Supporting active citizenship
Pearson people power
People at Pearson tend to get involved in giving back to the community, taking an active interest in the impact of their work and in personal efforts to raise funds for charities of their own choosing. Many take part in the organised reading schemes and other community programmes we offer at company level, in partnership with local organisations. Many others make personal arrangements for their charitable endeavours, with 2008 examples ranging from a staff fundraiser for the Burma Relief Fund from Pearson Education Hong Kong, to an individual from Pearson Brazil volunteering as an ELT teacher for teenagers in São Paulo's favelas, to four members of the FT's Ad Sales team in London growing moustaches for the Prostate Cancer Charity. We celebrated seven of those volunteers through our annual Pearson Community Awards 20, making a donation of $2,000 to their chosen charity and giving certificates of Long Service Commendation to two other volunteers.
Activity summary
Penguin Group staff in the UK raised more than £100,000 in 2008 (including company-matched funds). £25,000 of the total was raised by the Woodland Walk, involving nearly 400 people, while the remaining £75,885 was raised either through individual and team fundraising, four staff charity book sales, or our annual charity carol concert.
Staff at Pearson Education in Hong Kong donated through the payroll or by donating their lunch money to help victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, giving $25,560 (including company-matched funds) to support the relief and reconstruction projects managed by the Hong Kong Red Cross.
Following the tragic death of a close colleague in 2007, several Pearson Education staff members in the UK have worked tirelessly to raise money to save a local theatre from the threat of closure. 'The Friends of Johnny Wong' have raised over £50,000 through a series of fundraisers, and hope to save the theatre altogether in the coming period.
Snapshots
Booktime Staff across Pearson companies in the UK took part in our Booktime volunteer reading programme, reading during the working day at local primary schools assisting children with their reading.
Pearson Community Awards The 2008 Awards saw an unprecedented number of applications from candidates right across the Pearson global family, with individuals volunteering their time in a diverse range of ways – assisting a community out reach programme for kids in LA, manning a lifeboat in Kent and embarking on medical missions to Haiti were just a few highlights from the shortlist.
Movember During Movember 2008 (the month formerly known as November), four members of the FT's Ad Sales team in London grew moustaches for The Prostate Cancer Charity, raising over £5,000.
