- Employee Campaign and Foundation Gift Raises More than $511,000 to
Benefit United Way -
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in transportation and supply
chain management solutions, is proud to announce it has met and
surpassed its 2011 United Way Campaign goal, raising $236,338 in
employee donations that will be added to a $275,000 Ryder Charitable
Foundation gift for a total Ryder contribution of $511,338 to benefit
the United Way of Miami-Dade. The amount raised by employees, an 8%
increase from last year’s employee donations of $218,000, and the amount
donated by the Ryder Charitable Foundation, a 10% increase from last
year’s Foundation gift of $250,000, constitute Ryder’s largest
contribution to date. These funds were recently raised during Ryder’s
“Work, Play, and Give Together” campaign at the Company’s Global
Headquarters in Miami. Led by Ryder Vice President and Deputy General
Counsel Flora Perez, the campaign consisted of an event-filled week in
November that included a Ryder “Top Chef” competition, an
employee-organized garage sale, outdoor games and competitions, and
employee tours of three United Way-sponsored organizations.
“A leading corporate citizen, Ryder and its employees have once again
demonstrated their commitment to this community through their generous
support of United Way,” said Harve A. Mogul, United Way of Miami-Dade
president and CEO. “We applaud their leadership and appreciate their
generosity.”
Ryder has supported the United Way of Miami-Dade for nearly four
decades. Every year, a Company officer organizes a campaign at the Miami
Headquarters that includes a week of fundraising activities and
donations made through an online pledging portal. Donations made by
Ryder’s leadership givers as well as from employees at all levels within
the Company play a critical role in meeting the goal.
“Our purpose in creating a fun and educational drive each year is not
just to give back, but also to raise awareness among our employees about
the impact the United Way has on so many essential services in our
community,” said 2011 Ryder Campaign Chair Flora Perez. “More than ever,
our community relies on the resources and assistance provided by United
Way partner organizations, particularly in the areas of health,
education, financial stability, elder care, and at-risk youth. Our
employees also appreciate the United Way’s ability to match
contributions and maximize the impact of their donations,” she added.
In a video shown during the campaign, Ryder employees shared their
reasons for their long-time support:
“The United Way allows you to have the broadest impact in the
community,” explained Sanford Hodes, senior vice president and deputy
general counsel for Ryder. “I have been blessed to have been helped in
my life by various people along the way, and I want to make sure I can
do that for others. I also think it’s important to set that example for
my children,” he said.
Debbie Lashinsky, director of IT for Ryder, also explained her support.
“One of the reasons I feel good about my involvement is that the United
Way has set up a program that surveys all the needs in the community and
addresses those needs in a very systematic, fair, and factual way that
allows each of the participants in the United Way to receive the
appropriate funding,” she said.
“It’s no different an instinct than if someone trips, you automatically
reach out and help them,” said Sofia Samuels, director of Rental and
Used Vehicle Marketing for Fleet Management Solutions. “So when you do
have the ability to help, it’s really important to do that at whatever
capacity you can. The United Way, with donations-in-kind and matches,
can stretch those dollars even further to help more people,” she added.
In keeping with the “Work, Play, and Give Together” theme, the volunteer
Campaign Committee organized a week’s worth of activities for employees
that included the following:
-
Ryder’s Top Chef Competition: This cooking competition
attracted some of Ryder’s best amateur cooks, as well as hungry
employees who paid to sample their culinary creations.
-
Goodwill Band Performance & Resource Fair – The Goodwill
Band helped to kick off the week of activities, while United Way
partner organizations were invited to staff tables to discuss their
services with employees.
-
Agency Tours – Employees were invited to visit three United Way
partner organizations to see how their dollars are put to work in the
community.
-
“Clean House” Yard Sale – Employees donated lightly used items
from home for a fundraising garage sale at the Company’s Headquarters.
-
Ryder Races & H-O-R-S-E Basketball Competition – Employee
teams competed in a variety of activities, games and stunts.
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Lunch & Learns – Two United Way partner organizations were
invited to host educational workshops to inform employees about their
services.
For the campaign grand finale – and in the spirit of the campaign theme
of “Work, Play and Give Together” – members of Ryder’s executive
management and employees competed together in a friendly game of “Family
Feud.” The game brought a successful week of fundraising to a close.
“We were pleased to be able to meet our goal and have a good time doing
it,” said Ryder’s Chairman and CEO Greg Swienton. “This was our small
way of sharing in the fun with our employees and saying ‘thank you’ to
them for continuing to give.”
About Ryder
Ryder is a FORTUNE 500® commercial transportation, logistics and supply
chain management solutions company. Ryder’s stock (NYSE:R) is a
component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard &
Poor’s 500 Index. Inbound Logistics magazine has recognized Ryder
as a top third party logistics provider and included Ryder in its 2011
and 2010 “Green Partners” listing. Ryder has also been ranked two years
in a row as one of the top 250 U.S. companies in the Newsweek
Green Rankings. In addition, Security Magazine has named Ryder
one of the top companies for security practices in the transportation,
logistics, supply chain, and warehousing sector. Ryder is a proud member
of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program, supporting
national and local disaster preparedness and response efforts. For more
information, visit www.ryder.com
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Source: Ryder System, Inc.