Committee for Children Blog

CFC Sponsors PSBJ 2017 Corporate Citizenship Awards Luncheon

On Wednesday, May 17, 2017, Committee for Children had the privilege of being a Gold Sponsor at the Puget Sound Business Journal’s (PSBJ) 2017 Corporate Citizenship Awards luncheon. It was an inspiring and well-attended event at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel.

2017 Corporate Citizenship Awards

Puget Sound Business Journal

The luncheon brought together local companies and nonprofits to celebrate the philanthropic work that’s being done in the Puget Sound region and beyond. From REI’s support of conservation organizations nationwide as they seek to fulfill the belief that “a life outdoors is a life well lived,” to BECU’s “Closing for Good” campaign where employees are teaching responsible financial practices to high school students, there’s much more taking place beyond charitable donations.

At the event, eight companies were recognized for their giving in specific categories. The following companies were honored as Healthy Community Corporate Champions:

  • REI Co-op for their involvement in and leadership of protecting the environment.
  • BECU for providing economic opportunity via financial education programs.
  • Perkins Coie LLP for funding and providing pro bono legal services to a vast array of Washington arts & culture organizations.
  • Inspirus Credit Union for their dedication to education particularly by assisting homeless students.
  • Holland America Line for their commitment to health and wellness as they support the American Cancer Society to help fund the research for cancer cures.
  • Tom Douglas Restaurants for their tremendous care of basic needs as they lead the fight to end hunger by donating to and supporting Food Lifeline in an effort to serve all that need to be fed.
  • Tableau Software for their global giving as they use data tools to help fight malaria in Zambia and other African nations.
  • Walsh Construction Co. for rebuilding our neighborhoods and communities by housing the homeless in their tiny house villages.

Along with honoring these eight companies, the PSBJ also recognized 75 of the region’s most generous businesses for their corporate philanthropy. There were 25 recipients in each category of small, medium, and large companies. For small companies, in third place was John Buchan Homes, in second place was Sound Community Bank, and in first place for cash giving was Glassybaby. Committee for Children’s executive director, Joan Cole Duffell, had the honor of personally congratulating Glassybaby with their award.

Joan Duffell and Glassybaby

For medium companies, in third place was AssuredPartners MCM, in second place was HomeStreet Bank, and in first place was Banner Corp.

For large companies, in third place was Costco Wholesale, in second place was The Boeing Company, and in first place was Microsoft.

Joan Cole Duffell addressed the audience, informing them about Gold Sponsor Committee for Children’s mission and vision and the importance of social skills—like the ability to calm down—a skill that is advantageous in the workplace. Each attendee received a water bottle labeled with calming-down techniques taught in Committee for Children’s social-emotional learning curriculum, the Second Step program. Cole Duffell described how social skills such as assertiveness, problem solving, and effective communication are all invaluable for employees.

A key goal of Committee for Children is to give every student access to social-emotional learning education so they can go on not only to work for companies like the ones honored at this event, but also so they will be able to build a better world tomorrow.

For more information on the connection between social skills and workforce readiness, click here.

Joan Duffell PSBJ

PSBJ

From feeding the hungry, to housing the homeless, to empowering others to do good, the fantastic organizations that were celebrated at this year’s Puget Sound Business Journal Corporate Citizenship luncheon are an inspiration to us all.  Thank you for helping to meet the needs of the marginalized locally and globally. We congratulate all of you on your success and desire to give back.