Why I Volunteer
Mark Giannangeli, Director, IT Program and Project Management, Business Services
My story is pretty simple. My mission is to help create events or find ways for my Bayer colleagues at the Pittsburgh, PA site to volunteer and contribute to the community. Taking action and leading by example provides me with a means to share the rewarding feeling that volunteering brings to me with others.
In September 2016, I hosted a project management conference for about 100 project managers in Pittsburgh. Attendees were asked to donate a children’s book for a networking event called “charades.” Through this event we collected more than 150 books and we connected with the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s 100,000 Book Program. Following the event, we had an article published in our site newsletter and that’s when things started taking off. Colleagues at the site were asking about how to get involved with supporting literacy and I became inspired to find opportunities for how others could make an impact in our community which led me back to the United Way.
Fast forward to May of 2017 when we launched the Bayer-United Way Literacy Program at our site in Pittsburgh. Through the program, a wonderful group of generous colleagues donated their time to help increase literacy for area children.
Why the program? Increasing literacy is the right thing to do. According to First Book, a U.S. nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide disadvantaged children with new books, 70 percent of children increased their reading at home after they received their first book. We want to do our part and add to that 70 percent.
The program involved:
· Book Drive: Employees donated more than 500 new books for children in kindergarten through third grade.
· Literacy Kits: Employees helped children create literacy kits — bags with hand-colored images that reflected the book inside.
· Summer Lunch Reading Program: Employee volunteers created 95 literacy kits on site and helped children build approximately 85 during the reading program.
So, why do we volunteer? Should we volunteer? Are we good corporate citizens?
My answers are yes, yes and yes. Volunteering in the community gives Bayer as a company and our employees a chance to make a real difference in the lives of those around us. While our mission is Science For A Better Life, it’s not just about the next innovative product, new molecule, or solving the world’s health problems. Through Bayer’s 16 hours of paid volunteer time each year, employees donate their passion and energy to improve life and communities with initiatives that hit close to home.
What’s up next? “Companies in the Classroom” is a program we’ll get involved in where Bayer volunteers will partner with a local school throughout the school year on school programs such as the Healthy School Campaign, School Mentor Program and other activities that encourage attendance, health, nutrition and secondary education.
