Our Foundation is coming up to its fourth anniversary … and it’s been a terrific journey so far! In such a relatively short period, the strong engagement of our people has seen the Foundation become embedded in the culture of our firm. It is this engagement which ensures the sustainability of our Foundation.
A lot has been achieved in this last year. One example that stands out for me is the Foundation’s response to the Cyclone Larry Appeal and the support we were able to give our charity partner Endeavour, which you’ll read about in the following pages. The way our people and clients pulled together to help out, donate essential equipment and raise funds was truly inspiring.
I extend my sincere congratulations to all involved - whether you were on the ground, coordinating help from elsewhere or giving generously towards the rebuilding effort - PwC and Endeavour thank you.
There were a few changes and additions to our charity partner list this year. In October 2005, we checked with our people through a charity survey, asking them to confirm where they wanted to see the Foundation’s energies focused in the future. As a result of our survey, we now have four new charity partners - Guide Dogs Australia, The Australian Red Cross, beyondblue and The Cancer Council. I warmly welcome our new partners and look forward to successful partnerships with each of them.
In February we held Foundation Week. A number of our charity partners visited our offices around the country to give our people the chance to hear and see how their donations of time, money and skills help make our communities better places to live and work. The response around the country to Foundation Week was huge - for example, we received so many pledges to Guide Dogs Australia during the week that we were able to sponsor our own guide dog - but more on that later.
In other news, we are pleased to join the Australian Business Community Network. This new organisation promotes diversity and best practice in the workplace and encourages businesses to have a positive impact in their communities. We hope it will prove successful in its aim to encourage corporates to collaborate on their community initiatives.
The firm around the world is now also looking to better coordinate and leverage community activities in individual territories. Expect to hear more about the Global Communities initiative over the next 12 months.
