Bayer in the Community
8/18/2008 3:02:52 PM
In an effort to boost team spirit and employee morale, Bayer employees recently organized a team-building exercise with a twist. Instead of taking the traditional route, they decided to spend their time lending a helping hand within the Berkeley community.
They envisioned working with an organization that involved families or children and were eventually matched with the Berkeley Food & Housing Project (BFHP), which recently received a $5,000 Bayer grant due to its longstanding service to local families in need. Bayer employees were particularly motivated to lend a hand after learning that the organization’s federal funding would no longer be provided for general facility improvements such as painting the living quarters. They brought their own paint, tarps and other necessities, and were able to clean, spackle and paint most of the rooms within the BFHP woman’s shelter—all in one day’s time! "Bayer Berkeley is working to launch an active employee volunteer program this fall," noted Sreejit Mohan, Public Policy & Communications director, Berkeley. "The project with BFHP is the first step in what we hope will quickly become one of the Bay Area's best corporate social responsibility programs, integrating volunteerism, local corporate giving, and employee donations."
