WHAT’S INSIDE
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T EA MIN G UP
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Q2 GR A NT S AWA R DED
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W I R E S
July/August 2009
Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP)
Honors Western Union
Last month, Western Union earned the CECP Large Company
Excellence Award for its demonstrated excellence of CEO
leadership, innovation, measurement and partnership in
corporate philanthropy.
CECP honored Western Union for pioneering Western Union’s
Our World, Our Family® program, seen as one of the most
effective programs to incorporate business development
while elevating awareness of the complicated social issue
of migration.
Founded by Paul Newman and Ken Derr, CECP is the
only international forum of CEOs exclusively focused on
corporate philanthropy. CECP’s mission is to lead the
business community in raising the level and quality of
corporate philanthropy. Engaging with the public, private
and independent sectors, CECP’s members seek and create
opportunities to help advance the case for philanthropy and to
inspire other business leaders to make a lasting commitment to
community giving.
Since 2000, CECP has presented Excellence Awards
in Corporate Philanthropy annually to companies such
as Cisco Systems, GlaxoSmithKline, GE, Hasbro, IBM,
Moody’s Corporation, Novartis, Pfizer, The PNC Financial
Services Group, salesforce.com, Target, Timberland and
Whole Foods Market. The Excellence Awards winners are
selected by an independent jury composed of experts from
the corporate, government, media, nonprofit, consulting and
academic communities.
Christina Gold, Western Union® President and CEO, accepted
the award in honor of the Our World, Our Family program.
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“Corporate citizenship is about shared value:
it allows us to build the strength of our business
while strengthening communities. Western Union
stands for economic opportunity and we build on
that core commitment by promoting education and
entrepreneurship across our 385,000 Agent locations
in 200 countries and territories. It is a model that CECP
champions and we applaud them.”
Christina Gold
President and CEO, Western Union
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EMPLOY EE GIVIN G C IRC LE
TEAMING UP TO HELP
Alleviate Pover ty in Africa
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Western Union,
the Western Union Foundation and Western Union ® Agents
The recently launched African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM) is a business-development
program and competition designed to support the entrepreneurial spirit and resources of the
U.S.-based African Diaspora community, with the goal of promoting sustainable economic
development in Sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative hopes to demonstrate the impact
that entrepreneurs from the world’s diaspora communities can have on development in their
home countries. The ADM will help boost job creation and economic opportunity in the region
by providing matching grants to African Diaspora members working in partnership with
African-based enterprises and/or entrepreneurs.
“Western Union supports migrants’ investment in their home countries
and also helps to power the world economy through our business
model. Through this program, we can leverage Western Union’s
expertise on migration trends and our vast network and resources to
help create lasting social and economic impact.”
Christina Gold, CEO, Western Union
Qualifying applicants selected as finalists will submit
a comprehensive business plan for evaluation and
be connected with a full range of business tools and
resources to help increase the number of enterprises
that can be brought to life—regardless of whether they
are selected for grant funding. In December 2009, ten
to twenty qualifying entrepreneurs will be awarded
grants of $50,000 to $100,000 each to support the
execution of their business plans. These grants will be
awarded from the initial ADM grant pool of nearly $1.5
million, financed jointly by USAID, the Western Union
Company and the Western Union Foundation, as well
as through Western Union Agent Giving Circles.
A December 2008 Foundation
grant of $25,000 to Opportunity International
has provided micro loans to people like Beauty Zulu,
helping them start and maintain their small businesses.
can Agents make a
difference in Africa?
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) in Africa
and Irv Barr Management in the U.S. formed a Giving
Circle, contributing $250,000 to support the Africa
Diaspora Marketplace!
For more information, go to www.diasporamarketplace.org.
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can we help provide
an education?
Since 2005, Western Union has been
working with Mexican Hometown
Associations (HTAs) through the 4+1
program, developing and helping fund
projects and programs geared toward
helping Mexican immigrants in the U.S.,
as well as their hometown communities in
Mexico. The Confederation of Mexican
Federations (CONFEMEX) is an
immigrant led membership organization
formed by nine Chicago-based HTAs.
Recently the Western Union Foundation
and Irv Barr Management, through the
Agent Giving Circle program, donated
$90,000 to the CONFEMEX scholarship
program to provide college students, living
in underserved communities, with $1,000
scholarships. CONFEMEX pledged an
additional $45,000, bringing the total
scholarship contribution to $135,000!
especially for our students who strive
each and every day to succeed in school.”
Arcadio Delgado President,
CONFEMEX
“Education is a key priority to CONFEMEX.
With the support of the Foundation
and Irv Barr Management, the grant
will help invest in our community and
its future while helping develop a new
generation of leaders. We are grateful for
the continued support from Western Union
and the Foundation in our communities,
CONFEMEX scho
larship recipients.
The yes! effect:
Six inspiring individuals chosen to become
Western Union® Ambassadors say yes! to education!
The voting has ended and six individuals
from across the globe have been chosen to
be Western Union yes! Ambassadors. Their
inspiring stories about how saying yes! has
helped make dreams come true has given
them the opportunity to say yes! once again
– by choosing one of three great educational
causes to receive a $10,000 donation from
the Western Union Foundation!
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In total, $60,000 was donated to the following
organizations as a result of the yes! effect:
Academy for Educational Development For over 48 years, the
Academy for Educational Development (AED) has worked at all levels
of the educational system. Programs include improving teaching
and learning, student achievement and access to education and
educational opportunities, as well as increasing parent involvement
and integrating technology into education strategies.
Mercy Corps Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.5 billion in
assistance to people in 106 nations. Embracing a broad definition of
education, programs include: teaching livestock breeders in Lebanon
less costly ways to grow feed; building temporary classrooms in Darfur’s
refugee camps; and constructing all-girls schools in the West Bank.
Room to Read® For more than eight years, Room to Read (RTR) has
helped children in the developing world gain the lifelong gift of education. RTR
partners with local communities to provide quality educational opportunities by
establishing libraries, creating local language children’s literature, constructing
schools and establishing computer labs.
can i be
personally
rewarded in
my job?
Just ask Ricardo Amaral, Marketing Manager for
“If we can increase investment in this project, focusing
Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela, who in May
on education and programs like microlending and
2009, joined the United Nations High Commissioner for
entrepreneurship, we can generate a great impact on the
Refugees (UNHCR) on a site visit to Ecuador on behalf of
lives of these refugees,” said Ricardo. “On a personal
the Foundation. Ecuador is home to many refugees from
level, it was amazing to see firsthand how people can
Colombia who left their home country due to violence
keep up their hope and dignity in the face of so many
and threats from insurgent and paramilitary groups.
hardships. This mission helped me grow as a person,
changing my way of thinking.”
Ricardo visited a refugee documentation center in San
Lorenzo, a refugee shelter (temporary living for arriving
refugees) and an established Colombian community.
Speaking with families and individuals, he saw the program
in action and the need for further investment—in addition
to the positive impact of the UNHCR Ecuador program.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
— Margaret Mead, American Cultural Anthropologist (1901-1978)
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can my money make a difference?
More than $1.9 million
in worldwide grants awarded in Q2 2009!
disaster Relief: $70,000
Funding is helping support victims of the fires in
Australia, floods in Fiji and displaced individuals
and families in Pakistan.
direct Grants: $682,000
Grants to non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
in 19 countries include funding to promote microfinance in North India, to assist Vietnamese migrants
in Taiwan through language acquisition classes, and
to provide business guidance to owners of small
farms in Bangladesh.
agent giving circles: $1.16 million
Agent Giving Circle grants are helping fund a variety
of educational programs, including vocational education
for adolescents in Colombia, educational opportunities
for ethnic minority students in the U.S. and the
integration of immigrants in Belgium.
family Scholarships: $45,900
Through the Family Scholarship program, a single
mother in California will attend English classes while
her daughter becomes the first in the family to attend
college; two brothers from Kenya will pursue their
dreams to promote sustainable development in rural
Kenya, with one brother working toward a degree in
New York and the other attending university in Njoro,
Kenya; and two Filipina sisters will pursue university
degrees, one in Korea and the other in Leyte, Philippines.
can i hit a hole-in-one?
Play golf for a great cause! Western Union’s Our World, Our Family® annual golf tournament will
take place on Monday, October 5, 2009 at the Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado. All
proceeds raised by the tournament will benefit the Western Union Foundation, helping to fund programs
that create economic opportunity around the world. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.
FOR MORE INFO
contact Judy Cara at 720-332-4764 or judy.cara@westernunion.com. To register online,
go to: https://events.westernunion.com/WUFoundationGolf/2009/index.html.
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can a one-time volunteer
opportunity turn into
something even bigger?
EMPLOYEE GIVING
can one word,
said enough,change
the world?
Montvale em
ployees build
a playground
!
Last October, as a Month of Giving activity, the
Montvale team volunteered to help build a community
playground at the Fairmont School. The project was
so rewarding that in June, the team decided to do it
It’s almost time to say yes! to
giving back to the communities
where we live and work!
once again, volunteering to build another playground
in Ellenville, N.Y.!
Western Union employees, led by Melissa Welch,
Beginning September 15, 2009
generously donated their day to Mi Casa in Denver on
Help change the world by joining our
July 21, 2009. The team of volunteers worked tirelessly
Employee Giving Circle and donating
money to transform the lives of the
people who need it most.
Beginning October 1, 2009
It’s the second annual Western Union
Month of Giving, encouraging
Western Union employees around the
world to volunteer their time to help
people in their very own communities.
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painting offices, cleaning areas around
the building, weeding,
landscaping and picking
up trash. “It was our
pleasure to give back to
the community,” said
Melissa. “It’s what
Western Union is all about!”
end a day
in Denver sp
Employees
a.
at Mi Cas
volunteering
can we be there
when they need us?
Italy: In April 2009 a devastating earthquake
Fiji: Fiji’s worst flooding in a generation claimed
hit Italy’s Abruzzo region. The Western Union
lives, left thousands homeless and put many people
Foundation, along with Agents Finint and Angelo
at risk for disease. The Foundation donated $10,000
Costa, recently granted $367,000 to the Italian
through the International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Cross for reconstruction efforts, helping to
Red Crescent Societies to help with relief efforts.
build six prefabricated homes for families in the
hard-hit Italian village of Onna.
Australia: As fires swept through the state of
Victoria, many people were killed or injured and
many more were displaced. A Foundation grant of
ANNOUNCING
$10,000 was made to the American Red Cross to
NEW Foundation Board Treasurer
help with relief efforts.
The Western Union Foundation welcomes Scott
Coad, SVP Finance to the Board of Directors. Scott
will be serving as Treasurer for the Foundation.
Pakistan: Fighting between the Pakistan Army
“From a practical standpoint, my skills will be
helpful on the financial side. Personally, I am pleased
to be able to provide my support to give back to our
consumers and their families worldwide. Working with the Foundation really gives visibility to the
needs of our consumers. I am deeply proud of the
global response of Western Union, the Foundation, our employees and Agents to help provide a
better future for the people who need it most.”
and militants has displaced more than 2.5 million
people in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. A Foundation grant
of $50,000 to Mercy Corps is helping deliver aid to
thousands of families affected by the violence.
Scott Coad, SVP Finance
Treasurer, Western Union Foundation
Board of Directors
For any questions or story
ideas, please contact Judy Cara at
judy.cara@westernunion.com
12500 E. Belford Avenue M1I
Englewood, CO 80112
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