UPS
Company: UPS, Atlanta, GA
Entry Submitted By: Fleishman-Hillard
Company Description: UPS, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2007, is the world’s largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, offering an extensive range of options for synchronizing the movement of goods, information and funds. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
Category: Women Helping Women Award
Nomination Title: The Renaissance Foundation: Life Lessons Spark Creation of Scholarship
Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated individual or company
during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):
The dictionary defines renaissance as a revival or rebirth. It’s an apt name then for the Renaissance Foundation, an international scholarship program at Bowling Green (Ohio) State University, founded last year by Suzanne Richard, a 23-year veteran of UPS. It is awarded annually to any woman facing adversity or challenges, or to any woman seeking an education to teach women to overcome challenges of their own.
Suzanne is all too familiar with adversity, growing up in an atmosphere of domestic violence and poverty. Suzanne left home at 17 in search of a better life. Instead, she persevered through a child’s death, an abusive marriage, and single motherhood. Drawing from her own experiences, Suzanne took it upon herself to help women just like her. Suzanne helped start First Step, a family violence shelter serving several Ohio counties, knowing how vital its services were to protecting and empowering women. But for Suzanne, it wasn’t enough to get women in need on their feet again. She wanted to equip them with the knowledge and skills to become leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers, and other professional women. And more than two decades later, she has done just that.
The business woman, mother, and counselor, has added philanthropist to her life’s many roles. In fact, it was her own career success that helped Suzanne to establish and finance the Renaissance Foundation. Suzanne, an on-road supervisor at UPS, used company stock to get things started. She continues to fund it with personal contributions and assistance from her employer. UPS will provide up to $3,000 annually through its corporate matching program. In addition to financial support for female students, this scholarship provides funding to the Women’s Center and Women’s Studies Program at Bowling Green State University and for participation in study abroad programs. In May 2007, the recipient of the first Renaissance Foundation scholarship walked across the graduation stage. Deborah Alesch was a non-traditional student with three children. She majored in math and hopes to earn a master’s degree in the future. On Aug. 28, Suzanne won UPS’s annual Jim Casey Community Service Award. The Casey Award, named after the company’s founder, is given annually to one UPS employee whose community volunteer efforts set a shining example for others. Suzanne was chosen from among UPS’s nearly 430,000 employees for her passionate commitment to educating women in need, giving these women the opportunity to stand on their own, and her efforts to create potential female business leaders and teachers of the future.
List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:
DM News – UPS supervisor honored for volunteerism and financial generosity - http://www.dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/direct-mail/42261.html
The Enquirer – Helper Honored - http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20070922/NEWS0105/709220362/1061/NEWS01
UPS Press Release - Unlikely Philanthropist Wins Global Community Service Award http://www.pressroom.ups.com/pressreleases/archives/archive/0,1363,4923,00.html
Picked up by major media such as Conde Nast’s Portfolio.com, WSJ.com, Business Wire, CNBC.com, Reuters, Yahoo! Finance, and Bloomberg.com
Provide a brief biography of the nominated person, or of the person or persons who lead the nominated company (up to 100 words):
Suzanne Richard has worked for UPS for the past 23 years. She is currently an on- road supervisor for the company. She has been an advocate of First Step most of her adult life, serving at every level, including its Board of Directors. For the past two years, Suzanne has been a member of the Continuing & Extended Education (CEE) Advocates Boards at Bowling Green State University, the university’s chief volunteer organization. Advocates provide resources necessary to promote and achieve the strategic initiatives of CEE. Suzanne has one son, James, who is currently serving in Iraq.