Yesterday, in Bellevue, the Puget Sound Business Journal held the first annual Corporate Citizenship Awards Luncheon which celebrated and honored (mostly local) businesses and their philanthropic efforts.
I was in the audience yesterday clapping wildly along with many other non-profit colleagues who were also showing their thanks and appreciation to this important sector of our local community. I was extra proud to applaud and celebrate many of ICW’s donors who were recognized for their support of a variety of causes, including education.
Some of ICW’s corporate donors (current and past) who received recognition include:
• Paccar Foundation – the Corporate Champion for Education
• The Boeing Company
• JPMorgan Chase (formerly WaMu)
• Costco
• Alaska Airlines
• US Bank
• Puget Sound Energy
• Sterling Savings Bank
• Ferguson Construction
• Homestreet Bank
• MoneyTree
• Mulvanny G2 Architecture
In this new day and age of cutbacks and belt-tightening, it is important to recognize the lengths these companies go (especially this year) to make corporate giving a priority. We know that they ‘get it’ – year in and year out they understand the importance of helping our neighbors and nonprofit organizations who depend on the support from our corporate partners to make our community a far better place for everyone.
The students who attend the ten member ICW colleges are some of the best prepared to tackle the issues we now face as a state and a country. The generous support from the business community for ICW’s scholarship program has helped to launch the next generation of bright, capable leaders we need. As one local student stated in a scholarship application she recently sent to us, “Seattle University provides an environment in which individuals are molded into out-of-the-box thinkers, passionate leaders and active citizens.” What more could we ask for?
Thank you for recognizing the importance of independent higher education!
