Points of Light Announces 2017 Tribute Award Honorees

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, NFL player Coty Sensabaugh and his wife Dominique, and wildlife advocates Jack and Suzi Hanna, will be honored for their service to others at Points of Light’s 2017 Tribute Awards at the Embassy of France on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017.

Points of Light, a global nonprofit inspired by former President George H. W. Bush, is the world’s leading volunteer service organization. The Tribute Awards, titled “Changing Lives Through Service,” annually honors individuals who embody the vision of “a thousand points of light” that President Bush first invoked during his acceptance speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention.

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer will emcee the sold-out event. Some 300 corporate, nonprofit, and community leaders will gather to honor individuals and organizations whose extraordinary contributions to volunteering and service have made their communities and the world better.

Mr. and Mrs. Neil M. Bush and His Excellency Gérard Araud, ambassador of France to the United States, are hosting the event, along with the event Honorary Chairman
Ambassador C. Boyden Gray, and dinner co-chairs Wally and Sandy Ganzi and Larry Bathgate and Michelle Bengué.

“Points of Light continues to lift up one of the legacies that is most important to my dad, and one that continues to have enormous ripples and impact in communities around the world,” said Neil Bush, chairman of Points of Light’s board of directors and son of President George H. W. Bush. “These extraordinary individuals bring leadership, innovation, and energy to bear on some of the toughest challenges we face as a nation. It is our privilege to recognize them.”

The 2017 Tribute Award honorees are Arnold Schwarzenegger, former California governor, founding chair of R20: Regions of Climate Action, and founder of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Coty Sensabaugh and his wife Dominique, founders of the Sensabaugh Mission Moon, a nonprofit enterprise committed to fighting global poverty; and Jack and Suzi Hanna, co-hosts of the Emmy-award winning TV series “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild,” and ambassador for the Columbus Zoo and The Wilds.

A special Points of Light Lifetime Service Award will be presented to Ambassador C. Boyden Gray for his public service, volunteer leadership on the boards of numerous charitable, educational, and professional organizations, and his longtime support of the Points of Light vision and mission as established by President Bush.

The honorees are representative of the more than 62 million Americans who volunteer their time, talent and resources every year in service to others. The value and impact of volunteering is particularly relevant on the heels of numerous natural disasters, including three major hurricanes and an earthquake. The Points of Light disaster services team supports first responder organizations, like FEMA and the American Red Cross, connects with Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster chapters across the United States to assess the situation, and coordinates with our affiliates and partner organizations in the affected areas to support long-term volunteer engagement in recovery efforts.

About Points of Light

Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it’s needed most. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.

Media Contact:
Janet Staihar
Office: (202)797-7373
Mobile: (202)494-2490
[email protected]

Five Daily Point of Light Awardees to be Honored by Five Former Presidents for Disaster Relief Work

Points of Light will award five Daily Point of Light Awards to volunteers who performed outstanding work in their communities following the devastation of recent hurricanes. The volunteers will be recognized on Oct. 21 during the “Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal” concert benefitting communities hit by recent natural disasters. The volunteers will be recognized on stage with the five living former U.S. presidents, including Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter.

“In the wake of tremendous devastation in my hometown of Houston, what we witnessed was inspiring. Neighborhoods darkened by flood damage were shining with the bright light of neighbors helping neighbors,” said Points of Light Chairman Neil Bush. “When individuals translate common interests into a common cause, they make a difference in the lives of others. That is what these five Daily Point of Light awardees represent.”

During the 2017 hurricane season, the Southeastern United States and Caribbean have experienced three catastrophic category 4 and 5 hurricanes – Harvey, Irma and Maria. These are the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history, with estimates exceeding $200 billion. In the coming weeks, months and years, the people of Houston, the Gulf Coast region, Florida, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico will continue to recover and rebuild from the devastation caused by these storms.

“Strength, resilience and kindness flow from the simple acts of service, as demonstrated by the five people being honored for their volunteerism. The recovery and rebuilding efforts after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria will continue for years, and will be most effective and successful with the ongoing support of volunteers,” said Points of Light CEO Natalye Paquin. “Our hope is that the stories of these five Daily Points of Light, which are symbolic of the great humanitarian spirit that comes out in times of need, will inspire people to continue to give their time, talent and resources to build community.”

The five Daily Point of Light awardees being recognized for their volunteer efforts in disaster response include:

Daily Point of Light #6110: Murad Ajani recruited a group of more than 2,500 volunteers from the Ismaili Muslim community, who collectively put in more than 13,000 hours of service toward evacuating and restoring the greater Houston area.
Daily Point of Light #6111: Leah Halbina created the irmaresponse.org website, which informed victims about shelter locations and capacity, and informed donors about the needs of each shelter.
Daily Point of Light #6112: Derek Auguste helped with preparation and cleanup efforts surrounding Hurricane Irma, and continues to support efforts to aid recovery in Puerto Rico.
Daily Point of Light #6113: Kat Creech put her wedding planning business on hold to start RecoveryHouston. Within days, she recruited hundreds of volunteers who helped rebuild more than 120 homes in one week.
Daily Point of Light #6114: Zachary Dearing arrived at an evacuation shelter and, realizing there was no one in charge, took the lead, organizing rescue groups, distributing food and supplies, and helping to keep 126 people safe during Hurricane Harvey until officials arrived.

Points of Light has extensive experience working with communities devastated by hurricanes and other natural disasters, and mobilizing and equipping volunteers in support of affected communities. With specialization in engaging and managing volunteer teams, the Points of Light disaster response team is actively supporting national and local efforts related this season’s hurricanes through its network of affiliates in affected areas.

Individuals and companies interested in learning more about Points of Light’s disaster relief work, finding volunteer opportunities or nominating an exceptional volunteer for a Daily Point of Light Award should visit www.pointsoflight.org.

About Points of Light

About the Daily Point of Light Award

Daily Point of Light awards are given five days a week in the United States and the United Kingdom to honor individuals and groups creating meaningful change to meet community needs; efforts which often lead to long-term solutions and impact social problems in their local communities. President George H. W. Bush was the first president in American history to institute a daily presidential recognition program from the White House, conferring 1,020 Daily Point of Light Awards on citizens and organizations making a big difference in other people’s lives and solving community problems. The nonpartisan award was adopted by former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron in 2014, and the tradition has continued with his successor Theresa May.

TEGNA Partners with Arby’s Foundation and Points of Light to Support Make A Difference Day on Saturday, October 28

TEGNA Inc. joins forces with Arby’s Foundation and Points of Light in support of this year’s Make A Difference Day, one of the largest single days of service nationwide. Since 1992, thousands of volunteers across the United States have organized community projects with the single purpose of improving the lives of others.

“This year TEGNA has shown that our commitment to making a positive impact in our communities is unwavering,” said Dave Lougee, president and CEO, TEGNA.

Individuals or organizations can create local Make A Difference Day projects that meet the criteria found at www.makeadifferenceday.com. Approved registered projects become eligible for one of 14 $10,000 grants benefitting a qualified charity related to their Make A Difference Day project. Volunteers can also search for opportunities to join existing registered projects. Thirteen National Awards are funded by the Arby’s Foundation. The All Star Award, which highlights a previous Make A Difference Day award winner, is funded by the TEGNA Foundation. 2017 grant recipients are announced in the spring of 2018.

TEGNA stations, reaching one-third of all television households nationwide, have also organized projects benefitting their local communities. Station community projects include:

KHOU in Houston, where volunteers will assemble supply kits for teachers through the Teachers Aid partnerships to benefit the Houston Food Bank.
WUSA in Washington, D.C., and volunteers from TEGNA in McLean, Virginia, will assemble 75,000 weekend food packages for local schools to be distributed to students who are food insecure, working with the United Way of the National Capital Area.
WWL in New Orleans, where volunteers will build a community garden in partnership with HandsOn New Orleans.
KGW in Portland, Oregon, where organizers will run a toy drive for the benefit of Morrison Child & Family Services.
KMSB in Tucson, Arizona, where employees will be working with the American Heart Association to become CPR certified in order to teach others in the community.

“This year TEGNA has shown that our commitment to making a positive impact in our communities is unwavering,” said Dave Lougee, president and CEO, TEGNA. “In addition to local news and information, our stations and employees are dedicated to our organization’s purpose of serving the greater good of our communities. We are grateful for the continued support of Arby’s Foundation and Points of Light as we look ahead to another exciting day of service alongside the thousands of volunteers who spark positive change and give back in their communities.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with TEGNA and Points of Light for Make A Difference Day again this year,” said Paul Brown, CEO, Arby’s Restaurant Group. “One of our six core values is Make a Difference and this national day of volunteerism is a great opportunity to bring our values to life in the communities where we live and work.”

“This tradition brings to life President George H.W. Bush’s vision of individuals freely taking action to solve problems and truly make a difference in the lives of others,” said Natalye Paquin, CEO, Points of Light. “Make A Difference Day demonstrates the power of volunteerism to bring people together and make communities stronger.”

About TEGNA

TEGNA Inc. is an innovative media company that serves the greater good of our communities. With 46 television stations in 38 markets, TEGNA delivers relevant content and information to consumers across platforms. It is the largest owner of top 4 affiliates in the top 25 markets, reaching approximately one-third of all television households nationwide. Each month, TEGNA reaches 50 million adults on-air and 32 million across its digital platforms. TEGNA has been consistently honored with the industry’s top awards, including Edward R. Murrow, George Polk, Alfred I. DuPont and Emmy Awards. TEGNA delivers results for advertisers through unparalleled and innovative solutions including OTT local advertising network Premion, centralized marketing resource Hatch, and G/O Digital, a one-stop shop for local businesses to connect with consumers through digital marketing. Across platforms, TEGNA tells empowering stories, conducts impactful investigations and delivers innovative marketing solutions. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.

About Arby’s Foundation

The Arby’s Foundation, the independent charitable arm of Arby’s Restaurant Group, helps America’s kids dream big and pursue their dreams with confidence. Building on a philanthropic heritage that has contributed more than $80 million to youth-related causes since its inception in 1986, the Arby’s Foundation is committed to helping kids build, expand and purse their dreams as we focus our efforts in childhood hunger, youth leadership and career readiness initiatives. The Arby’s Foundation is a registered 501 (c) (3) organization headquartered in Atlanta. To learn more, visit www.arbysfoundation.org.

About Points of Light

Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people where it’s needed most. For more information, visit www.pointsoflight.org.

# # #

For media inquiries, contact:
Ellen Booth
Corporate Communications
(703) 873-6274
[email protected]

For investor inquiries, contact:
Jeffrey Heinz
Vice President, Investor Relations
(703) 873-6917

Volunteer Reception Center Opens to Assist in Harvey Recovery Effective Volunteer Coordination Crucial for Rebuilding Success

Points of Light, with support of its local affiliate Volunteer Houston, is standing up a disaster recovery team and opening a Volunteer Reception Center at Harris County Precinct One’s Finnigan Park Community Center, 4900 Providence Street, Houston, Texas 77020, where it is currently signing up volunteers to help with the Hurricane Harvey recovery. The VRC provides a central location for the public to learn about and sign up for volunteer opportunities throughout the area.

“It is all about neighbor helping neighbor,” said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. “Volunteers immediately came together during the search and rescue efforts and now they are stepping up to help rebuild their communities.”

Harris County, the City of Houston and Points of Light’s Houston disaster recovery team are working together to help coordinate volunteer opportunities that will speed up recovery efforts in the area. Volunteers are integral in every disaster and are core to a community’s recovery. Volunteer management and training is fundamental to community rebuilding efforts and resilience. Points of Light’s team will coordinate, train and deploy volunteers into roles that meet critical community need.

Points of Light has a more direct connection with the Houston community because it is home to the organization’s founder, President George H. W. Bush, and his family.

“A half mile from my home an entire neighborhood, like so many communities near a bayou, was flooded. But just down the street we found inspiration. A neighborhood darkened by flood damage was shining with the bright light of neighbors helping neighbors,” said Neil Bush, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Points of Light. “Times of disaster are devastating but they also remind us of the spirit of compassion that binds the fabric of our nation together. I’m proud that Points of Light and Volunteer Houston are able to harness this spirit of compassion for direct impact in our community.”

Community recovery is dependent on the strength of the voluntary sector to identify and meet acute needs of survivors who face loss of a home or possibly the loss of their livelihoods, and volunteers will take on the majority of tasks required to help communities get back on their feet in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

“Our community’s resilience is directly impacted by the work that volunteers are doing in our communities,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “This center will provide a central location for ensuring their skills, talents, and time are effectively used.”

At the VRC, volunteers will:

Register
Participate in a safety briefing
Receive volunteer assignments for the day
Help make a difference in the lives of Houstonians

Volunteers can also go to www.volunteerhou.org/drm/needs to register and sign up.

Contact:
Cameron Waldner, [email protected], (713) 899-4349
Meghann Gibbons, [email protected], (404) 979-2920

Points of Light Civic Accelerator Launches Fall 2017 Class

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator – the first national accelerator dedicated to investing in civic ventures – announced today the 12 ventures selected to participate in its fall 2017 program. The ventures come from across the United States and include for-profits and nonprofits focused on access and pathways to employment to help more individuals and families succeed.

“Since the recession, we have lost 5 million manufacturing jobs, with half of the jobs added being low-wage. Our ventures provide solutions from education to workforce access, to help employers find talent and individuals find and sustain jobs in the innovation economy. This is a critical issue in the U.S., and we look forward to helping these teams and ventures scale the bold solutions needed to tackle this issue.” —Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Points of Light Civic Accelerator.

With founding partners the PwC Charitable Foundation Inc. and Starbucks Foundation, and continuing partners Dentons, Singing for Change, and hotel sponsor Hilton, the Points of Light Civic Accelerator, kicks off its fall program with ventures working to equip and connect those who are underemployed with sustainable jobs in the innovation economy. This will be the 10th cohort of the Civic Accelerator since its founding in 2012.

The 12 teams will gather in Atlanta from Oct. 16-19 for the start of an intensive, 10-week entrepreneur boot camp that includes mentoring, education, peer support and networking. The teams then travel to Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Points of Light will offer two of the most promising ventures – as selected by the entrepreneurs themselves – a $50,000 investment following the conclusion of the program.

“We are excited to support, along with our funders and partners, such promising ventures to improve access to employment, particularly among populations with high rates of underemployment,” said Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Points of Light Civic Accelerator. “Since the recession, we have lost 5 million manufacturing jobs, with half of the jobs added being low-wage. Our ventures provide solutions from education to workforce access, to help employers find talent and individuals find and sustain jobs in the innovation economy. This is a critical issue in the U.S., and we look forward to helping these teams and ventures scale the bold solutions needed to tackle this issue.”

Application and selection committees reviewed more than 60 curated applications before selecting the finalists. The selected cohort of ventures represent various sectors and solutions to improve access to jobs through 21^st century education models, innovative training programs and on-ramps to higher education and career advancement for non-traditional employees such as veterans, immigrants and opportunity youth.

The civic startups participating in the Civic Accelerator fall 2017 program represent California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C:

BridgeYear Nonprofit (Houston) – connects underserved individuals to high-growth employment and education opportunities through Career Test Drives and timely advising.

Chipper For-profit (Austin, Texas) – is a mobile app that rounds up change from everyday transactions and automatically chips away student debt.

ClassTracks For-profit (Baltimore) – empowers English language learners through an online learning tool that helps them learn key vocabulary more quickly and efficiently.

Cooperate Inc. Nonprofit (New York) – connects underrepresented college grads to each other and to meaningful careers in tech, media, and design.

Fathers Building Futures Nonprofit (Albuquerque, New Mexico) – ensures parents and families experiencing barriers from incarceration have opportunities for stability through job skills training and placement, financial education, and wrap-around services.

The Gifted Education Foundation Nonprofit (Atlanta) – aims to break generational cycles of poverty by producing marketplace leaders from low-income communities across America.

InReturn Strategies For-profit (Kansas City) – enables businesses to overcome social barriers and employ people with disabilities as easily as they do mainstream populations.

JobSnap Media Inc. For-profit (Los Angeles) – is the first web app video interviewing software platform helping Generation Z in underserved communities enter the workforce by telling their story via 30-second videos.

La Cocina VA Nonprofit (Arlington, Virginia) – generates social and economic change by preparing unemployed immigrants for culinary and entrepreneurial careers.

NewHire® For-profit (Chicago) – helps businesses hire better by providing the candidates, screening tools and coaching.

Caregiver Jobs Now For-profit (Washington, D.C.) – helps senior care organizations find great caregivers, and helps caregivers find great jobs.

The Memo For-profit (New York) – is a digital career subscription platform that provides career readiness training for women of color to advance in their careers.

About Points of Light

About the Points of Light Civic Accelerator

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator program and investment fund in the country focused on civic ventures – for-profit and nonprofit startups that include people as part of the solution to critical social problems. The three month, boot camp-style program convenes 10-15 teams in person and online with the goal of equipping each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovation. CivicX was launched in 2012, with support from founding partners PwC Charitable Foundation and Starbucks Foundation and in partnership with Village Capital. We receive continuing support from Dentons, Singing for Change and official hotel sponsor Hilton. Visit cvcx.org for more information or follow the accelerator on Twitter at @civicacceleratr and across social media at #CIVICX.

Points of Light Releases The 2017 Civic 50 Report

Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, has released a new report, “Inspiring and Leading in Times of Change: Insights and Best Practices from The 2017 Civic 50.” The Civic 50 provides a national standard for superior corporate citizenship and showcases how companies can use their time, skills and other resources to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business. The report presents the benchmarking information, insights and best practices of The 2017 Civic 50 and illustrates the best examples of how the corporate community can lead and inspire during times of rapid and complex change.

“The 2017 Civic 50 represents the very best of business in America. Honorees are daring to get connected through service and reaffirming those classic values of citizenship in the belief that they can be an example for the future,” said Jennifer Lawson, president of networks at Points of Light. “They are leaning into models of investment for social impact that leverage capital investment with strategic and skilled volunteer service, using their products and knowledge to make significant progress to address social challenges. We hope that the insights and best practices in this report provide guidance to help inform other business managers and corporate citizenship leaders who want their organizations to turn good intentions into sound business practices.”

The Civic 50 honorees are public and private companies with U.S. operations and revenues of $1 billion or more, and are selected based on four dimensions of their U.S. community engagement program – investment, integration, institutionalization and impact.

Key Statistics and Highlights from The Civic 50 Report

Being a community-minded company is about better engagement, not more. Companies are adopting strategic practices to accelerate impact in communities. Skills-based volunteering, multi-faceted investment and matching gifts are on the rise, and companies are taking on leadership roles to advance social issues.

The most community-minded companies in the country realize they can make a bigger impact in communities and harness the talents of their employees by contributing time and talent to critical causes. The average percentage of skilled volunteer time at Civic 50 companies increased from 20 percent in 2014 to 26 percent in 2017.
The average percentage of grants from The Civic 50 companies providing additional support through volunteers, in-kind goods or multi-year pledges increased from 38 percent in 2016 to 43 percent in 2017.
Total giving for employee matches and Dollars for Doers grants increased, up from $135 million in 2016 to $146 million in 2017. This demonstrates how companies can support and empower employee giving and volunteering, and it sends a message to employees that the causes they care about are important to the organization.
Companies continue to use their voice to take leadership positions on social issues by promoting public awareness or behavior change. Companies are stepping into new and uncharted roles as leaders and advocates in social action, policy and community-building. In 2017, 62 percent of Civic 50 companies took a leadership position on four or more national public education and/or policy advocacy efforts.

Companies are taking to heart the adage of “doing well by doing good” and putting it at the center of business. Civic 50 honorees use community engagement to drive key business functions, including employee engagement (88 percent), diversity and inclusion (84 percent), marketing and PR (84 percent), and skill development (72 percent).

Civic 50 companies are building community values into their business and empowering changemakers to be a powerful force for change.

100 percent of Civic 50 companies seek input from community leaders on local needs and their community engagement programs, and 74 percent have formal efforts that actively solicit community feedback through surveys, focus groups or community meetings.
62 percent of Civic 50 companies include community engagement as a formal component of employees’ performance reviews, emphasizing its importance to organizational culture. This is up from 50 percent in 2016.
64 percent of Civic 50 companies offer employees volunteer time off to support their service to the community.
78 percent of Civic 50 companies list community engagement on department or business unit scorecards, creating incentive and accountability structures around community goals.
At nearly 70 percent of Civic 50 companies, executive leaders support community engagement by participating in community activities at least once a month.
At nearly 80 percent of Civic 50 companies, executive leaders encourage employees to participate in community activities at least once a month.

Civic 50 companies are demonstrating their impact by measuring what matters — social and business outcomes. While storytelling and volunteer recognition are important, Civic 50 companies are also using robust measurement practices to evaluate and demonstrate how they are making an impact.

76 percent of Civic 50 companies measure the social outcomes of their volunteer programs, going beyond measuring outputs, and 76 percent measure the outcomes of their social advocacy work.
Recognizing that doing good also helps the business bottom-line, 68 percent of Civic 50 companies measure the outcomes of their community engagement programs on marketing/PR, 66 percent measure business outcomes related to employee engagement, and 64 percent measure outcomes related to diversity inclusion.

The Civic 50 survey is administered by True Impact, a company specializing in helping organizations maximize and measure their social and business value. The survey instrument consists of quantitative and multiple-choice questions that inform The Civic 50 scoring process. The Civic 50 is the only survey and ranking system that exclusively measures corporate involvement in communities. Points of Light partners with VeraWorks to analyze the data and to produce The Civic 50 report.

“Inspiring and Leading in Times of Change: Insights and Best Practices from The 2017 Civic 50” has full analysis of The 2017 Civic 50 data, best practices and case studies for each of the ten sector leaders. For more information about The Civic 50, to download the report or to learn about learning webinars taking place through October, please visit www.civic50.org.

About Points of Light
Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it’s needed most. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.

About True Impact
True Impact provides web-based tools and consulting support to help organizations measure the social, financial, and environmental return on investment (ROI) of their programs and operations. For more information, visit www.trueimpact.com.

About VeraWorks
VeraWorks is a global consulting firm that helps managers and companies offer employees the opportunity to do societal good through their everyday jobs. For more information, visit www.veraworks.com.

Points of Light Names Natalye Paquin as New CEO

The Points of Light board of directors announced today that Natalye Paquin, chief transformation officer at the Girl Scouts of the USA, has been selected as its new CEO. Paquin, who will join Points of Light in September 2017, brings extensive experience in organizational leadership, cross-sector collaboration, and a record of impact-driven results.

“We are pleased to welcome Natalye Paquin as the new CEO of Points of Light. She brings extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, education and civil rights to the role, as well as a skilled hand at working with large networks and volunteer organizations – all key to the Points of Light mission,” said Neil Bush, chairman of the Points of Light board of directors. “Her undisputed passion for good, demonstrated leadership skills and commitment to action make her an exceptional choice to lead and build on the legacy of Points of Light as an organization that gets things done.”

Paquin’s leadership record demonstrates bold vision and action, along with effective constituent engagement and sustained impact. She will bring insights to Points of Light gained from leading a national transformational strategy for the Girl Scouts of the USA, a multifaceted organization with an international presence; coupled with experience as CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, one of the largest Girl Scouts councils in the country. As CEO, Paquin was successful in growing revenue and engaging partners in new strategies that resulted in significant investments in programming. Committed to making life better for others, Paquin dedicated a significant portion of her career to working on challenging education issues. First, as a civil rights attorney with the United States Department of Education, and then in legal and executive roles in two of the nation’s largest public school systems – the Philadelphia School District and the Chicago Public Schools. In both school systems, with teams committed to providing higher quality program experiences to students in underserved communities, Paquin led visionary projects that changed the ecosystem and status quo.

“I am inspired by President George H. W. Bush’s vision that calls on service to communities. I understand first-hand the joy and benefit of volunteering and the value of collective impact. I’m honored to join Points of Light at this moment in time, recognizing how important it is for the organization to lead in helping people and organizations connect their time, talent and treasures to the causes they care about,” said Natalye Paquin, incoming CEO of Points of Light. “I look forward to working with Points of Light’s staff, board, global affiliate network, corporate and nonprofit partners, and know we share an unwavering resolve to make the world a better place.”

For more than two decades, Paquin has volunteered with organizations tackling issues important to her. She has also served in numerous volunteer leadership roles and is currently a trustee of Rosemont College and a board member of the national advisory board of the Salvation Army.

Points of Light is a vibrant global organization with a diverse programmatic and impact portfolio; a boots-on-the-ground network of 250 local volunteer centers in 38 countries; corporate engagement expertise; an energetic youth service movement; an alumni network of national service members; innovative technology that connects people to causes; convening power that brings thousands together annually; and a recognition platform that shines a light on those who become agents of change in their communities.

About Points of Light

Media Contact:

Diane Quest
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
404-979-2929
[email protected]

Points of Light Civic Accelerator Invests $100,000 in Two Startups Advancing Economic Mobility for Underserved Populations

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator announced today that it will invest $50,000 each in SpringFour (Chicago) and The Virtual Scholarship Center(Atlanta) – one for-profit and one nonprofit startup. Both ventures are focused on financial well-being and economic mobility to help more individuals and families succeed.

The Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures” – for-profit and nonprofit startups that solve social problems by tapping into human capital as part of the solution. The goal of the accelerator is to equip each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovations.

The investment came at the end of The Civic Accelerator’s ninth bootcamp-style startup program and investment fund. The Spring 2017 program convened 12 startups over 10 weeks for three in-person, weeklong sessions in Atlanta, New York and Seattle, in addition to an in-depth virtual curriculum. The participants peer-selected the two ventures that received $50,000 investments.

All 12 ventures are working toward the shared outcomes of accelerating financial well-being and economic mobility for underserved populations. They represent various sectors, approaches and solutions, including inclusive financial education and health, economic resilience, and innovations around work-ready skills, employment, employer products and succeeding in the gig economy.

“It’s so inspiring to work with our corporate partners, faculty and mentors, to help accelerate these 12 teams of entrepreneurs who are building and scaling solutions from direct to consumer tech products, to platforms that enable education, workforce solutions and students and families to access financial resources. Some ventures are also disrupting systemic cycles, like low-wage jobs in communities, and working with populations that are often overlooked,” said Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Points of Light Civic Accelerator. “Our teams represent the diversity of this country – 50 percent led or co-led by women, over 50 percent by racial/ethnic minorities – with domain expertise and proximity to these issues so they can best solve them.

SpringFour, a Chicago-based for-profit, improves loan performance for financial institutions by equipping call centers and consumer facing applications with the most up-to-date and comprehensive financial health resources.

“SpringFour is excited and honored to have been selected by our peers. It provides strong validation of our mission and solution to connect consumers to resources that increase opportunities for financial health,” said Rochelle Gorey, co-founder and CEO of SpringFour. “With this investment, we plan to continue to provide people with the resources they need to reduce their household expenses so that they can begin to pay back past-due bills and save again.”

The Virtual Scholarship Center, an Atlanta nonprofit, is a scholarship preparatory platform that empowers students, counselors and parents to create 4-year college funding strategies.

“The investment gives us an opportunity to truly re-envision what college access looks like in underserved communities,” shared Jessica Johnson, founder and executive director of The Scholarship Academy. “It will allow us to use the Center as a training tool for college counselors and connect local scholarship providers to low-income students via a mobile app. We don’t take it lightly that a group of the nation’s most innovative entrepreneurs found validity in our work and invested in our scaling potential.”

In its fifth year, the Civic Accelerator has invested $850,000 in U.S.-based social entrepreneurs and has paired 113 teams with more than 150 mentors, partners and strategic advisors. The graduated teams have generated over $54 million dollars in revenue to-date and reached over 5 million individuals to solve the most critical social problems facing communities across the country.

The graduated ventures in the Spring 2017 Class are:

CommunityShare (Tucson, Arizona, Nonprofit), puts the public back into public education by connecting local community partners with the needs and goals of educators and their students.

Edquity (New York, For-profit) offers the first-of-its-kind college financial planning app, supporting students through every financial decision on their road to graduation.

Hip Pocket (Lincoln, Nebraska, For-profit) is a FinTech software company that creates apps to help people make better financial decisions from their phone in just minutes.

Mission Bit (San Francisco, Nonprofit) interrupts generational poverty by expanding coding education to high school students and offering affordable coding courses for low-income adults.

Mytual (Detroit, For-profit) helps owner-only businesses and freelancers maximize their retirement savings by streamlining access to individual 401(k) plans.

NaTakallam (New York, For-profit) provides an income to refugees by leveraging their native language skills and connecting them to users worldwide for online language practice and learning.

Project Basta (New York, Nonprofit) bridges the gap between employers and first-generation college graduates through an intensive professional placement and career mentoring program.

Sou Sou (Washington, D.C., For-profit) is a mobile-first investment platform that allows women investors to invest in women-led startups and build wealth together across the globe.

SpringFour (Chicago, For-profit) improves loan performance for financial institutions by equipping call centers and consumer-facing applications with the most relevant, up-to-date and comprehensive financial health resources.

The Prison Scholar Fund (Seattle, Nonprofit) opens access to postsecondary education and employment opportunities for incarcerated students with financing and mentoring.

The Virtual Scholarship Center (Atlanta, Nonprofit) is a scholarship preparatory platform that empowers students, counselors and parents to create 4-year college funding strategies.

YourCasa (Atlanta, For-profit) increases Hispanic homeownership nationally by educating, preparing and connecting homebuyers with bilingual professionals that can help them achieve their American dream.

About Points of Light

About The Points of Light Civic Accelerator

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator program and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures” – for-profit and nonprofit startups that solve social problems by including people as part of the solution. The three-month, boot camp-style program convenes 10-15 teams in person and online with the goal of equipping each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovation. The Civic Accelerator was launched in 2012, in partnership with Village Capital, and receives generous support from founding partners PwC Charitable Foundation and The Starbucks Foundation, and from CapitalOne Investing for Good, Vodafone Americas Foundation, U.S. Small Business Administration, Dentons, Singing for Change, and official hotel sponsor Hilton. Visit cvcx.org for more information or follow the accelerator on Twitter at @civicacceleratr and across social media at #CIVICX.

About PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc.

The PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc., a section 501(c)(3) organization, makes charitable contributions to the people of PwC in times of financial hardship, and to nonprofit organizations that support and promote education and humanitarianism.

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 24,000 stores around the globe, Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit our stores or online at news.starbucks.com and Starbucks.com.

Points of Light Announces Top 50 Community-Minded Companies

Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, announces the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States. The Civic 50 provides a national standard for superior corporate citizenship and showcases how companies can use their time, skills and other resources to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business.

The Civic 50 winners were announced at the Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service in Seattle, where leaders in volunteerism and civic engagement are gathering to discuss social innovation, cross-sector collaboration and citizen engagement can drive change.

“In the fifth year of honoring the most community-minded companies in the nation, The Civic 50 truly highlights the commitment to community and civic engagement of America’s leading brands. This year’s honorees contributed more than $1.4 billion and 10.1 million volunteer hours in their communities around the country,” said Jennifer Lawson, president of networks at Points of Light. “Encouraged by calls for responsible citizenship from shareholders, employees and customers—but also driven by a desire to build trust and define their brands—Civic 50 companies are putting communities at the center of business.”

The Civic 50 winners are public and private companies with U.S. operations and revenues of $1 billion or more, and are selected based on four dimensions of their U.S. community engagement program – investment, integration, institutionalization and impact.

The 2017 Civic 50 Honorees

AbbVie
Adobe Systems Inc.
Aetna
Allstate
Altria Group Inc.
AT&T*
Baker Hughes Inc.
Banfield Pet Hospital
Baxter International Inc.
Caesars Entertainment*
Capital One
Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.
Citigroup, Inc.
Comcast NBCUniversal
Comerica Incorporated
CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer
CVS Health
Dell
Deloitte
Dr Pepper Snapple Group*
Ecolab
Entergy Corporation
Exelon Corporation*
FedEx Corporation
Food Lion
Freeport-McMoRan Inc.*
General Mills
Hasbro Inc.
Health Care Service Corporation
The Hershey Company
The Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company
IBM Corporation*
KeyBank*
KPMG LLP
MGM Resorts International
Motorola Solutions Inc.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
PIMCO
Prudential Financial Inc.
Raytheon Company*
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Steelcase
Symantec Corporation
Tata Consultancy Services
Toyota Financial Services
TSYS
UnitedHealth Group
UPS
Valero Energy Corporation*
WellCare Health Plans Inc.*

The 2017 Civic 50 Sector Leaders

Consumer Discretionary: Caesars Entertainment
Consumer Staples: Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Energy: Valero Energy Corporation
Financials: KeyBank
Healthcare: WellCare Health Plans Inc.
Industrials: Raytheon Company
Information Technology: IBM Corporation
Materials: Freeport-McMoRan Inc.
Telecommunications: AT&T
Utilities: Exelon Corporation

Key Statistics and Highlights from The Civic 50 2017 Awardees

Being a community-minded company is about better engagement, not more. Companies are adopting strategic practices to accelerate impact in communities. Skills-based volunteering, multi-faceted investment and matching gifts are on the rise, and companies are taking on leadership roles to advance social issues.
- The most community-minded companies in the country realize they can make a bigger impact in communities and harness the talents of their employees by contributing time and talent to critical causes. The average percentage of skilled volunteer time at Civic 50 companies increased from 20 percent in 2014 to 26 percent in 2017.
- The average percentage of grants from The Civic 50 companies providing additional support through volunteers, in-kind goods or multi-year pledges increased from 38 percent in 2016 to 43 percent in 2017.
- Total giving for employee matches and Dollars for Doers grants increased, up from $135 million in 2016 to $146 million in 2017. This demonstrates how companies can support and empower employee giving and volunteering, and it sends a message to employees that the causes they care about are important to the organization.
- Companies continue to use their voice to take leadership positions on social issues by promoting public awareness or behavior change. Companies are stepping into new and uncharted roles as leaders and advocates in social action, policy and community-building. In 2017, 62 percent of Civic 50 companies took a leadership position on four or more national public education and/or policy advocacy efforts.
Companies are taking to heart the adage of “doing well by doing good” and putting it at the center of business. Civic 50 honorees use community engagement to drive key business functions, including employee engagement (88 percent), diversity and inclusion (84 percent), marketing and PR (84 percent), and skill development (72 percent).
Civic 50 companies are building community values into their business and empowering changemakers to be a powerful force for change.
- 100 percent of Civic 50 companies seek input from community leaders on local needs and their community engagement programs, and 74 percent have formal efforts that actively solicit community feedback through surveys, focus groups or community meetings.
- 62 percent of Civic 50 companies include community engagement as a formal component of employees’ performance reviews, emphasizing its importance to organizational culture. This is up from 50 percent in 2016.
- 64 percent of Civic 50 companies offer employees volunteer time off to support their service to the community.
- 78 percent of Civic 50 companies list community engagement on department or business unit scorecards, creating incentive and accountability structures around community goals.
- At nearly 70 percent of Civic 50 companies, executive leaders support community engagement by participating in community activities at least once a month.
- At nearly 80 percent of Civic 50 companies, executive leaders encourage employees to participate in community activities at least once a month.
Civic 50 companies are demonstrating their impact by measuring what matters—social and business outcomes. While storytelling and volunteer recognition are important, Civic 50 companies are also using robust measurement practices to evaluate and demonstrate how they are making an impact.
76 percent of Civic 50 companies measure the social outcomes of their volunteer programs, going beyond measuring outputs, and 76 percent measure the outcomes of their social advocacy work.
Recognizing that doing good also helps the business bottom-line, 68 percent of Civic 50 companies measure the outcomes of their community engagement programs on marketing/PR, 66 percent measure business outcomes related to employee engagement, and 64 percent measure outcomes related to diversity inclusion.

The Civic 50 survey is administered by True Impact, a company specializing in helping organizations maximize and measure their social and business value, and analyzed by VeraWorks. The survey instrument consists of quantitative and multiple-choice questions that inform The Civic 50 scoring process. The Civic 50 is the only survey and ranking system that exclusively measures corporate involvement in communities. A full report of 2017 findings will be released in September 2017.

For more information, please visit www.civic50.org.

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Thousands of Social Change Experts Come Together in Seattle for Points of Light Conference

The 2017 Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service has kicked off in Seattle with a carefully crafted series of events at some of the most distinctively Seattle venues, including Benaroya Hall, the Washington State Convention Center, and select restaurants, organizations and attractions throughout the city. The gathering brings together more thank 2,000 civic leaders from all sectors and from 23 countries, including the United States, to spark new ideas, collaborations and citizen engagement.

“This gathering is part revival and part ideas fest, and each year the experience is unique to and amplified by the host city, its leaders and residents,” said Tracy Hoover, CEO, Points of Light. “Seattle offers a picture perfect setting for attendees to share ideas, celebrate success, challenge what’s possible, imagine together and inspire each other.”

The three-day gathering engages attendees with specially curated content designed for volunteering and service professionals who live to give, stand up and serve, and shine a light for others. More than a conference, the convening includes “walkshops” that take attendees behind the scenes of some of Seattle’s most innovative organizations; and “dine arounds” at local restaurants in which issue experts lead dinner discussions on issues important to the success of the volunteering and service field.

While in Seattle, Points of Light will recognize three inspirational changemakers by presenting them with the Daily Point of Light Award, a prestigious honor started by President George H. W. Bush during his presidency. Award-wining journalist Tamron Hall, Dr. Mae Jemison, the world’s first woman of color to go into space, and Bainbridge Island native documentary filmmaker and co-founder of Living on One, Zach Ingrasci, will join more than 6,000 previous recipients of Daily Point of Light Awards. Points of Light will also announce the 2017 Civic 50, a recognition of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States as determined by an annual survey.

Headline speakers include Starbucks President and CEO Kevin Johnson; Seattle-based Writer, Performer and Creative Producer Hollis Wong-Wear; Senior Vice President and Chief HR Officer for PepsiCo Umran Beba; Chairman of the Board of Directors for Points of Light Neil Bush; Seattle Police Department Deputy Chief Carmen Best; Prison Reform Activist, Speaker, Author and Reaching Out From Within Co-Founder SuEllen Fried; Former Chief Speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama, Sarah Hurwitz; Executive Director of FSG’s Impact Hiring Initiative Nicole Trimble; Author of the bestselling memoir “Wild” Cheryl Strayed; Army Veteran, Speaker and Extreme Sports Enthusiast Sergeant Noah Galloway; Citizen University CEO Eric Liu; Award-winning Journalist Tamron Hall; Kettering Foundation President David Matthews; Nexus Co-Founder Rachel Gerrol; Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker and Co-Founder of Living on One Zach Ingrasci; Artist, Actor, Author and Activist Emmanuel Jal; Engineer, Physician, Astronaut and First African-American Woman in Space Dr. Mae Jemison; Incoming CEO for Conservation International Dr. M Sanjayan; 10-year-old Social Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Zoe Terry; and Director and Founder of Mothers for Police Accountability in Seattle Reverend Harriett Walden.

Other speakers will share their experience and expertise on a range of topics as a part of eight diverse learning tracks:

Business: leading with values, business as a force for good
Capacity building: driving results for nonprofits
Higher education: making a difference in schools
Global: innovations that are changing the world
Tech for good: at the crossroads of entrepreneur and service
Solutions for community resilience: meeting the most urgent needs
Strengthening national service: AmeriCorps leads the way
Volunteer engagement: leveraging volunteer strategies for high-impact programs.

The Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service concludes on June 21. Day rates are still available for the Conference. For more information, please visit www.volunteeringandservice.org. To apply for media credentials, please contact Christiaan Boer, [email protected].

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Contact:

Meghann Gibbons
404-731-2673
[email protected]

About Points of Light

Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. This year’s title sponsor is The UPS Foundation. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it’s needed most. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.