Working together to help families and communities where we live and work.
At the heart of Kimberly-Clark's values is our commitment to the
communities in which we live and work. From our 25 U.S. hometowns
to the 36 countries in which we operate, Kimberly-Clark plays an
integral part in shaping and contributing to the culture,
well-being and environment of our neighborhoods. Our employees are
steeped in the traditions and activities of each community, and as
a company we actively support what's important to our
neighbors.
The Kimberly-Clark Foundation, together with funding from the
company and our employees, responds to causes and programs with
financial contributions, product donations and volunteer time. In
2010, Kimberly-Clark and our employees contributed $24.8 million in
cash and product donations for charitable causes worldwide. As part
of that amount, the Kimberly-Clark Foundation matched $1.3 million
in employee giving, and awarded nearly $800,000 in grants to
charities where our employees or their spouses volunteered more
than 78,000 hours of their time.
Kimberly-Clark has long-term partnerships with several
charitable organizations that share our commitment to improving the
health, hygiene and well-being of the world's families.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 25 years, Kimberly-Clark has supported Boys &
Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), a U.S. organization whose mission is
to promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by
instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and
influence. BGCA and Kimberly-Clark share a commitment to building
family strength and togetherness. That's why Kimberly-Clark
contributed $7 million over a five-year period, from 2005 - 2009,
to be the sole sponsor of BGCA's new Family PLUS (Parents Leading,
Uniting, Serving) initiative.
Through Family PLUS, Boys & Girls Clubs are empowering
families to participate fully in their children's lives. BGCA
recognizes that the work it does with youth in the Clubs cannot be
effective without involving the families the youth go home to every
night. Since its inception, the Family PLUS program has helped
thousands of parents increase their skills in areas such as social
development, financial literacy and technology. Furthermore, Clubs
throughout the country have seen an increase in family support
activities and parental involvement. BGCA now has 1,351 of its
clubs participating in the Family PLUS program. In addition, 556
clubs began some type of family programming in 2009.
BGCA continues to maintain a dedicated website in partnership
with Kimberly-Clark. This site contains activities, advice and
resources to help families develop the youth of today into the
leaders of tomorrow.
In addition to our financial support, our Chairman and CEO Tom
Falk serves on the organization's national Board of Governors.
Learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of
America.
MedShare International
Kimberly-Clark recognizes that good health is essential for a
better life. Unfortunately thousands of people in economically
developing countries suffer from a lack of healthcare.
For more than a decade, Kimberly-Clark and MedShare
International have forged a partnership to bring critically needed
medical supplies to health facilities around the world.
Since Kimberly-Clark's original grant to help launch MedShare in
1998, the company has funded the shipment of $6.2 million worth of
supplies to more than 25 different hospitals in nine countries. In
addition, Kimberly-Clark employees have worked thousands of
volunteer hours to help pack the shipping containers with
life-saving equipment.
Every year, thousands of patients in the economically developing
world suffer from a lack of healthcare, and, in many areas,
healthcare supplies. At the same time, hospitals in the United
States discard millions of dollars worth of unused medical
supplies. This is where MedShare plays a vital role.
MedShare recovers surplus medical equipment in the U.S. and
sends it - via 40 foot shipping containers - to qualified
healthcare facilities in emerging countries that have a critical
need. The supplies are matched to the specific needs of each
individual facility so that every container delivered holds only
the supplies and equipment needed.
In October 2008, Kimberly-Clark committed to extend its support
of MedShare through 2012, and over the next four years,
Kimberly-Clark will fund the shipment of 36 additional containers
of medical supplies and equipment to Kimberly-Clark communities in
Latin America.
Learn more about MedShare.
United Way
Just like Kimberly-Clark, the United Way of America is committed
to ensuring a better life for those in the community through their
focus on improving the health and well-being of families.
Each year as part of our annual employee fundraising campaigns,
Kimberly-Clark employees have the opportunity to make a difference
in their local communities by volunteering and contributing to
United Way organizations coast to coast. Kimberly-Clark then
matches employee pledges dollar for dollar. In the last decade,
Kimberly-Clark and its employees have contributed more than $60
million to United Way, helping to improve lives and build stronger
communities through the areas of education, financial stability and
health.
In 2010, Kimberly-Clark employees contributed, and the company
matched, more than $2.7 million in contributions to their local
United Ways. Kimberly-Clark facilities also conducted fundraising
events such as bike races, bake sales and auctions, raising an
additional $700,000. More than half of all U.S. Kimberly-Clark
employees made a contribution.
Learn more about United Way of America.
Bright Futures Scholarship
Program
The Kimberly-Clark Foundation also sponsors the Bright Futures
Scholarship Program. Established in 1993, this program awards
college scholarships annually to children of Kimberly-Clark
employees in the U.S. and Canada. Each scholarship is worth up to
$20,000 for full-time students studying at accredited colleges and
universities. In 2011, the Foundation received 272 applications and
awarded 68 scholarships totaling $1.36 million. The average GPA for
this year's scholarship class was 3.94. Since its inception, the
program has distributed more than $33 million in scholarships to
more than 1,650 students.
Learn more about the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
Choosing to be a responsible corporate citizen is always the
right choice. Whether providing educational opportunities to our
world's brightest youth or helping families around the globe,
Kimberly-Clark is dedicated to a better life for everyone.
