaborations with government agencies and national philanthropic foundations, and this new effort with JPMorgan Chase marks its largest collaboration with a corporate foundation.

“Urban Institute is at the leading edge of social policy research, and JPMorgan Chase is privileged to partner with them to better inform and strengthen our efforts to address some of society’s biggest challenges. Over the next five years, our firm will deploy $1 billion dollars towards our philanthropic programs focused on creating economic growth and expanding access to opportunity. We believe corporate responsibility includes a commitment to impact, measurement and accountability, and this partnership helps to reinforce those goals,” said Peter Scher, Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Responsibility at JPMorgan Chase.

Urban and JPMorgan Chase hope this program will encourage other private sector entities to measure what works and ask how they can leverage their resources to make a bigger difference in communities.

“JPMorgan Chase is committed to sharing insights with Urban and the broader philanthropic community on the unique contributions that private sector players can bring to bear in communities through our scale and global expertise. Sarah Wartell’s leadership has been instrumental in developing this partnership, and we are very pleased to be able to support the new vision and strategy for the Urban Institute,” said Dalila Wilson-Scott, President of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation and Head of Global Philanthropy.
Later this year, Urban and JPMorgan Chase will begin to share findings through publicly available reports, briefings, and convenings.

The nonprofit Urban Institute is dedicated to elevating the debate on social and economic policy. For nearly five decades, Urban scholars have conducted research and delivered evidence-based solutions that improve lives, strengthen communities, and increase the effectiveness of public policy. Their objective research helps expand opportunities for all, reduce hardship among the most vulnerable, and strengthen the fiscal health of government across a rapidly urbanizing world.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.6 trillion and operations worldwide. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.

GENEVA,- UNICEF is launching a US$3.1 billion appeal – its largest ever – to reach 62 million children at risk in humanitarian crises worldwide – a US$1 billion jump in funding needs since last year’s appeal.

“From deadly natural disasters to brutal conflicts and fast-spreading epidemics, children across the world are facing a new generation of humanitarian crises,” said Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s Director of Emergency Programmes. “Whether in the headlines or hidden from view, emergencies sparked by social fracture, climate change and disease are stalking children in ways we have never seen before.”

Growing numbers of children are facing increasingly complex and destructive conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies, including the Ebola epidemic, which are placing them in extraordinary danger of violence, hunger, disease and abuse – and require increasingly more resources to address.

More than 1 in 10 of the world’s children – or 230 million – currently live in countries and areas affected by armed conflicts alone.

“I have just returned from Syria and Lebanon where millions of children have had their lives torn apart,” said Afshan Khan. “For the past four years, these children have been witnessing violence and death daily and have been missing out on the very basics in life. This appeal will help secure a future for not only the children of Syria but all children around the world who are impacted by humanitarian crises.”

UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children 2015 appeal targets a total of 98 million people, around two thirds of whom are children, in 71 countries.

• The biggest portion of the appeal is for Syria and the sub-region. UNICEF is calling for US$903 million for the
regional response to protect children at risk and deliver life-saving assistance like immunisations, safe water and
sanitation, and education.

• UNICEF is also appealing for US$500 million to accelerate its work in the heart of Ebola-affected communities.
The money will be used to scale up efforts to rapidly isolate and treat every case, prevent further outbreaks,
and continue to promote healthy behaviours to prevent the spread of the disease. The goal for 2015 is to
get to zero cases and support the revitalisation of basic social services.

• In Nigeria, where attacks by armed groups have escalated in the past year causing more than 1 million people
in the northeast to flee their homes, UNICEF is asking for $US26.5 million.

• A year into the conflict in Ukraine, UNICEF is appealing for US$32.45 million as the country faces a humanitarian
crisis with 5.2 million people living in conflict zones, over 600,000 people internally displaced and some 1.7 million
children affected.

The appeal also includes hugely under-funded and forgotten crises where children are in desperate need – including Afghanistan (35 per cent funded in 2014), the State of Palestine (23 per cent funded in 2014) and Niger (35 per cent funded in 2014).

As well as immediate humanitarian response, funds raised will help UNICEF in its work with partner organisations to prepare countries for future disasters by reinforcing national preparedness systems and equipping communities to help themselves.

“This appeal will reach the most vulnerable children, wherever they are,” said Khan. “Where a child is born should not determine his or her destiny. We must get vital services and care to children in acute need now, to provide the building blocks that will allow them to create peaceful futures. This is not just about immediate humanitarian action as these short-term investments will have long-term gains.”

In 2014, UNICEF reached millions of children with humanitarian support – including vaccinating 16 million children against measles, treating 1.8 million children for the most serious form of malnutrition, providing almost 2 million children with psychological support and providing 13 million people with access to safe water. 2 million children were also given a better education – a crucial part of UNICEF’s emergency response as it helps restore children’s routine and gives them hope for the future.

# # #
The full Humanitarian Action for Children 2015 appeal and related country information can be found here from 09:30 GMT on 29th January 2015: www.unicef.org/appeals
Video and photos are available for download here: http://uni.cf/1zwEJ4M

Notes to Editors
The 71 countries and areas featured in the Humanitarian Action for Children 2015 appeal are highlighted due to the scale of these crises, the urgency of their impact on children and women, the complexity of the response, and the capacity to respond.

About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org

Super Bowl leaves an impact long after the game has come and gone. As it does every year, the NFL seeks to improve the surrounding communities of the Super Bowl host city with a financial donation. This year, the NFL Foundation provided a $1 million grant to the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee via the Arizona Community Foundation to fund charitable projects throughout Arizona to support health and wellness programs for the Arizona community. This grant was matched by the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee for a total of more than $2 million.

Representatives from the NFL, Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and the Arizona Cardinals gathered today to recognize the recipients of this year’s Super Bowl Legacy Grants. Arizona Cardinals President MICHAEL BIDWILL, NFL Commissioner Roger GOODELL and Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee Chairman DAVID ROUSSEAU made the announcement at ASU Preparatory Academy School, one of this year’s grant recipient locations. Before its Super Bowl makeover, the field at ASU Prep was in subpar condition for the thousands of youth who utilized it for organized sports and intramurals.

The event also recognized the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s (AIA) support of USA Football’s Heads Up Football program. The AIA’s support of Heads Up Football is part of Arizona’s comprehensive approach to student-athlete health. Following the press conference, high school athletic directors and football coaches from around the state attended an education session on the Heads Up Football program. Heads Up Football, which includes a focus on education and certification, equipment fitting, concussion recognition and awareness, heat and hydration, and Heads Up Tackling, was launched in 2012 by USA Football with the NFL’s support. As part of today’s event, ESPN also announced their support of Heads Up Football by donating $30,000 towards the initiative to help Arizona-based high school coaches become Heads Up Football certified in 2015.

A list of Super Bowl Legacy Grant recipients and the projects being funded by the NFL Foundation’s $1 million grant and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee foundation’s $1 million contribution is below.

ATLANTA, – Empowering women to thrive is a worldwide commitment of The Coca-Cola Company and one of three global priorities for The Coca-Cola Foundation. Its importance reverberates around the world, resonating especially in North America.

More than $2 million in grants from The Coca-Cola Foundation was directed to organizations focused on women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and other programs uniquely impacting women. The Company provided further support by contributing more than $1 million towards women’s empowerment programs and initiatives, with a focus on those impacting women of color. The Center for Black Women’s Wellness, the Adelante Movement and the Hispanic Women’s Corporation’s Professional Development and Leadership Institute received funding to teach core entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy and economic self-sufficiency.

Together, the Company and its Foundation invested in a $1 million partnership with the National Urban League, SER – Jobs for Progress National, Inc. and Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. Through this partnership, women in 10 U.S. cities will receive access to financial learning, job training and entrepreneurship development.

This support underscores the Company’s Office of Global Supplier Diversity work to expand its modular-training initiative, the Supplier Training & Empowerment Program (STEP). The program addresses the barriers that prevent women-owned suppliers from sustaining and growing their businesses.

“We know that empowering women to be entrepreneurs and leaders yields dividends of community growth, prosperity and sustainability,” said Lori George Billingsley, Vice President, Community Relations, Coca-Cola North America.

In 2010, the Company launched its 5by20 initiative with a goal to empower five million women entrepreneurs across the global Coca-Cola value chain by 2020. The initiative aims to help women overcome barriers to business success by providing access to business skills training, financial resources and mentors. At the end of 2013, more than 550,000 women across 44 countries had been impacted since the program’s inception.Page 2 of 2 Classified – Unclassified

Other organizations receiving support for women’s empowerment initiatives include:

Center for Black Women Wellness, Atlanta, GA, $35,000
Girls Inc., New York, NY, $250,000
National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, Washington, DC, $100,000
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, New York, NY, $100,000
The Adelante Movement, New York, NY, $150,000
National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women, Washington, DC, $25,000
Hispanic Women’s Corporation, Phoenix, AZ $10,000
League of United Latin American Citizens Women’s Conference, Washington, DC, $5,000
Latin American Association, Atlanta, GA, $300,000
Mexican – American Opportunity Foundation Women’s Forum, Montebello, CA, $10,000
About The Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded more than $660 million to support global sustainable community initiatives. These initiatives include water stewardship, women’s empowerment, active healthy living, and education. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please go to http://www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/the-coca-cola-foundation.

About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company’s portfolio features 17 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo , visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.

Following is UN Secretary‑General Ban Ki‑moon’s message for International Human Solidarity Day, to be observed on 20 December:

This year’s observance of International Human Solidarity Day comes as the world shapes a new sustainable development agenda to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, the largest anti-poverty campaign in history, by 2015.

Member States, the United Nations system, experts, representatives of civil society, business executives and millions of individuals from all corners of the globe, have come together with a shared sense of purpose to make the most of this once-in-a-generation opportunity.

The new agenda will centre on people and planet. It will be underpinned by human rights and supported by a global partnership determined to lift people from poverty, hunger and disease. It will be built on a foundation of global cooperation and solidarity.

The United Nations believes that solidarity with people affected by poverty and an absence of human rights is vital. Based on equality, inclusion and social justice, solidarity implies a mutual obligation across the global community.

As we map our future development path, we must be firm in our commitment to champion solidarity and shared responsibility as part of the sustainable development agenda. These are fundamental values that must be upheld.

Only through collective action can we address such far-reaching issues as poverty and growing inequality, climate change, chronic poverty and major health challenges, such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

On International Human Solidarity Day, I call for a renewed commitment to collective action. Let us act together as one to end poverty, achieve shared prosperity and peace, protect the planet and foster a life of dignity for all.

Jude Focette used to earn a living as a truck driver, but that changed four years ago when he suffered a stroke and was no longer able to walk. “I could not move my hand and I could not lift my foot.” He is one of the patients receiving treatment at the Global Therapy Group clinic in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. “Since I came here, they have been working with me, they have given me this device to support my wrist, and now I can actually walk on my own.”

The American Red Cross supports small organizations in Haiti through financial and technical assistance, so they can expand their activities and grow their capacity. This investment at the local level helps create sustainable services that have a direct, positive impact on the communities. In the case of Global Therapy Group, support from the Red Cross allowed them to offer physical rehabilitation services to a significantly higher number of people.

The organization started operating in 2010, shortly after the earthquake, in temporary locations next to camps or hospitals. Back then, conditions were challenging and space was limited. “We had to move multiple times, so we lost patients,” explains Jo Ann Roberts, Co-Founder and Director of Global Therapy Group. “With the support of the American Red Cross we were able to build this permanent building on our own property and it will hopefully be functional for many, many years to come.”

On a regular weekday the clinic may receive up to 20 patients. “Every week we see more patients,” points out Jo Ann. Some patients sit on wheelchairs waiting for their turn as others arrive walking slowly or with the help of crutches.

The clinic offers free services and demand is high. “Most people in Haiti have no access to any kind of rehabilitation services,” describes Jo Ann. “If you were a child and broke your arm, as so many children do, you would live with that disability.” The clinic has helped people affected by strokes, car crashes or other common accidents to walk again, regain their speech, or recover their independence and get on with their lives.

“Here, patients are respected,” says Jude as he performs slow repetitive motions with his arm assisted by a therapist. He is confident he will make a full recovery and his words show optimism, perseverance, and motivation – the same attributes that have characterized Haitians since the 2010 earthquake.

Staff members assist patients as they practice different movements using pulleys, parallel bars, or pedal exercisers. One of the therapists sits on a mat and chats with a little boy, using games and toys to exercise specific muscles.

Global Therapy Group is investing in Haitians so they can become certified physical therapy technicians.

Frantzo Camille is one of the Haitian physiotherapists working at the clinic. “In Haiti, when people were handicapped, they used to be rejected, even in their own families,” he recalls, “but now I have learnt to help the patients, to facilitate their integration into society and into their families as well.”

The American Red Cross has provided funding to a variety of partners in Haiti. For local organizations and small international organizations like Global Therapy Group, this funding makes a big difference in their capacity to support local communities.

Tags: Haiti 5 year anniversary.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org

LAS VEGAS, – Employees of MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) donated more than 1.6 million pounds of food to Three Square Food Bank this holiday season in one of the largest single-city food drives in the nation.

Three Square reported that MGM Resorts employees donated 1,610,461 pounds of food during the company’s fifth annual October food drive. Company employees well-exceeded last year’s donation of 922,161 pounds, setting a new record for the largest amount of food received in a single donation by Three Square. This unprecedented donation will provide 1,342,050 meals to the nearly 137,000 individuals Three Square serves monthly through its approximately 1,300 community partners. Experts estimate that 315,000 Las Vegas valley residents are food insecure.

“We cannot thank MGM Resorts and their hardworking employees enough for all they have accomplished this holiday season,” said Brian Burton, President and CEO of Three Square. “This is by far the most we have ever received in a single donation and I know the people in our community we serve each day will be so grateful to receive this support. Our partnership with MGM Resorts proves that by coming together, we can solve the hunger problem in Southern Nevada.”

“In this season of giving there is no greater way we at MGM Resorts can show our allegiance with our community than by joining with Three Square to combat food insecurity in our midst,” said Jim Murren, Chairman & CEO of MGM Resorts International. “I am extremely proud of the generosity demonstrated by my wonderful colleagues and hope we will continue breaking records with our Three Square donations until no one in our community suffers the pain of hunger.”

Three Square is a member of Feeding America, the largest hunger relief agency in the United States. Feeding America reported that the results of MGM Resorts’ food drive make it one of the largest in the nation based on quarterly reports from its 200 affiliates. Feeding America affiliates last year provided more than three billion pounds of food and groceries to food insecure families across the nation.

MGM Resorts and Three Square celebrated the record-breaking donation with a special ceremony today at the Three Square warehouse where the donations will be housed until distribution. MGM Resorts properties and corporate operations in Las Vegas vied in a friendly competition with the winning entity selected by calculating the number of pounds donated per employee. MGM Resorts’ corporate division employees won this year’s competition by their donation of 146.18 pounds of food per employee.

In addition to its annual food drive, MGM Resorts supports Three Square’s efforts year round through its corporate giving program, The MGM Resorts Foundation, and the employee volunteer program. In 2010, the “MGM Resorts Volunteer Room” at Three Square was created to recognize the continuous support provided by the company.

About Three Square Food Bank
Established in 2007 to provide hunger relief, Three Square Food Bank offers wholesome, nutritious food to non-profit and faith-based organizations, schools and feeding sites that serve a wide range of Southern Nevadans. A national model project inspired by Founder Eric Hilton with a grant provided by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Three Square is a community collaborative partnership with businesses, non-profit agencies, food distributors, higher education institutions, the Clark County School District, governmental entities, the media and thousands of volunteers to efficiently and effectively serve hope to those in our community struggling with hunger. Three Square currently provides more than 30 million pounds of food and grocery product – the equivalent of more than 25 million meals – per year to more than 600 Program Partners. Three Square is a member of the Feeding America network of food banks. For additional information visit www.threesquare.org. For the latest news and events on Three Square, visit www.facebook.com/ThreeSquareFoodBank and follow them on Instagram (@threesquarelv) as well as Twitter (@threesquarelv).

About MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world’s leading global hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. The Company is in the process of developing MGM National Harbor in Maryland and MGM Springfield in Massachusetts. The Company also owns 51 percent of MGM China Holdings Limited, which owns the MGM Macau resort and casino and developing a gaming resort in Cotai, and 50 percent of CityCenter in Las Vegas, which features Aria resort and casino. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company’s website at www.mgmresorts.com.
SOURCE MGM Resorts International

COLUMBUS, IN — Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) has a long history of supporting education initiatives in the communities where it operates and is now making efforts to strengthen technical education across the world. The Company recently formed a new coalition for its TEC: Technical Education for Communities program in Izmir, Turkey.

Cummins has entered into a partnership agreement with Schneider Electric and Ege University to support scholarships for students, and lab and equipment purchases to launch the new Mechatronics program at Ege. This is part of a broader coalition to support TEC in Izmir that includes local development agency IZKA and a number of local industry partners.

“Industry, government and civil society have a stake in global education,” said Mark Levett, Vice President Corporate Responsibility, Cummins Inc. and CEO of the Cummins Foundation. “The newly established coalition in Turkey will provide skills training and access to well-paying jobs for program enrollees, including quality jobs for underrepresented groups such as women.”

Employers around the world are experiencing critical shortages of skilled technical workers. At the same time, education programs often fail to teach students the skills needed by employers. And many communities are suffering from widening income inequalities due in part to skill set disparities. Cummins understands that by addressing the skills gap through education and training, the company can make communities stronger and healthier by ensuring people can access quality jobs that are also critical to the success of companies like Cummins.

TEC is a global initiative that targets the technical skills gap through local vocational education programs. TEC delivers a standardized education platform to help education partners develop market-relevant curriculum, teacher training, career guidance and the practical experience needed by students. Currently Cummins has TEC sites in Morocco, Nigeria, India and China and is exploring expansion in South America, Australia, and the Middle East.

Recruitment of female students is a focus at TEC’s Turkey site. With Cummins’ assistance, the Mechatronics program was recently awarded a female student quota from the government — the first of its kind in Turkey.

“The number of female students in technical education is decreasing. Through TEC and similar projects, we can support the development and employment of female students,” said Semih Gunes, Ege Higher Vocational School Manager.

YOK, Turkey’s Council of Higher Education, approved a quota of 50 percent at Ege University in May. The quota will ensure a pipeline of female students into the TEC program in Izmir.

“TEC holds great importance in training female students in Turkey to become qualified technical staff,” said Dr. Candeger Yilmaz, Ege University Rector. “Development of such cooperation is very important to improve the collaboration between the university and industry.”

Levett added, “There are few prior instances of granted quotas for higher education programs in Turkey, and this approval marks both an achievement for TEC and a step toward societal change.”

TEC seeks to partner with business, government and community organizations to increase access to good jobs and develop a stronger and growing employment base in communities across the globe. The support of partners like Schneider Electric and IZKA is critical to this important work.

“This is a leading project that we have given importance and priority that will contribute to creating and enforcing similar cooperation in our region and country,” said Murat Yilmazcoban, General Secretary of IZKA.

All partners participated in a signing ceremony at Ege University on Sept. 29. Representatives from Cummins, Schneider Electric and IZKA spoke during the event. New female students who received scholarships were also recognized for their work.

“It’s great to see a coalition like this come together to address a critical need,” said Gilles Vermot Desroches, Senior VP Sustainability, Schneider Electric, and General Delegate of the Schneider Electric Foundation. “Global companies and organizations who understand that need have a key role to play in finding solutions — it helps our communities and our businesses to be successful.”

About Cummins
Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service diesel and natural gas engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA) Cummins currently employs approximately 48,000 people worldwide and serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of approximately 600 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 6,500 dealer locations. Cummins earned $1.48 billion on sales of $17.3 billion in 2013. Press releases can be found on the Web at www.cummins.com. Follow Cummins on Twitter at @Cummins and on YouTube at CumminsInc.

Tesco has become the first supermarket to sign the Ministry of Defence’s Armed Forces Corporate Covenant.

Tesco has a proud record of supporting the Armed Forces dating right back to the retailer’s founder Jack Cohen, and signing the Covenant means Tesco has made a public commitment to do more to support serving personnel, veterans and reservists.

Tesco is one of the biggest employers of reservists and former service personnel, and the retailer has today pledged to:
Seek out veterans who have left the armed forces for employment with Tesco;
Support spouses and partners of serving personnel to get jobs at Tesco stores in areas with large armed forces communities;
Promote service with the Reserve Forces to Tesco colleagues;
Give extra special consideration to holiday requests from spouses before, during and after their partner’s deployment;
Continue to stock products like Eggs for Soldiers, exclusive Marston’s beer designed by ex-soldiers and exclusive childrenswear by Scotty’s Little Soldiers, proceeds from which go to Forces charities; and
Help customers raise more money than ever for this year’s Poppy Appeal, and smash previous records by raising £4.5 million in 2014.
To help boost donations for this year’s Poppy Appeal a special Tesco delivery truck will drive across London emblazoned with details about how to donate, and Tesco will donate £10 to the Royal British Legion for every picture of the truck that is uploaded by members of the public on social media. Over 7000 Tesco delivery vans will also sport specially-designed poppies, and signs on fourteen large Tesco stores in garrison towns will have the ‘o’ decorated with a poppy throughout the Appeal.

Tesco is already one of the biggest employers of both serving and former servicemen and women, with thousands of veterans on the supermarket’s books. The retailer is also one of the biggest employers of reservists and has a record as a forces-friendly organisation – Tesco founder Jack Cohen set up his first market stall with his demob money after coming home from active service during the First World War.
Since 2005, Tesco has also raised nearly £30 million for Armed Forces charities.

Robin Terrell, UK Managing Director for Tesco said:
“We have a long association with the Armed Forces dating right back to our founder, Jack Cohen. Our servicemen and women make sacrifices every single day, and as the UK’s biggest retailer we want to do everything we can to help them out.
“We have huge numbers of serving and former service personnel working for us, and they bring an enormous number of benefits to our business. We are honoured to be the first supermarket to sign the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant, and we will always look to do more for our heroes who regularly put their lives on the line to defend our country.”

Speaking at the signing of the Corporate Covenant, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
“It is great to see one of the UK’s major employers recognise the immense benefits that Reservists and former Service personnel can bring to the private sector and I am delighted that they will be our first supermarket that has signed up to the Corporate Covenant. Tesco now join over 300 companies that have committed to strengthening their support for our Armed Forces communities, bringing about real change for those that have bravely served their country and their families.”

Bryn Parry, Co-Founder and CEO, Help for Heroes said:
“When Help for Heroes was started we asked the public to ‘do their bit’ for the wounded. Tesco, its customers and staff stepped up to the plate and supported Help for Heroes through a number of campaigns including collection weekends, sales of endorsed products and numerous other fundraising activities. Its ongoing support is making a real difference to Serving and Veteran members of the Armed Forces who have suffered life-changing injuries and illnesses.”

Nikki Scott, founder of children’s charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, said:
“We’re delighted that Tesco has signed the Corporate Covenant today and will be helping the Armed Forces in every community where they operate. Our work as a charity to support the children of our fallen servicemen and women has been generously supported by Tesco’s and this latest initiative will ensure that Armed Forces personnel and their families will receive much needed support, help and assistance in the communities where they work and live; something that as a charity we work tirelessly to do.”

Nick Donovan from the Royal British Legion said:
“We are grateful to Tesco for their continued support of the Poppy Appeal by allowing poppy collectors into their stores to fundraise, and their recruiting process of encouraging ex-service men and women into the business. With the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the rebasing of troops from Germany and the increased numbers of Reservists expected in society, support from companies like Tesco is vital and we are pleased to see they are signing the Corporate Covenant – a voluntary commitment to support the Armed Forces in every community where they operate.”

The Armed Forces Covenant was launched by the Prime Minister last year, to encourage businesses and charities to do more to show their support for Armed Forces personnel.

It is a voluntary pledge of support for the armed forces community and includes two key principles – that no member of the armed forces community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen, and that in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate, especially for the injured or bereaved.

FORT WORTH, Texas, — American Airlines Sky Ball XII, an event honoring U.S. military members, veterans and their families, raised more than $1.9 million for the Airpower Foundation. This year’s festivities concluded with a black-tie gala on Saturday, Oct. 25 at American’s Hangar 5 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

More than 1,000 American Airlines employees volunteered their time to make Sky Ball XII a success. Proceeds from the event will enable the Airpower Foundation to provide much needed support to nonprofit organizations and military families throughout the United States.
“The Airpower Foundation is extremely grateful to American Airlines for its support of Sky Ball XII,” said Roman Palomares, chairman of the Airpower Foundation. “Over the past four years, the American Airlines Sky Ball has raised more than $5.1 million to benefit many deserving military charitable organizations. As the title sponsor of Sky Ball, American and its more than 1,000 employee volunteers have truly made the difference in our ability to support our nation’s service members and their families.”

Sky Ball XII included a special tribute to those who have served in Korea, as well as a branch-of-service salute to the United States Navy. The event was attended by more than 2,300 people, including 17 Medal of Honor recipients, wounded warriors, military officials and other distinguished guests, including actors Gary Sinise and John Ratzenberger.

Highlights of the evening included performances by Christopher Cross, “America’s Tenor” Steve Amerson and Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band, a four-course dinner prepared by Chef Robert Irvine, military and American Airlines aircraft on static display, and the donation of an exoskeleton walking device to the Dallas VA Medical Center.

The Saturday night gala was the culmination of a series of events over three days that included a veteran-focused career expo and professional-development seminar, educational outreach programs, a Salute to Citizen Heroes concert featuring The Randy Rogers Band and Lee Greenwood, and the world premiere of the PBS documentary “Navy SEALs – Their Untold Story.”

Sky Ball XII set a fundraising record of $1.9 million. Proceeds from this year’s event will allow the Airpower Foundation to assist organizations such as Snowball Express, an annual gathering of nearly 2,000 children and spouses of fallen military members, and Carrick Brain Centers, which treats service members impacted by post-traumatic stress and significant brain injuries.

American Airlines has a long history of supporting U.S. service members, veterans and their families. Military and veterans programs are a strong priority for American and its employees, reflecting the airline’s commitment to honor the bravery and dedication of those who serve our country. More than 60 percent of American’s pilots and 10 percent of all the airline’s employees are active service members or veterans. American supports members of the military, veterans and their families through contributions to nonprofit organizations and employee engagement in a wide variety of events and activities. For more information, please visit aa.com/military.

About American Airlines Group
American Airlines Group (NASDAQ: AAL) is the holding company for American Airlines and US Airways. Together with wholly owned and third-party regional carriers operating as American Eagle and US Airways Express, the airlines operate an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to 339 destinations in 54 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. The American Airlines AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles programs allow members to earn miles for travel, vacation packages, car rentals, hotel stays and everyday purchases. Members of both programs can redeem miles for tickets as well as upgrades to First Class and Business Class. In addition, AAdvantage members can redeem miles for vacation packages, car rentals, hotel stays and retail products. American is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members and members-elect serve nearly 1,000 destinations with 14,250 daily flights to 150 countries. Connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines and follow US Airways on Twitter @USAirways.

Today, marks the launch of Lloyds Banking Group’s pioneering new partnership with BBC Children in Need. Lloyds Banking Group has entered into a unique three year partnership with BBC Children in Need which will see the Group, through its Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland brands, become the first Principal Partner of the charity and the charity’s first and only Schools Partner.

Key skills development set to double donations
In its role as Principal Partner of BBC Children in Need, the Group has committed to helping the charity support all UK schools and over five million children with charitable fundraising and key skills development. This is expected to double donations raised through schools per annum by 2017.

The Lloyds Bank National Schools Fundraising Campaign will be brought to life through the provision of fundraising resources for schools; education and skills development in Literacy, Citizenship as well as employability skills; awards and rewards for pupils; and volunteering support from Group colleagues. The campaign showcase is the ‘Best.Assembly.Ever.’ whereby pupils will plan and run celebration and fundraising assemblies during the week of the BBC Children in Need Appeal (Friday 14 November).

By children for children
The ‘by children for children’ approach adopted throughout the campaign will see children learn and develop skills to improve their own futures and those of other children. Children will also be instrumental in helping to develop the campaign as it scales up during the course of the partnership.

Alison Brittain, Group Director, Retail at Lloyds Banking Group said “BBC Children in Need is one of the most enduring and best loved charities in the UK and we are immensely proud to be embarking on this unique and exciting partnership with them. I’m really looking forward to helping schools across the UK make an even bigger difference in their fundraising and seeing children bring their own ‘Best.Assembly.Ever.’ events and fundraising activities to life. More announcements about our partnership with BBC Children in Need will follow, and will show how our whole organisation, and the skill and enthusiasm of our people, will be able to play a part in making our partnership a success.”

Commenting on the partnership, David Ramsden, Chief Executive of BBC Children in Need, added: “We are really excited about working with Lloyds Banking Group as a Principal Partner and developing the ‘by children for children’ model at the heart of our fundraising. We are sure that Lloyds’ experience of working with schools and communities will help us to change thousands more young lives across the UK.”

To find out more about the partnership and the ‘Best.Assembly.Ever.’ visit bbc.co.uk/pudsey.

NEW YORK, NY – Continuing its efforts to alleviate poverty worldwide, Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) and the Caterpillar Foundation are making a $2.5 million investment in The Global Poverty Project (GPP). The investment will support growing the Global Citizen grassroots movement around the world to end extreme poverty by 2030.

“When we can put people on the path to prosperity, it gives them opportunities for education, jobs and ultimately economic growth,” said Caterpillar Foundation President Michele Sullivan. “Our investment with The Global Poverty Project will help people fulfill their potential, lifting themselves and their communities out of poverty. I’ve seen firsthand how these investments can impact lives and really make a difference. This investment will help change lives.”

The Caterpillar Foundation investment will support advocacy and public policy work around the world to enable entrepreneurship, especially for women, by removing barriers caused by poor and inequitable access to sanitation – such as places to hand wash or use the toilet – and lack of access to basic education. The Global Poverty Project estimates universal sanitation would improve the entrepreneurial potential of women by freeing up more than 200 million hours for women and girls each day, enabling them to achieve an education, have time for paid employment or run their own small enterprises. This would return an estimated $220 billion to the global economy annually. The investment will also support universal quality primary education for the 31 million girls who currently go without school. It will help them achieve literacy, and enable them to access higher level academic and vocational education.

“When an organized, critical mass of individuals is equipped to take meaningful action, we can change practices that keep people in extreme poverty,” said Hugh Evans, CEO of The Global Poverty Project. “Having a company like Caterpillar involved can scale our work in a way we never imagined.”

The Global Poverty Project aims to raise awareness and inspire action on the issue of extreme poverty worldwide at the grassroots level. One way The Global Poverty Project does this is through its cornerstone event, the annual Global Citizen Festival, held this year on September 27 in New York City’s Central Park. The Festival is a free-ticketed concert. Music fans and activists win tickets by taking “actions” to end extreme poverty on GlobalCitizen.org. Caterpillar is sponsoring the festival, while Cat® generator sets will provide power. This year, more than 48,000 tickets were given to Global Citizens to attend to the Festival.

About Caterpillar Foundation:
Caterpillar Inc. supports the philanthropic efforts of the Caterpillar Foundation. Founded in 1952, the Caterpillar Foundation has contributed more than $550 million to help make sustainable progress possible around the world by providing program support in the areas of environmental sustainability, access to education and basic human needs. To learn more about the global impact of the Caterpillar Foundation, please visit www.caterpillar.com/foundation.

About Caterpillar:
For nearly 90 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. Customers turn to Caterpillar to help them develop infrastructure, energy and natural resource assets. With 2013 sales and revenues of $55.656 billion, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company principally operates through its three product segments – Resource Industries, Construction Industries and Energy & Transportation – and also provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment. For more information, visit caterpillar.com. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 is to be awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. Children must go to school and not be financially exploited. In the poor countries of the world, 60% of the present population is under 25 years of age. It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected. In conflict-ridden areas in particular, the violation of children leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation.

Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhi’s tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain. He has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on children’s rights.

Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzay has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations. This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education.

The Nobel Committee regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism. Many other individuals and institutions in the international community have also contributed. It has been calculated that there are 168 million child labourers around the world today. In 2000 the figure was 78 million higher. The world has come closer to the goal of eliminating child labour.

The struggle against suppression and for the rights of children and adolescents contributes to the realization of the “fraternity between nations” that Alfred Nobel mentions in his will as one of the criteria for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Oslo, 10 October 2014

WASHINGTON, DC—October 3, 2014—In the month of October Tyson Foods and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) are partnering together to donate five truckloads of protein to food banks in Washington, D.C. and cities in California, New York, Texas, and Florida. The first donation will take place in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Area Food Bank with the remaining distributions to take place over the following weeks.

“We are thrilled to receive this generous donation from Tyson Foods to help our efforts in providing more nutritious meals to children and families in need,” said Nancy Roman, Capital Area Food Bank President and CEO. “Hunger has tremendous short and long-term detrimental effects, especially on children, and this donation will help ensure that children in need can grow into healthy, productive adults.”

“Through our partnership with Tyson Foods we strengthen our commitment to eradicate hunger in the Latino community,” said LULAC National President Margaret Moran. “This donation will go a long way to help address food disparities for families facing economic challenges.”

The donation totals 151,000 pounds of protein and will be distributed to food banks in five urban areas. The food pantries will each receive approximately 30,000 pounds. These food pantries have a strong commitment and history of eradicating food disparities in areas with high rates of childhood hunger.

“There is a large need for protein in these areas and we are able to fill that void” said Nora Venegas. “We are proud to stand with LULAC to make a difference in areas we know we can.”

Tyson Foods’ current “KNOW Hunger” campaign is focused on helping more people understand and join the effort to eliminate hunger in America. The company also partners with Share Our Strength, Lift Up America, and Feeding America to raise awareness and help feed the hungry across the nation. Since 2000, Tyson Foods has donated 96 million pounds of food toward hunger relief.

About Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is one of the world’s largest producers of chicken, beef, pork and prepared foods that include leading brands such as Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Sara Lee®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells® and State Fair®. The company was founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson, whose family has continued to lead the business with his son, Don Tyson, guiding the company for many years and grandson, John H. Tyson, serving as the current chairman of the board of directors. Tyson Foods provides a wide variety of protein-based and prepared foods products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves, supplying customers throughout the United States and approximately 130 countries. It has approximately 124,000 Team Members employed at more than 400 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.

League of United Latino American Citizens (LULAC)
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the largest and oldest volunteer-based civil rights organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 900 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.lulac.org. www.facebook.com/lulac.national.dc. www.twitter.com/lulacnational.

About The Capital Area Food Bank
The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in the Washington metro area serving over 530,000 people through direct food distribution programs and a network of 500 partner agencies. This year, the Capital Area Food Bank distributed 42 million pounds of food – the equivalent of 35 million meals – including 17.5 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables.

About Food Bank For New York City
Food Bank For New York City, one of the country’s largest food banks, has been the city’s major hunger-relief organization working to end hunger throughout the five boroughs for more than 30 years. Through its network of more than 1,000 charities and schools citywide, Food Bank provides food for more than 63 million free meals for New Yorkers in need.

About the Houston Food Bank
The Houston Food Bank is America’s largest food bank in distribution to its network of nearly 600 hunger relief charities in 18 southeast Texas counties. Named top charity in Texas by Charity Navigator for financial performance and accountability, the Food Bank provides 59 million nutritious meals to food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers and other agencies, feeding 800,000 people each year. Fresh produce, meat and nonperishables are distributed from the warehouse at 535 Portwall, and hot meals are prepared and distributed from Keegan Center, a 15,000 square-foot industrial kitchen. Additional community services range from nutrition education to assistance with food stamp applications and hands-on job training. Red Barrels offer a convenient way for grocery shoppers to donate nonperishables for their neighbors in need. The Houston Food Bank, founded in 1982, is a certified member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network. The organization plans to grow to an annual distribution of 100 million nutritious meals by 2018. Visit HoustonFoodBank.org for more information. Find us on Facebook or follow our news on Twitter.

About the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
For 41 years, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has worked to mobilize resources in the community to alleviate hunger. With a vision that no one goes hungry in Los Angeles County, the Food Bank distributed 60 million pounds of food in 2013 and 1 billion pounds of food since its inception. The Food Bank collects food from hundreds of resources, which – with the help of 33,000 volunteers annually – it distributes through a network of more than 670 partner agencies at more than 1,050 distribution and program sites. In addition, 97 percent of monies raised and in-kind donations go directly to programs. Our efficiency and effectiveness led to the LA Business Journal to name the Food Bank as the “Nonprofit Organization of the Year” among large local organizations in 2013. For more information or to get involved, visit:www.lafoodbank.org

About Feeding South Florida
Feeding South Florida has served the community for 33 years and serves 30% of the state’s food insecure population.