Emergency Preparedness, Corporate Volunteering

In the wake of several massive earthquakes, flooding and other natural disasters worldwide—and with hurricane season rapidly approaching—have you stopped and asked yourself what your organization could offer your community during a time of crisis? Nonprofits could take a cue from their corporate counterparts. Cisco, a leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate, has partnered with the American Red Cross to help communities prepare and respond to natural and other disasters. Cisco said it is the largest corporate disaster response volunteer program in Red Cross history. The initiative, “Cisco’s Ready,” was modeled after the Red Cross’ “Ready When the Time Comes” training program and will provide emergency response training to Cisco employees at more than 20 Red Cross chapters in the United States and affiliates worldwide.

“Community service has been an integral part of Cisco’s company culture since our founding 25 years ago,” said Terry Anderson, vice president of corporate relations, in a release. “By bolstering available employee volunteer resources, we hope to strengthen the abilities of our local communities around the world to quickly and effectively respond when it’s needed the most.”

Cisco said its volunteers will learn about applying essential principles to disaster response; providing mass care related to first aid, shelter, and food and supply distribution; and about identifying volunteer opportunities. During the first year of training, approximately 3,000 of Cisco’s 65,000 employees will participate, and attendees will qualify for Red Cross “Fulfilling Our Mission” and “Mass Care” certifications.

According to the company, Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers has encouraged employees to perform 200,000 collective hours of community service by year’s end—bringing in $10 for each eligible hour reported to benefit the local Red Cross affiliate, up to $1,000 per employee per year. The Cisco@25 employee volunteer challenge was kicked off as part of the company’s 25th anniversary celebration. For more than 10 years, American Red Cross and Cisco have worked side by side when responding to disasters, the latest including earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and China; wildfires in Australia and California; and Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi. Cisco said its employees have contributed more than $12 million in donations worldwide since 2000, as well as cash and product grants to support the U.S. Disaster Relief and International Response Funds, which enable the Red Cross to respond to crises nationwide and internationally each year. “When disasters strike, it is critical that we have a robust volunteer base prepared and able to mobilize quickly to help individuals and communities cope with and recover from their losses,” said David Meltzer, senior vice president of international services with the American Red Cross, in a statement. “We are grateful that Cisco’s employees are investing their time, talent and resources in the global Red Cross network, making this initiative a model for global employee engagement and undoubtedly enhancing our capacity to manage future catastrophic emergencies.”

For more information

Cisco celebrates 25 years of technology innovation, operational excellence and corporate social responsibility this year. To learn more, go to www.cisco.com. You can read more about the Cisco@25 employee volunteer challenge at http:// newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2009/corp_121009. html. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. For more information, visit www .redcross.org.