Communities
Going further for local communities
At Aviva, we look back with pride at our record of community involvement, recognising the huge part that our employees have played in helping us to translate commitment into action. Just one of many examples saw Aviva Canada volunteers run a Careful Teddy Tent at an event in aid of a children’s hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to convey the importance of wearing correctly fitted helmets when cycling. Attended by more than 55,000 people, our volunteers helped to fit and distribute free helmets and handed out stickers and leaflets.
While many of our businesses have formal policies to support employees who want to volunteer, we’re looking to take this further by consolidating all our approaches under a comprehensive community investment strategy. From 2008, eligible employees will be able to take up to three paid days for volunteer work.
Employees in North America have long given their time and effort to fundraising and community projects.
bluecycle’s recycle schemes
bluecycle, a subsidiary of Norwich Union, has donated a range of items to help community projects, including IT equipment to Oxfam and Age Concern, a car to Felixstowe Port in Suffolk so that officers preventing the export of stolen cars can cover the whole site efficiently, and scrap vehicles to The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre for use in Automotive Technician Accreditation tests.
Baltic coast clean-up
A year after Aviva Lithuania volunteers first assisted with the clean-up of a section of the Baltic coastline after a fire destroyed 200 hectares of forest, staff and sales consultants again helped local government and forestry managers by rebuilding the dunes, and planting a hectare of pine saplings. A new scheme also enables them to donate 2% of their income tax to the National Park’s relief fund.
First class
Aviva Global Services (AGS) supports several charities in India and Sri Lanka, including a longterm partnership with Akanksha Foundation, an NGO that helps less-privileged children to improve their lives through education. In August, the first of four ‘Aviva Akanksha’ schools opened in Pune, India. AGS also sponsored a sports day for 750 children from nine Akanksha centres, with 20 volunteers helping on the day.
Big smiles, warm clothing
Aviva USA volunteers donated coats, boots, gloves and hats to underprivileged students at McKinley Elementary School in Des Moines as part of the annual ‘Coats and Boots’ programme, funded by the Aviva Charitable Foundation. Many of the students are from low-income households who come from warmer climates such as South America and South Africa.
“The gift of winter coats and boots to our children helped to complete their needs and extended the spirit of giving to families who otherwise would have felt less cheerful.”
Dr Lorenzo Jasso principal, McKinley Elementary School