Deutsche Post DHL is calling again on some 100,000 employees around the world to take part inits fourth annual Global Volunteer Day which is taking place between 4 and 14 September.
Last year, more than 100,000 Deutsche Post DHL employees in 127 countries participated in over1,600 community projects and programmes as part of the annual event.
During this year’s ten-day period, employees in individual countries are participating invarious regional and local projects in cooperation with business partners and non-profitorganisations as part of DHL’s commitment to social responsibility.
In the Philippines, for example, DHL staff are helping rebuild a childcare centre that wasdestroyed during Typhoon Haiyan while their colleagues in Italy are collecting food donations for alocal relief organisation. Hundreds of different projects are also taking place in Germany, rangingfrom painting projects in schools and river clean-ups to special events at facilities for childrenand elderly people.
“It is encouraging to see so many Deutsche Post DHL employees turning out for this year’s eventand supporting their local communities through volunteerism,” said Christof Ehrhart, Director ofCorporate Communications and Responsibility at Deutsche Post DHL.
But the Global Volunteer Day programme is not limited to the few days in September. “Last year,we made the conscious decision to extend the Global Volunteer Day to include activities throughoutthe entire year. By doing so, we are underscoring the value of volunteerism within the group andhonouring the dedication of our employees to their own volunteer projects on a daily basis,” headded.
The idea for the Global Volunteer Day came from Asia in 2008 where Deutsche Post DHL employeessupported projects over a fixed period of time. In 2011, this regional initiative turned for thefirst time into a global volunteer event which is coordinated centrally and implemented on regionaland local levels.
Apart from the Global Volunteer Day, Deutsche Post has also been supporting the volunteerefforts of its employees through the “Living Responsibility Fund” since 2010. As part of thisinitiative, employees are invited twice a year to apply to receive funding for their volunteerprojects carried out with local partner organisations. Last year alone, the Living ResponsibilityFund provided financial support to 93 projects involving more than 6,000 employees in 39 countriesaround the world.
