Boys & Girls Clubs of America

We have supported Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) for more than 20 years. BGCA helps us fulfill our commitment to strengthen family relationships through their network of youth clubs, which aim to promote children’s development by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness and belonging.

In 2008, we awarded grants to 20 Boys & Girls Clubs allowing them to implement Family P.L.U.S. (Parents Leading, Uniting and Serving). This initiative aims to strengthen families and provide resources at a local level so parents and other caregivers can spend quality time with their children. It also helps parents increase skills in areas such as social development, financial literacy and technology. We provided cash awards to another 24 Boys & Girls Clubs to recognize them for their outstanding family programming. K-C is the sole sponsor of the initiative, having pledged $7 million over the five-year period 2005-2009. As a result of the Family PLUS program, 795 clubs now report that they are implementing this family-inclusive strategy. This represents approximately 640,000 registered young people.

Our Chairman and CEO Tom Falk serves on the organization’s board of governors.

In 2008, BGCA launched a new website in partnership with K-C. This site contains activities, advice and resources to help families develop the youth of today into the leaders of tomorrow.

U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Since 2001, K-C has committed $5.2 million to UNICEF’s programs. Most recently, K-C has teamed up with UNICEF to aid thousands of Brazilian children living in extreme poverty. K-C has given over $1 million since 2007 to fund a series of child-survival programs in Brazil to help children survive, develop and learn.

Company officials accompanied UNICEF volunteers and staff on a field visit in late 2007 to areas where UNICEF’s humanitarian efforts are already underway to determine where K-C funding should be directed. The Kimberly-Clark Brazil team signed on to support UNICEF’s Urban Platform Program to address serious deficiencies in healthcare and education among the urban poor in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

K-C also chose to invest in programs to help two of the populations with the greatest needs in Brazil: the children of the quilombolas and indigenous communities in the Amazon and rural northern semi-arid region. These children face possibly the worst social conditions of the country and are at increased risk of under-age-five mortality due to their lack of access to adequate health care.

As a result of our 2008 support, 30,725 vulnerable children and their families in indigenous and quilombolas communities received improved access to vital healthcare services, increasing their chances of living healthy, productive lives.

North America

In North America, K-C awarded $1.5 million in college scholarships to high school students whose parents are K-C employees. This is part of the Bright Futures Scholarship Program, which is designed to further the education of students with the potential to become the next generation of leaders in our communities. In 2008, 75 recipients from 14 states were announced. They will attend top colleges including Boston College and Northwestern University.

Thailand

Every year, K-C Thailand grants 65 scholarships to employees’ children with outstanding academic records. During 2008, we granted 40 scholarships to outstanding children at primary and secondary level, 20 scholarships to high school students and five to university students.

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