PHILADELPHIA - (Business Wire) For the past 10 years, Rohm and Haas Company has been helping meet the needs of the communities where it operates, through the Community Partnership Initiative (CPI). This unique corporate social responsibility program involves community residents in major funding decisions. Since 1998, 81 grants totaling nearly $2 million have been made to 46 non-profit organizations for after-school programs ranging from robotics and performing arts to mentoring and healthy living and community beautification.
Rohm and Haas credits the tremendous success of the program to its Community Advisory Councils (CACs), which bring community leaders together with Rohm and Haas employees to consider and act on community needs. Community members who serve on Rohm and Haas Community Advisory Councils help determine the most pressing needs in their community, issue requests for proposals, review the proposals and ultimately, make the decision about which organization is best suited to meet pressing community needs.
“Individuals often feel that with so many needs in the community, any one person could not possibly make a difference,” observes Anne Casmiri, a member of the Community Advisory Council at Rohm and Haas’s facilities in Bristol, Pennsylvania. “By serving on the Community Partnership Initiative committee, I feel that I have helped in some way. That makes me feel so good.”
“Our mission has always been to be a good neighbor,” says Christine Miller, the company’s director for North American Region Communications. “We look to the CACs to help us continue to fulfill our mission by putting our philanthropic dollars to work in ways that would best benefit the community.”
To celebrate the program’s success and its 10-year anniversary, seven local nonprofit organizations were rewarded for their achievements through a special $5,000 Impact Award.
CPI IMPACT Award Winners
Children Against Negativity (C.A.N.) (Louisville, KY)
C.A.N. strives to continue and enhance its Student Recreation and Character Education Programs, as offered through the Temple Community Development Corporation (formerly Rhema Development Foundation). Rohm and Haas was one of the first organizations to recognize the outstanding potential of the C.A.N. Program, a CPI grant recipient in 2002 & 2003. The Character Education courses include Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, Sexual Health, Community Involvement, Building Strong, Healthy Relationships, Career Focus and Drug, Alcohol, and Smoking Prevention. Through Rohm and Haas’s generous support, C.A.N. quickly gained traction in their efforts to build the youth in the Louisville area.
Franklin Towne Charter High School (Philadelphia, PA)
Established in 2005, more than 100 students at Franklin Towne Charter High School in Philadelphia have enjoyed a taste of Broadway by participating in the school’s Vocal and Theater Arts Program. More than 400 community members have enjoyed productions of “Grease” and “Cinderella.” Students participated as actors, stage crew, scene designers, make-up artists, costumers and ushers. The students, who meet three times weekly after school during the school year, have also presented two choral concerts.
Ijams Nature Center (Knoxville, TN)
Ijams Nature Center received a CPI grant in 2001 to improve site security and access, accomplish clean up activities, construct trails, create permanent parking, and enhance the center’s infrastructure.
The Ambler Area YMCA (Ambler, PA)
The Ambler Area YMCA received a CPI grant in 2005 and used it to create the HIP Program, which teaches children and their families about physical fitness and healthy living habits. The Ambler YMCA has offered 15 sessions of HIP for 150 youth, and the majority of participants have maintained or lost weight.
The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Newark (Newark, DE)
The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Newark received their CPI grant in 2007. The organization used the grant to create the Positive Place Café, which enables young people to learn finance and management skills while raising money for their Boys and Girls Club teams and clubs.
The Library Company of Burlington (Burlington, NJ)
In 2004, The Library Company of Burlington received their CPI grant to create the Homework to Hangout program, which established a technology center with 12 computer workstations and accompanying software geared to teens. The Library staffs the program every day after school to provide homework help, assistance with using the library’s resources, and oversight of Internet usage.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters Association of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH)
In just one year, the popularity and success of a mentoring program called “Bigs" in School” earned its way to receive an Impact Award in the 10th Anniversary celebration. The programs were brought to Central and Hilltop schools, two underserved Reading elementary schools. Through training and participation, the “Bigs” have enjoyed personal growth and leadership development while the “Littles” have benefited from an additional caring person in their lives. The mentors have helped prepare their “Littles” for middle school and, by example, have shown them how to make better choices and helped them become more involved in school. The “Littles” are so proud of this program that they went door to door in Reading raising funds and telling residents about the program.
Visual
CPI video: http://mfile.akamai.com/15020/wmv/rohmhaas.download.akamai.com/15020/c orp/cpi_final.asx (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)
CPI Background
http://www.rohmhaas.com/wcm/about_us/community/giving/nar_cpi.page
About Rohm and Haas
Leading the way since 1909, Rohm and Haas is a global pioneer in the creation and development of innovative technologies and solutions for the specialty materials industry. The company’s technologies are found in a wide range of industries including: Building and Construction, Electronics and Electronic Devices, Household Goods and Personal Care, Packaging and Paper, Transportation, Pharmaceutical and Medical, Water, Food and Food Related, and Industrial Process. Innovative Rohm and Haas technologies and solutions help to improve life every day, around the world. Based in Philadelphia, PA, the company generated annual sales of approximately $8.9 billion in 2007. Visit www.rohmhaas.com for more information. Imagine the possibilities™.
Rohm and Haas Company
Barbara Del Duke
North American Communications Spec.
1-215-592-3356
bdelduke@rohmhaas.com
