ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Western Union and the Western Union Foundation today announced that they gave more than $8.5 million in 2010 to create economic and enriched educational opportunities for under-served people in 38 countries. Foundation grants reflect exceptional levels of support from Western Union employees and Agents who contributed more than $3.7 million through the company’s giving circles program.
Through Western Union’s giving circles, employees and Agents help identify worthy charitable organizations around the globe and model grassroots philanthropy by pooling their support. Employee engagement in the Foundation's annual giving circle fundraising campaign continued to be above the industry standard, with donations from nearly 1,800 employees in 46 countries, while more than 136 Agents gave through the Western Union Foundation.
A Distinctive Role for Agents
An innovative approach to engaging Agents in the Foundation’s work took off in 2010. In addition to supporting Agent gifts with a one-for-one match, the Western Union Foundation encourages employees of top-performing Agents to nominate organizations for Foundation support. In 2010, the second year of this front line associate program, 75 nominations were received. A selection committee narrowed the pool to nine nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
“I can’t think of many companies that allow their grant-making to be directed, in part, by the rank-and-file employees of their business associates,” said Luella Chavez D'Angelo, president of the Western Union Foundation. “Yet, we take strategic philanthropy seriously. Our Agents’ employees live and work in the communities served by Western Union, and can act as the Foundation’s eyes and ears across over 386,000 locations. They report on the most effective and innovative NGOs on the ground in 200 countries and territories, increasing the impact of our global philanthropy.”
Examples of organizations recommended by Western Union front line associates and supported in 2010 by the Western Union Foundation include:
Philippines: ChildHope received $25,000 to help approximately 1,200 Manila street children with social and educational services from a team of street educators and social workers that deliver needed support in the children’s own environment. Through the program, participants learn basic literacy and numeracy, and receive counseling that helps them develop important life skills.
The Springboard Foundation, Inc. received $6,000 for its Night High School program. It supports 16 low-income students for five years so they can complete their secondary education. This prepares participants for college or to pursue skills certificates from vocational and technical schools – ultimately setting them up for long-term independence and employment.
Uganda: Send a Cow Uganda received $30,000 for sustainable organic agriculture and livestock management programs, helping participants increase their family income, while also improving the safety and quality of their food supply.
Hong Kong: The Child Development Centre received $30,000 for the Jolly Phonics program, which helps approximately 150 young children each year to develop the skills for success in school and in life. The initiative helps children master the basic building blocks for reading and writing, enabling them to better assimilate into the mainstream educational system.
Kenya: Chandi Parivar Charitable Trust received $12,000 to help break the cycle and stigma of poverty through education. Funds will be used to purchase uniforms, footwear, text books and support a feeding program for 700 school children who attend a remote village school outside Kilifi Mombasa.
Uwezompya Youth Initiative Programme received $10,000 to purchase computers and other tools that will help address unemployment in Kenya by teaching important life and trade skills.
Portugal: Ukrainian Association in the Algarve received $20,000 to help Ukrainian immigrants improve their marketability and employment prospects through the provision of job training and computer skills development.
Jamaica: Mission House Basic School received $10,000 to provide a computer center for children and adults in a rural Jamaican village – enhancing educational and vocational opportunities, and providing computer access to more than 60 percent of the community’s residents.
Chile: La Fundación ABC Prodein received $9,000 to provide scholarships, school supplies, uniforms and educational opportunities to 200 Chilean students.
Ongoing $500,000 Consumer Gift Match Program
Included in the year-end giving total is more than $2.4 million in grants for emergency aid following natural disasters, including floods in Pakistan and earthquakes in Chile and Haiti. Including corporate and in-kind contributions, Western Union’s post-disaster support of Haiti totals more than $6.85M.
To sustain the spotlight on Haiti and build on its gift-match program, the Western Union Foundation is matching consumer gifts to the international nonprofit Mercy Corps (www.mercycorps.org). Donations will support Haiti-based economic recovery programs that will touch as many as 10,000 lives. The match is available for contributions made online through www.westernunion.com/haiti or at no cost via participating Agent locations in the U.S. through the Western Union® Quick Collect® service (code city: Mercycorps, OR). The gift-match component of the program will be active through December 31, 2011 or until the total $1 million goal has been met, whichever comes first.
“We are proud to work with Mercy Corps because of the powerful impact of their programs, and because they are a nonprofit-of-choice for our consumers,” said D’Angelo. Under Western Union’s Our World, Our Family® signature program, the company kicked off the holiday giving period with the 50 Days of Giving initiative. The campaign encouraged consumers to vote for one of five non-profit organizations to receive a $150,000 grant. More than 90,000 votes were cast over a six-week period and the winner was Mercy Corps.
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. The Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services are offered through a combined network of 445,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In 2010, The Western Union Company completed 214 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $76 billion of principal between consumers, and 405 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
About the Western Union Foundation
Through Western Union's Our World, Our Family® signature program, the Western Union Foundation supports initiatives to empower people through access to economic opportunity. Recognized by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy in 2009, the program is a five-year, $50 million commitment reflecting efforts made by Western Union employees, agents and partners around the world. Since its inception, the Western Union Foundation has awarded more than $69 million in grants to more than 1,975 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in 103 countries and territories. To learn more, visit http://foundation.westernunion.com.
WU-G
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6595074&lang=en