Category : Communitas Awards

Dates To Remember for 2014

On the the first day of 2014, we thought we’d help you get organized for the year. Mark your calendar with these 2014 deadlines for AMCP’s competitions:

We hope that 2014 brings you and your loved ones much happiness.

happy-new-year-2014-amcp-dates

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2012 Communitas Awards Winner: Huawei Technologies

Winner: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Location: Based in China
Business Type: Telecommunications

Communitas Awards is a program from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals that honors companies and individuals throughout the world for community service and social responsibility

China-Based Telecommunications Company Helps The Communities It Serves

As a responsible corporate citizen, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is committed to supporting the local communities where it operates. The international telecommunications company drives positive change by contributing to a range of welfare, health and educational programs.

Education is a key pillar in Huawei’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy.

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2012 Communitas Award Winner: Sanofi Group Turkey

  Winner: Sanofi Group Turkey
Location: Turkey
Business Type: Healthcare Provider
Nomination Title: Future Women Leaders
Category: 1.1 Company Sponsored Volunteer Project

Communitas Awards is a program from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals that honors companies and individuals throughout the world for community service and social responsibility

Sanofi Group Turkey Helps Women Entrepreneurs In Turkey

Sanofi, an international healthcare provider, prides itself on gender equality. Companywide, 45.7% of its employees are women. While economic participation for women is on the rise in Europe, opportunities for women in Turkey are declining. In fact, women representation in the Turkish workforce is less than half the European average.

Since Turkey is an important operating center for Sanofi, the company backed an ambitious program designed to develop and mentor Turkish businesswomen. To design and deliver the program, Sanofi Group Turkey worked with KAGIDER, a nonprofit organization founded by female Turkish entrepreneurs.

Sanofi covered the costs of the program and its promotion to young women across the country (reaching over 13 million people). KAGIDER used its knowledge and insight into the challenges women face in the workplace and jobs market to help design the training that addressed these specific needs. KAGİDER members (many of whom are women who run their own businesses) and Sanofi employees volunteered as mentors to participants. KAGIDER delivered the training (with additional training in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector from Sanofi).

As a result of Sanofi’s help, the program received 423 more applications than it had in 2010.  To ensure those with the most to gain from the project benefitted, the program selected those with the most potential to advance as well as those from deprived backgrounds or low income families.

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2012 Communitas Winner – Gary Swanson, Professor of the Year

Location: Greeley, Colorado
Business Type: University-Higher Education
Nomination Title: Professor of the Year, Inspirational/Visionary Leader
Category: Making A Difference

 

If you are lucky, sometime in your academic career you have the opportunity to learn your future trade from someone who is so exceptional that being exposed to them for even a short time, shapes the way you go about your life and your career.

When I was a journalism student at the University of Texas many years ago, I had two such professors. Griff Singer was a gruff (mostly fake) old newspaperman who ran the Daily Texan like he was Ben Bradlee and we were uncovering the Watergate scandal for the Washington Post. I can still feel his copy editing cutting straight to the bone. Red Gibson was a dynamic personality who commanded respect. He had this strong air of professionalism about him that defined his role as teacher and ours as students.  There was a respect that bordered on fear, but you could sense that it was a cover-up for the deep compassion he had for his students. His classes were fun and interesting and you didn’t want to miss them. Those two men inspired me and taught me lessons I remember today.

Two journalism students at the University of Northern Colorado think that journalism Professor Gary Swanson is one of those special teachers.  International students Anne-Sophie Garrigou from France and Alejandro Alamo Sanabria from Spain, nominated Swanson for a Communitas Award for his unselfish dedication to his profession and his students. In addition to wanting to proclaim him Professor of the Year, the students cited Swanson as an Inspirational/Visionary Leader… incredibly high praise coming from his students. After reading the nomination, the judges agreed.  Although we can’t bestow a Professor of the Year Award, we are pleased to present Professor Swanson with a Communitas Award.

After you read the nomination letter, we think you’ll agree that Professor Swanson is a special person deserving of recognition.

Nominators: Anne-Sophie Garrigou and Alejandro Alamo Sanabria

Professor Gary Swanson University of Northern Colorado

It has been about 9 months that we have known Professor Swanson, and within that short time frame, he has truly inspired us and made a tremendous impact and difference in our lives. We are both from different countries: France (Sophie) and Spain (Alejandro or Alex) and came to the University of Northern Colorado as 1-year International students in the area of journalism.

In the fall, 2011, we both signed up for Professor Swanson’s Documentary class, his Visual Journalism for New Media class, and Sophie also took Broadcast News Writing with Dr. Swanson. From our first meeting with Professor Swanson he was sincere, truly interested in the well-being and success of his students, and announced he was always available by giving us his cell phone to contact him “any time – even on weekends” with questions or concerns. A professional relationship grew between us over time with mutual respect – and with that came trust.

After completion of the Documentary class in December, 2011 Professor Swanson offered us the opportunity to co-produce a documentary on The American Dream – a project that changed our lives forever. Professor Swanson offered to create and teach a directed-study course to each of us (Sophie and Alex) as well as 2 other students for course credit. And he received no additional time-off or pay to do this. Additionally, he went out of his way and paid out of his pocket for 3 of us to rent a car and drive from Greeley, Colorado to Cincinnati, Ohio and interview the director of the Center for the American Dream at Xavier University. He felt this would be a tremendous experience for us since we had not traveled around the country since we arrived in America in August, 2011. And the director was a critical interview for our documentary. Dr. Swanson also paid for our gas, food, and lodging. It was an incredible journey and took 5 days for us to complete and return to Colorado. Besides the monetary expenditure he provided, Dr. Swanson trusted us and had opened a gateway of friendships to be fostered, especially for us. This enabled both of us to create meaningful connections with people outside of the normal circle that we had already been exposed to at UNC, and in turn, expanded our horizons.

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Communitas Awards Winner: Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences

Winner: Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences
Location: Kansas City, MO
Business Type: Post Graduate Education
Nomination Title: We Care Community Service
Category: Company Sponsored Volunteer Project

NEW MED STUDENTS INTRODUCED TO COMMUNITY THROUGH “WE CARE” COMMUNITY SERVICE DAY

At most schools, orientation is a chance to get familiar with a new setting, make some new friends and perhaps engage in social time. At the Kansas City University of Medicine-College of Osteopathic Medicine, you get all that and a chance to do something for your new community at the same time.

Incoming medical students get introduced to their new community through a one-day, citywide community service project in the neighborhood surrounding the campus and beyond. During their orientation on Wednesday, August 3, 2011, all 255 new students participated in the University’s 14th annual “We Care” Community Service Day.

Students, faculty and staff joined forces to partner with 10 area non-profit organizations at 13 different project sites benefiting lower-income residents of Kansas City, primarily those living within the Northeast Neighborhood where the University is located. Students, faculty and staff served more than 1,000 hours in this single half-day effort to benefit those in need in Kansas City, Mo.

According to Sara Selkirk, executive director of community and student affairs for the University, through this annual event the University introduces new students to the community and to the University’s emphasis on service. “Medical school is only the beginning of their commitment to a career of service,” Selkirk said. “We believe it is important to place emphasis on the aspect of caring for people and community even before a student attends their first class.”

Community Service Day projects included a variety of tasks, ranging from sorting and repackaging food at a local community food bank, building closets at a women’s shelter, tutoring children and adults in the urban core, and assisting with beautification projects throughout the historic Northeast neighborhood of Kansas City.

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Communitas Award Winner: Acadian Home Builders Association

Winner: Acadian Home Builders Association
Location: Lafayette, LA
Business Type: Nonprofit Trade Association
Nomination Title: Home for the Holidays
Category: Philanthropy

Throughout its 51-year history, the Acadian Home Builders Association in Lafayette, Louisiana, has donated nearly a million dollars to various shelter related agencies and construction related education programs.  AHBA members have made this continuing commitment to their community, even though AHBA is itself a non-profit trade association, which depends upon member dues and yearly projects to fund its own operations.

In November, 2005, the Acadian Home Builders Association established a new project geared to providing a more stable and predictable source of funding.  It’s called Home for the Holidays and each year, the builder-members and associates build and raffle a new home, with the profits dedicated to funding AHBA’s shelter and education related charities.

Since its inception, AHBA’s Home for the Holidays has awarded more than $955,000 to its adopted charities, including Habitat for Humanity, The Children’s Shelter of Acadiana Youth (for abandoned & abused kids), Faith House (for victims of domestic violence), St. Michael’s Center for Homeless Veterans   and this year has established a special fund with the Community Foundation of Acadiana dedicated to retro-fitting homes for returning war veterans with special disabilities.

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Union Bank

2012 Communitas Award Winner Union Bank Location:  California Business Type:  Bank Nomination Title:  Union Bank Community Matters Category:  Community Partnership   UNION BANK COMMUNITY MATTERS PROGRAM Union Bank  places a strong emphasis on diversity, inclusion and service, both in its communities and among its employees. Union Bank reaches out to its community through various diversity […]

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