2016-October-26

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Maps, Crayons, and Saplings? That Was Global Service Week!

Service to our communities is part of who we are at Cisco. This core value was clearly demonstrated during our first ever Global Service Week in September. The campaign was an incredible success with nearly 5000 employees volunteering 20,000 hours in more than 85 Cisco locations worldwide.

Tampa, FL employees grant a wish for a bedroom makeover for a little girl who is now confined to a wheelchair due to a car accident. A special hospital bed was also purchased to help make the room functional for her needs.

Employees volunteered in more than 200 activities during the campaign. Just a few examples included mapping buildings online for disaster relief in Research Triangle Park, NC, playing board games with students in Krakow, Poland, planting saplings in Bangalore, India, supporting children with disabilities in Tampa, FL and mentoring students in San Jose, CA.

Taking a page from Our People Deal, serving those in need really is a moment that matters. “Global Service Week gave us an opportunity to pause, connect with one another, and understand the larger social issues in our communities,” shared Karen Walker, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer. “And the better we understand and serve our communities, the stronger we’ll be as a company.”

More importantly than the benefits we gained is the collective impact we provided. Here’s a few impressive figures tallied from Global Service Week:

• $187,340 donated through volunteer matching gifts from the Cisco Foundation
• 140,000 meals provided to people in need
• 5800 children receiving educational materials or mentoring
• 1200 pints of donated blood
• 4200 buildings mapped for American Red Cross’ Missing Maps project
• 7000 pounds of crayons recycled to make new ones for hospitalized children
• 1319 saplings planted

“I am proud of what we accomplished in our first ever Global Service Week and what it says about us as a company,” said Joe Cozzolino, SVP of Cisco Services. “From volunteering through Time2Give and generous donations through our annual giving campaign Be the Bridge, we truly are a global collection of people who serve and care for communities.”

Bangalore, India employees volunteer with children at the Shristi Special School for those with disabilities.

Employees in Mexico City, Mexico took food and toys to children suffering from various diseases.

San Jose, CA employees sorted thousands of pounds of recycled crayons, which will be repackaged and distributed to 35 pediatric hospitals.

Connect everything. Innovate everywhere. Benefit everyone.