El Paso proves they are the ‘neighbor to have’
To the folks at El Paso Corp., philanthropy isn’t just a personal-life choice, it’s built in to the corporate culture. The company believes in demonstrating support, involvement, and commitment to the communities where its employees live, work, and volunteer. At the same time, the employee community involvement program contributes to fulfilling the company’s business goals.
Theresa Sauls, senior community relations coordinator for El Paso, explains the company’s corporate vision. “There are three parts to our corporate vision: the place to work, the neighbor to have, and the company to own. The ‘neighbor to have’ portion links business success to corporate citizenship. It’s our blueprint for developing and implementing a corporate-wide community investment strategy,” she stated.
The company volunteers participate in a variety of well-known community efforts such as Junior Achievement, KIPP Summer of Learning Programs, Houston Food Bank, and Habitat for Humanity. They also work with senior citizens, the mentally and physically challenged, and the sick. From environmental causes to secret Santa programs to school supply drives - the folks at El Paso have contributed. In addition to employees committing personal time, the company contributes monetarily through the El Paso Corporate Foundation, which donated approximately $3 million to charitable causes in the communities where it operates.
El Paso’s biggest volunteer effort is Habitat for Humanity. This year marks the company’s eighth year in participation with the Houston Habitat for Humanity Chapter. In October 2007, as lead sponsors for the Houston Habitat for Humanity Energy Build, El Paso will build two homes simultaneously. The community effort benefits all parties: the community, the company, the employees, and surrounding neighbors. Sauls added, “Employees build a beautiful home, but even more important, they build relationships with co-workers that help enhance daily interactions in the workplace.”
For Sauls herself, the most rewarding project is ‘Food for Seniors.’ For two years now, El Paso has been partnering with the Houston Food Bank and Interfaith Ministries to deliver groceries to Independence Heights, a 3-story facility that 63 seniors call home. The program is designed to provide groceries to seniors near the end of the month - a time when their funds are almost depleted, and they’re choosing between food, medication, or utilities. Each month, a group of employees visits Independence Heights to help deliver the groceries and spend a few hours with the seniors afterwards. “We have many great stories to share about our visits to Independence Heights,” Sauls said.
When asked if company employees benefit from participating, Sauls replied with an enthusiastic yes. “We all benefit from our employees’ community involvement efforts. It’s a moral builder, it allows employees to have pride in the company they work for, and it gives us a better understanding of the needs within our communities. Volunteering can also enhance employee professional development. It’s an opportunity to help improve leadership skills, managing people, project management, communication, assertiveness, and cultural awareness.”
In 2006, literally thousands of El Paso employees participated in the volunteer efforts. Sauls estimates that those volunteers spent close to 10,000 hours participating in different projects. She says 2007 is off to an even better start. “For 1Q 2007, we’ve already exceeded the number of volunteer hours compared to last year’s 1Q numbers,” she said.
Mikaila Adams
Associate Editor - OGFJ