IBERDROLA OFFERS EMPLOYEES 6,500 VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES IN 2011
- The company mirrored the aims of the European Year of Volunteering by promoting initiatives among its workforce
- The company has built up a global community of volunteers through an on-line application process
- Over 2,000 group employees have now taken part in charity work proposed by the company
Reflecting its commitment to improving social development within the regions where it operates, IBERDROLA offered its 6,500-strong workforce a wide range of volunteering opportunities in 2011, including initiatives organised by the company itself and projects undertaken in collaboration with well-known associations.
Looking to channel the charitable spirit of its employees, the company has implemented an extensive corporate volunteer programme to encourage its workers to become involved in social projects that reflect the company's values.
Over the course of 2011, more than 2,000 employees were actively involved in the charitable activities proposed by the company.
All these projects are coordinated through the International Volunteering Portal, a website specially created to channel the talent, time and dedication of Iberdrola employees.
This on-line tool, available in both Spanish and English, has enabled the group to forge an international volunteering community open to all IBERDROLA group employees, who can choose to take part in person or make virtual contributions, sharing their volunteering experiences and proposing their own activities.
IBERDROLA has thus pushed forward with the commitment it assumed to fostering volunteer work among its workforce when it signed up for the European Year of Volunteering in 2011. The aim of this EU initiative is to encourage the exchange of experience and good practice in order to promote voluntary work in civil society as a way to increase sustainability in different countries and improve the conditions of their inhabitants.
Highlights for 2011 included the Second International Volunteer Day of the IBERDROLA group, which was held simultaneously in Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico and Brazil, and featured dozens of charitable activities, focusing primarily on the disabled, children at risk of exclusion, and the environment.
Of the many activities proposed by IBERDROLA in 2011, we would single out the Volunteer Days staged in the regions of Valencia, the Basque Country, Madrid, Murcia, Extremadura, Navarra, Castilla-La-Mancha and Castilla y Leon, all of which involved leisure and sporting activities to raise awareness of people with disabilities. 350 volunteers and 5,500 people with disabilities took part.
Professional volunteer work
In the professional field, volunteers from the company have provided training for electricians, jointly with Proyecto Hombre and the Tomillo Foundation, and on legislation, within the context of the “Conoce tus leyes” ("Know your law") programme of the Region of Madrid, aimed at immigrants. Furthermore, a group of employees lent their support to monitors on the “Voluntariado en RED” ("ONLINE Volunteering") project of the Seres Foundation, which aims to bring information technologies closer to people at risk of social and employment exclusion.
Highlights in the realm of environmental protection included the 2011 Plant a Tree Day in the Biscayan town of Bermeo, organised jointly with the Urdaibai Foundation and Gorabide. The initiative aims to restore a local forest by replanting it with native species such as oak and birch. Over 1,000 trees have already been planted in the future “Iberdrola Forest”, which spans five hectares.
IBERDROLA employees also volunteered for the “Manos al Río” ("All Hands to the River") campaign of the Limne Foundation and Fundar to eliminate solid waste from the river ecosystems in numerous municipalities in Valencia and Castellón.
IBERDROLA meets its social commitment hand in hand with key institutions. In this regard, the company acts as a "Constructor of the Future" in the Aldeas Infantiles (Children's Villages) scheme, through the village in Cuenca, and provides support on ad hoc initiatives, such as handing out Christmas presents to all the children living at the centre, taking part in the “Besos” (“Kisses”) campaign to secure funds and school material for Haiti, and collecting used mobile phones from employees to finance the SOS Children's Village in Pontevedra.
In addition, IBERDROLA has become a UNICEF Millennium Development Goals partner. This collaboration will focus on programmes aimed at improvements in children's health and education, as well as protecting them from violence, exploitation and abuse.
As a participating company, IBERDROLA has lent its support to the “Dona1Día” (“Give1Day”) campaign in Spain to combat child malnutrition. Company employees have now collected enough money to cover the entire treatment of 575 children suffering from acute malnutrition. They have also helped to purchase 900 packs of therapeutic food, which will be supplied to child victims of severe malnutrition.
IBERDROLA has received numerous accolades for its Corporate Volunteer programme, including the Citizen award from Asociación Premios Ciudadanos and the Debate Ciudadano Forum in recognition of the charitable work done by the group to benefit those most in need.
Follow us on:
TWITTER: click here for latest IBERDROLA news.
YOUTUBE: corporative channel with videos of the Company.
FLICKR: Company images at your disposal.
SLIDESHARE: we provide you with the Company presentations.
RSS: to be informed on Company NEWS, SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS in real time.
PROFESSIONAL MULTIMEDIA: it is closer to the media than ever, you can use our new communication tools.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This communication does not constitute an offer to purchase, sell or exchange securities, nor is it intended to solicit any such offer to purchase, sell or exchange securities. The shares of Iberdrola, S.A. may not be offered or sold in the United States of America, except pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, or pursuant to a valid exemption from such registration.