Novartis Employees and Volunteer West Island Team Up Once Again!
For 20 Years Novartis Associates Help out in Their Community
“We recognize the importance of volunteer efforts in communities where we live and work,” said Timothy Maloney, President of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Inc. An involved corporate citizen, Novartis engages in community initiatives such as their yearly Community Partnership Day when associates donate their time volunteering in local non-profit organizations. This year marks the twentieth consecutive annual Novartis Partnership Day, celebrated by 27,500 associates in 84 countries.
The volunteer placements in the West Island and Montreal are organized annually for the Dorval-based Novartis head office through Volunteer West Island’s Corporate Volunteer Recruitment Program. VWI worked in collaboration with Lorraine-Noelle Pellicone, Corporate Communications Agent and the Novartis Corporate Communications Team to field over 180 enthusiastic company volunteers at 10 community groups that provide crucial services to residents. These included Centre Multi-Ressources de Lachine; Fondation Québecoise du cancer; Héritage Laurentien; Moisson Montreal; Omega Community Resources; Société Canadienne du cancer; Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre; Welcome Hall Mission; West Island Cancer Wellness Centre; West Island Palliative Care Residence. In addition there were volunteers assigned to sorting the donations collected for Scouts Canada, Fondation MIRA, and Welcome Hall Mission.
Katrina Lucking, Head of Country Communications & Pharma Corporate Communications thanked VWI, saying, “Our associates were so pleased to be able to support this initiative once again”.
“Novartis was one of our first corporate partners, being a company open to the concept of giving back to the community in this way,” said Lynda Barrett, Executive Director of VWI. “The efforts of Novartis employees are of tremendous benefit to these community groups that simply don’t have resources to undertake major projects. It makes a big difference.” She noted that volunteering in community groups familiarizes Novartis associates with a variety of front-line services many people don’t realize exist, and provides the non-profit organizations with added visibility. She stated that one in five West Islanders uses a resource like the ones in which the Novartis associates chose to volunteer. Winselow Tucker, General Manager Oncology, labels and packs cans at Moisson Montréal.
