van Beuren Charitable Foundation and BankNewport Support Housing Study

by Posted in Basic Need, Community Development, Corporate Citizenship, Housing and Homelessness, Member Highlights, Member News, Philanthropy

Two GCRI members have provided funding to Connect Greater Newport, the economic development research arm of the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce, to analyze the availability of workforce housing for residents in Newport and Bristol counties.

van Beuren Charitable Foundation provided a $71,000 grant and BankNewport provided a $10,000 grant to study the gaps in available housing for the local workforce and develop a plan to predict and address those gaps for the next decade.

According to The Newport Daily News, “The chamber is currently in the data collection phase of the project and recently released a survey on workforce housing to member businesses.

The goal of the survey is to gauge greater Newport County businesses’ plans for their employees in the future, how many people they expect to hire and what they anticipate paying them, to better understand what the needs for housing will be.

‘We’re taking a bit of a different approach than other more traditional annual reports that come out about housing affordability because we’re not just looking at low to moderate income. We’re looking at the workforce housing category, which is considered to be around 80 to 120% of the median income,’ Donovan-Boyle said. ‘We’re looking at mid-level managers, we’re looking at teachers, nurses, even police officers, firemen, all of those types of individuals who fall into that salary range.’

The median annual income for households in Newport County is estimated to be about $84,282, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey, which makes the salary range for households identified as ‘workforce housing’ to be between $67,425 and $101,138. 

The survey is just one part of the larger report the chamber is compiling, which it hopes to release by the end of this year. Donovan-Boyle said the chamber is also looking into how zoning laws impact workforce housing availability and trying to assess what housing stock is already available. The chamber plans to release a more official announcement of the project in the coming months.”

Point32Health Foundation Commits $1 Million to Organizations Working on Social and Racial Justice Across Five States

by Posted in Aging, Corporate Citizenship, Equity, Member Highlights, Member News, Philanthropy

Point32Health Foundation announced grants totaling $1 million to advance social and racial equity across five states. The funds will support nonprofit organizations that include diverse voices and perspectives, eliminate systemic barriers, and advocate for stronger communities. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation, which combined to become Point32Health Foundation, have committed more than $5.5 million to support racial equity since 2020. The grants will support 16 nonprofit organizations, two in Connecticut, three each in Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, and four in Massachusetts. Organizations will have flexibility in how the resources are used and are not tied to a specific project or initiative. $125,000 will go to Rhode Island nonprofits.  The three recipients are AMOR Coalition, Center for Southeast Asians, and SISTA Fire.

To engage its own community of colleagues, the Foundation also has expanded Point32Health’s employee match program. A new two-for-one match aims to incentivize colleagues to support nonprofits that advance social and racial justice as well as eliminate systemic barriers. This new double match is available year-round.

GCRI Members Cox, CVS, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Fidelity, Top Scoring for Disability Inclusion

by Posted in Corporate Citizenship, Member Highlights, Member News

According to the Disability Equality Index, four GCRI members are 2022 Best Places to Work, based on their disability inclusion.

The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion.”  GCRI members Cox Communications, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, CVS Health, and Fidelity Investments all achieved perfect 100% scores.

Fortune 1000 companies realize environmental, social and governance factors impact their management, culture, brand and financial well-being. While many companies have identified methods to advance their disability inclusion, companies had recognized current benchmarking tools were inadequate in evaluating disability inclusion as part of their company’s diversity and inclusion, or broader, sustainability efforts.

A joint initiative of Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the DEI is an objective, reflective, forward-thinking and CONFIDENTAL disability inclusion rating tool to assist business.

Newport Historic Spring receives $100,000 contribution from BankNewport

by Posted in Climate/Environment, Community Development, Corporate Citizenship, Member Highlights, Member News

First new public park in 30 years advances to a Fall 2022 ground breaking

BankNewport has made a $100,000 charitable contribution to the Newport Historic Spring to advance the effort to install a public park on the site of the original town spring and the birthplace of Newport. This represents the largest corporate contribution to the project to transform the former Coffey’s gas station into a park that pays tribute to the values of religious freedom and tolerance, the founding principles of Newport as the first secular government in the colonial period of the United States.

After years of careful planning, site remediation, the discovery and study of the 18th-Century spring box, and extensive input by the City of Newport and the public, the vision for this park will become a reality once this $3.5 million phase two is fully funded. A total of $2.7 million has now been raised and the leaders hope to raise the final funding by September 2022 to break ground and begin construction. To learn more about the Newport Historic Spring, visit www.newportspring.com.

Point32Health Employees Invest Over 3,000 Hours of Service in Volunteer Week

by Posted in Basic Need, Children & Youth, Corporate Citizenship, Employee Engagement, Member Highlights, Member News, Uncategorized

During the week of June 13, Point32Health – the combined organization of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan – held its second annual Volunteer Week. Volunteering is at the core of Point32Health’s values, shaping our culture and impacting community health.

More than 1,250 colleagues volunteered 3,300 total hours at 57 projects benefiting 49 nonprofit organizations across five states. Employees served a range of organizations working to address food security, clean up parks, tend to community farms, support people experiencing homelessness and so much more – all to create healthy, thriving communities.

In Rhode Island, Point32Health volunteers packed Meals4Kids and supplemental nutrition boxes for older people served by the Rhode Island Community Food Bank (photo).

GCRI Members Cox, CVS Health, Hasbro, Point32Health Recognized as Civic 50

by Posted in Corporate Citizenship, Member Highlights, Member News

Points of Light, the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to accelerating people-powered change, announced The Civic 50 honorees of 2022.  Four GCRI members, Cox Enterprises, CVS Health, Hasbro Inc., and Point32Health were recognized for utilizing their companies’ resources — employee talent, philanthropy, in-kind and influence — to spur transformational change in their communities.

For 10 years, The Civic 50 has provided a national standard for corporate citizenship and showcases how companies can use their time, skills, and resources to drive social impact in their communities and company. The Civic 50 honorees are companies with annual U.S. revenues of at least $1 billion and are selected based on four dimensions of their corporate citizenship and social impact programs – investment of resources, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies and systems and impact measurement.   

Since 2012, The Civic 50 has provided a national standard for superior corporate citizenship and showcased how companies can use their time, skills and other resources to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business.

More information

Photo — Point32Health volunteers working with Community Servings

Blue Cross Fuels Innovative Mobile Food Markets

by Posted in Basic Need, Children & Youth, Corporate Citizenship, Health and Wellness, Member News, Member Sponsored Events, Philanthropy

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) has established a partnership with Elisha Project, a food rescue organization that prevents food waste while supplying nutritious foods to Rhode Islanders experiencing food insecurity.

“This is an exciting new partnership for us,” said Managing Director of Corporate Social Responsibility Carolyn Belisle. “Elisha’s mission dovetails perfectly with our goal of comprehensive health and well-being for all Rhode Islanders. Access to healthy food is a critical driver of whole health, and Blue Cross is committed to increasing access to nutrition and other resources Rhode Islanders need to achieve their best health.”

Elisha Project Co-Founder George Ortiz concurred. “We are not a traditional food pantry,” he said. “Elisha focuses on rescuing fresh foods, especially protein, vegetables, and fruits, foods that are in scarce supply for the people who need them most. We recognize the tremendous health benefits of eating fresh food. People who are struggling socio-economically are often relegated to eating pre-packaged and inexpensive food high in sugar and saturated fats. These limited options can lead to dangerous health conditions like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Fresh, nutritious food is expensive. With its emphasis on keeping Rhode Islanders healthy, Blue Cross is a logical – and welcome – partner for the Project.”

The Project distributes food through its monthly share markets, which are currently held as drive-up events. Dates for the share markets for the remainder of 2022 are the following Saturdays (locations are not yet final except for the market on 4/30 at 786 Elmwood Avenue in Providence):  7/16, 8/20, 9/17, 10/22, 11/19, and 12/24. Each family of four can be expected to receive approximately 25 lbs. of nutritious, fresh food including protein, fruits, and vegetables, in addition to other needed household items like diapers and personal care items. Recipients can also find recipe cards in English and Spanish, to provide suggestions for preparing the food they receive.

The Project depends on volunteers to pack boxes and bags for share markets, to drive trucks and perform other tasks. In the past three years, more than 150,000 people have followed the Project on its three social media platforms: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter – where the Project also recruits its volunteers – and every market “sells out.” At the March 23 market, more than 45,000 pounds of food and other items were distributed. “We had nothing left over,” notes Ortiz.

In addition to BCBSRI, the Project partners with local colleges and universities and local businesses. A longstanding partner is Seven Stars Bakery, which loans the Project warehouse space in Pawtucket.

GCRI Members CVS Health, Hasbro, Verizon Ranked in Top 100 Best Corporate Citizens Nationally

by Posted in Corporate Citizenship, Member Highlights, Member News, Philanthropy

Each year, 3BL Media evaluates the largest public US companies on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, as well as transparency.  CVS Health was ranked 18, Hasbro was ranked 78, and Verizon was 83.

Congratulations to all three, and thank you for the ways that you not only lead nationally, but invest locally.

Since its launch in 1999, the ranking has become increasingly competitive as companies strengthen their ESG disclosures and elevate their performance.  The 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking serves as a valuable benchmark for companies working to improve their ESG transparency and performance. As the global community embarks on a decisive new decade, 3BL Media’s goal is for companies to step up efforts to achieve the transformational targets laid out in the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals and address social and racial inequities exposed during the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement.

RI Foundation, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI Recognize Effective Nonprofits

by Posted in Arts & Culture, Basic Need, Children & Youth, Corporate Citizenship, Education, Equity, Health and Wellness, Member Highlights, Member News, Philanthropy

The Rhode Island Foundation honored three nonprofit organizations with its annual Best Practice Awards. The work that is being honored includes an initiative to support Latino-owned small businesses and a community gardening program that grew one ton of fresh produce for a local food pantry.

Sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, the award program recognizes outstanding practices by Rhode Island nonprofit organizations in the area of collaboration, with an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion.

The three recipients will each receive $5,000 grants in recognition of their achievements.

The Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown was honored for its “Good Gardens Program,” which focuses on growing produce for the food pantry at Newport’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. In 2021, over a ton of fresh fruit and vegetables was donated.  The initiative is a collaboration with the MLK Center and the URI Master Gardeners. It includes a summer program that introduces kids to gardening.

The Woonsocket Afterschool Coalition was honored for doubling the number of school children receiving services. The Riverzedge Arts Project is one of six nonprofit organizations that comprise the coalition.

The Coalition aims to increase the number of students receiving services by an additional 4,000 in the next three years. The other partners are the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northern R.I., the Community Care Alliance, Connecting for Children and Families, NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley and the Woonsocket YMCA.

The Rhode Island Israel Collaborative in Providence was honored for its R.I. Latino Biz Web Design Project, which matched skilled local students with Latino-owned businesses in Rhode Island to create websites in order to keep up with the move to e-commerce during COVID-19.

In partnership with the R.I. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 31 Latino-owned businesses were paired with students from Providence College and other local colleges to create websites using Israeli WIX, a cloud-based, web development platform located in Israel. The Israel General Consulate to the New England and other donors helped fund the project.

 

Citizens Bank Awards Financial Education Grants

by Posted in Corporate Citizenship, Member Highlights, Member News, Philanthropy

Citizens Bank recently awarded $150,000 in grants to twelve Rhode Island nonprofits to support financial literacy programs, as part of the bank’s Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money program.

Recipients included Amos House, Connecting for Children and Families, Crossroads Rhode Island, Genesis Center, Institute for Labor Studies & Research, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Junior Achievement of Rhode Island, Pawtucket Central Falls Development Corporation, Progreso Latino, The FLY Initiative, United Way of Rhode Island, and Woonsocket Neighborhood Development Corp.