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Community
IBMers have distinguished themselves as committed and generous volunteers. They are part of a corporate tradition that spans generations and is rooted in the earliest days of IBM, when founder Thomas J. Watson, Sr., challenged his employees by word and example to stand for something that went beyond their professional lives. In 2004, thousands of IBMers worldwide contributed millions of volunteer hours to important community causes.
They were supported by IBM's revolutionary new initiative in corporate philanthropy, which was created to increase the impact and value of their extraordinary efforts and to inspire even more IBMers worldwide to contribute their time and talents.
Called On Demand Community, the new initiative provides employees and retirees with on demand access to IBM technology, resources, training and support, designed specifically for volunteer efforts in public education and not-for-profit organizations. The outcome: Approaching its second anniversary, more than 50,000 employees and over 7,000 retirees in 67 countries have registered with the On Demand Community, sharing their skills and know-how with local organizations. Through the On Demand Community Web site, these volunteers have access to more than 150 tools — from science presentations for middle-school kids, to a school-based online mentoring program, to technology plans for not-for-profit organizations — to support their volunteer activities. This first-of-a-kind corporate program also provides technology grants, cash awards, and reduced prices in hardware and software to eligible organizations where employees and retirees volunteer.
The heart of On Demand Community is a corporate commitment to encourage and support volunteerism among employees and retirees who want to create positive change in their communities, whether it's teaching problem-solving skills, closing the digital divide, helping teachers use technology to make classroom lessons come alive, or making it easier for people with certain physical disabilities to access the Internet.
Sharing employees' skills and intellectual capital not only helps schools and organizations do their jobs more effectively, it also reinforces IBM's core values. Though the company's operations span the globe, IBM is first and foremost a local business deeply committed to the cities and towns where its employees live and work.
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