– Over 1,900 Employees will Take Part in More Than 122 Projects in 28 Countries –
WESTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--From building a playground in Massachusetts to spending time with multiple sclerosis patients in Portugal, over 1,900 Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) employees will trade in their lab coats and computers today to participate in the company’s third annual “Care Deeply Volunteer Day.”
For this day of service, Biogen Idec employees are given a paid day off to volunteer at a service project in their community. This year, employees are estimated to serve over 9,500 volunteer hours in more than 28 countries in the communities where the company operates.
“This innovative program engages our employees in causes that help satisfy their passion and desire to contribute to their communities, while sharing their talents and energy in ways that aligns with our mission of caring deeply and changing lives,” said George A. Scangos, Ph.D., CEO, Biogen Idec. “We are proud of the positive impact we have been able to make in the communities in which we operate and are excited that this program continues to expand. This will be the most global Care Deeply Volunteer Day so far, with all 28 Biogen Idec affiliate offices participating in the program in countries from Singapore to Norway to India and beyond.”
Within the scope of Biogen Idec’s citizenship efforts, which incorporate a focus on patients, science education and supporting the needs of local non-profit community organizations, “Care Deeply Volunteer Day” projects around the world include:
- In Lisbon, Portugal, employees will spend the day with multiple sclerosis patients at the Sociedade Portuguesa de Esclerose Múltipla (SPEM). Together, the patients and volunteers will prepare meals together.
- In Boston, employees will host a science fair for elementary school students at the Murphy Elementary School. The science fair activities include demonstrating chemistry’s role in making ice cream, a molecule experiment to make “slime,” and a mock oil spill clean-up.
- In Somerville, Mass., employees will work alongside KaBOOM!, and members of the community to build a playground that will benefit more than 200 under-served children at The Elizabeth Peabody House.
- In Raleigh, N.C., employees will glean crops and perform other gardening tasks at the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, which aims to end hunger in the community by providing people with access to fresh food.
- In Sydney, Australia, volunteers will visit patients at Wesley Mission Aged Care Services where they will play games and then enjoy a concert with residents.
“Great partners such as Biogen Idec enable KaBOOM! to improve the lives of children – physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally,” said Darell Hammond, KaBOOM! Founder and CEO. “We are honored that Biogen Idec employees chose KaBOOM! to be a partner for one of their day of service efforts. By building this new playground, their volunteers will help us create a safe place for kids to play freely that will benefit generations to come.”
The Biogen Idec Foundation also supported the KaBOOM! playground project in Somerville, Mass., through an $85,000 grant.
About Care Deeply Volunteer Day
The Biogen Idec Care Deeply Volunteer Day is part of the company’s philanthropic focus on patients, science education, and supporting local community needs. The program is driven by Biogen Idec’s employees who develop unique programs that focus on having a measurable impact in their local communities. Biogen Idec’s Care Deeply Volunteer Day was introduced across the company’s largest locations in 2011 and rolled out globally to Biogen Idec offices in 2012. More than 1,600 employees embarked on Care Deeply Volunteer Day initiatives in 2012, participating in more than 80 projects in 22 countries around the world.
About Biogen Idec
Through cutting-edge science and medicine, Biogen Idec discovers, develops and delivers to patients worldwide innovative therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, hemophilia and autoimmune disorders. Founded in 1978, Biogen Idec is the world's oldest independent biotechnology company. Patients worldwide benefit from its leading multiple sclerosis therapies, and the company generates more than $5 billion in annual revenues. For product labeling, press releases and additional information about the company, please visit: http://www.biogenidec.com/
