Bayer U.S. Employees Gear Up to Give Back Through Volunteerism: Company to Mark First National Community Service Day on October 13

WHIPPANY, N.J., Oct. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer U.S. employees from coast to coast will roll up their sleeves and volunteer their skills for dozens of local service organizations and projects, marking the company's first national Community Service Day on Friday, October 13.  More than 1,400 Bayer U.S. employees across the United States will spend the day doing an assortment of projects, from cleaning urban parks and tending community gardens to sorting and packing groceries at food banks and pantries.  Some will devote their efforts to children by sacking school lunches, hosting a field day for special-needs foster kids or leading STEM workshops in classrooms.  Others will lend a hand to pet parents in crisis at a domestic violence shelter that accommodates pets.     

Although the volunteer activities differ widely, all focus on supporting people, pets and plants.  This choice of theme highlights Bayer's commitment as a research-based life science company to benefit people and improve their quality of life. 

"Regardless of the project they choose, this is an opportunity for Bayer U.S. employees to contribute in a hands-on and meaningful way to the neighborhoods where we live and work," said Phil Blake, President of Bayer U.S.  "It's Bayer's way of demonstrating our appreciation for and commitment to the communities that have been so good to us.

"Volunteering also benefits our employees, who appreciate the pride and satisfaction of a job well done, as well as the camaraderie, growth and fulfillment that comes with being part of a productive team," he added.

Bayer U.S. has long been dedicated to fostering a culture of corporate volunteerism and community outreach. Every Bayer U.S. employee receives the equivalent of two paid days off from work annually for personal or company-organized volunteer activities that take place during business hours. This is the first time, however, that a single day has been designated for volunteerism across all U.S. facilities.   

"We're celebrating Bayer's tradition of volunteerism by mounting the first national Community Service Day," said Ray Kerins, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Bayer, who will be part of a team sorting groceries at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside.  "We plan to make it the cornerstone of our employee volunteer program in the U.S. and hope it will serve as a model for a company-wide day of service in 2018."

The volunteers work at Bayer facilities located in Northern New Jersey (Morristown, Parsippany and Whippany); in the Greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area (Indianola, O'Hara, Saxonburg, and Pittsburgh-Robinson); in North Carolina (Morrisville and Raleigh-Durham), in the Greater Kansas City area (Hawthorne/Kansas City and Shawnee) and in Northern California (Berkeley/San Francisco and West Sacramento).  

"Rose Brooks Center is excited to host Bayer employees on their Community Service Day," said Susan Miller, Chief Executive Officer at Rose Brooks Center in Kansas City, Mo.  "Bayer has been a long-time supporter of our PAWS Place pet shelter.  Volunteers will continue that support by deep cleaning our cat room and doing yard work in our dog park.  This will help us continue to keep domestic violence survivors together as a family, pets included."

On the morning of October 13, employees will gather in teams of 5 to 125 to tackle projects at off-site community locations or on-site at Bayer facilities.  On-site opportunities allow employees with limited time or ability to leave the office to participate by assembling toys, making sandwiches for the homeless, or packing gift boxes for veterans or backpacks of school supplies for at-risk students. Even employees who have a schedule conflict and cannot participate on October 13 can contribute by performing work in advance, such as taping walls in preparation for painting a classroom.

Bayer: Science For A Better Life

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2016, the Group employed around 115,200 people and had sales of EUR 46.8 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.7 billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

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Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Contact:
Carolyn Bender
External Communications
Bayer U.S.
Tel: (201) 419-0337 (mobile)
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Bayer