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Responsible Corporate Citizenship: It’s Good Business
By Naoma Welk, Editor Business Matters
New Jersey Students Learn
Money Management Skills
Capital One and Junior Achievement Team Up to Teach
Financial Literacy Lessons to High School and Middle
School Students with Mobile Finance Park
Capital One Financial Corporation and Junior
Achievement brought Capital One/Junior
Achievement Finance Park TM , an innovative
mobile financial education program, to New
Jersey public middle and high schools. The
eight-week program was designed to teach basic
money management skills to more than 1,850
local students at the learning lab, located at the
National Newark Building, 744 Broad Street in
Newark, NJ.
economic opportunity. This is a unique and creative way to help
youngsters become financially literate.”
The first Capital One/Junior Achievement Finance Park began
as a pilot in October 2006, in McLean, Va. The pilot was such
a resounding success that the two organizations have since
expanded the initiative to eight markets serving 33,000 middle
school students through 2009.
The Global Roche Employee
Children’s Walk
Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. (Roche), based in Nutley, N.J., is a member
of the Roche Group, one of the world's leading research-oriented
healthcare groups with core businesses in pharmaceuticals and
diagnostics.The variety and reach of Roche’s community affairs
programs is extensive. This is the second in a series of articles
about how the Roche Nutley facility practices responsible corporate
citizenship.
Several of the social responsibility initiatives that form the
foundation of the community affairs programs at Roche’s Nutley
research facility are based on those of Roche’s parent company,
F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. in Basel, Switzerland.
A Capital One representative volunteers her time to help two students
learn about money management.
Students at Capital One/Junior Achievement
Finance Park had fictional jobs, incomes, families
and expenses. They had to develop and stick
to appropriate budgets. Students learned how to
budget housing, furnishings, investments, food,
entertainment, phone, cable, savings and
charitable contributions. Nearly 360 Capital One
Bank associates mentored students along their
financial journey at the Park.
“Our investment in Capital One/Junior
Achievement Finance Park is more than just doing
the right thing; it teaches students important skills
that they can use for the rest of their lives,” said
Doug Kennedy, New Jersey State Market
President for Capital One Bank. “Our associates
who volunteer at Finance Park are able to play a
key role in encouraging financial literacy and
Director of Corporate Relations and Contributions, Pat Hughes
explains, “One of those programs is the Global Employee
Children’s Walk, a world-wide program designed to raise money
for vulnerable children. Each year, sites around the world hold
the Walk on June 16, the International Day of the African Child.
Nutley was one of the pilot sites for the program, participating
since 2003.”
In advance of the Walk, Roche’s Nutley employee participants
invite their colleagues, friends and family members to sponsor
them in the 5K (3.1 miles) Walk. The route involves local streets
in Nutley and residents often see more than 900 employees
walking in rain or shine. Once an employee crosses the finish
line, he or she turns in their sponsorship monies, which the
company matches dollar for dollar. All of the donations support
local causes.
Hughes notes that local affiliates have the option of selecting an
issue that is topical in their communities. “However,” she
explains, “since AIDS is still an issue in our own metropolitan
area, we prefer to support New Jersey AIDS Partnerships.”
Funds designated for New Jersey non-profits support agencies
that deliver services to New Jersey children orphaned by AIDS
and their families and/or second caregivers. Roche also
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