Public service activities and volunteerism are vital
parts of our corporate culture. We facilitate the process that enables our
employees to give back to the communities in which they live. In fact, volunteerism
is such an ingrained part of the culture at Sony in America companies, that
each employee is given the option of taking two paid days a year to perform
voluntary service to the community or a non-profit cause.
Perhaps no other
initiative embraces the concept of volunteerism than S.O.N.Y. (Some One
Needs You) Day, which is Sony's signature volunteer program. Each year,
several thousand employees from Sony in America companies participate in
S.O.N.Y. Day and they are among the more than 24,000 Sony employees around
the world who take part in the global initiative. U.S.-based organizations
that have benefited from S.O.N.Y. Day include:
VanCortlandt Park in the Bronx, where students planted greenery and painted fences.
P.S. 83 in East Harlem, New York, where Sony volunteers painted murals, stained bookcases and organized the school library.
The Jacob A. Riis Settlement House in Long Island City, where Sony volunteers painted, planted gardens, and organized supplies throughout the facility.
The Specialized Adolescent Center in Miami where Sony volunteers served
lunch to children and staff, and also donated consumer electronics equipment,
clothing and makeup.
The Westmoreland County Food Bank in Pittsburgh where Sony volunteers
sorted and repackaged thousands of pounds of food.
The Star Six Foundations in Cypress, California, where Sony volunteers
helped clean two facilities that house abused children.
The Culver City Middle School where employees planted trees, painted
murals and created a butterfly garden for the sixth grade science program.
Sony Electronics Inc. encourages its employees to provide leadership to non-profit
organizations in need. These activities include youth mentoring, Board
of Director memberships and project coordination. The organizations that
have benefited from the work of Sony Electronics Inc. volunteers include the
Affinity Group for Japanese Philanthropy, the Greater Montvale Business
Association, the Business Policy Review Council, the Commerce & Industry
Association of New Jersey, the National Urban Affairs Council, the New
Jersey Corporate Contributions Group, the Northern New Jersey Boy Scouts
Council, the Ramapo College Foundation, the Joint Center for Political
& Economic Studies, the Partnership in Philanthropy, the Albert G. Oliver
Foundation, Shelter Our Sisters, the Academic Decathlon of New Jersey
and the Henry H. Kessler Foundation.
One of the most popular volunteer programs among Sony Electronics Inc. employees
is Habitat for Humanity, which provides and builds low-cost housing for
needy families. The organization also receives assistance from Sony Electronics Inc. volunteers. Sony Electronics Inc. volunteers also provide extensive
support for America's Promise - the Alliance for Youth. Through the program,
volunteers have contributed thousands of hours to help America's youth
through a variety of programs. Hundreds of Sony volunteers have helped
many communities throughout the country including Cypress, California;
Culver City, California; Dothan, Alabama; Fort Myers, Florida; Irving,
Texas; Itasca, Illinois; Norcross, Georgia; New York, New York; northern
New Jersey; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California; and Westmoreland,
Pennsylvania.
At Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., the spirit of volunteerism is captured
in the LINKS program, which is the company's effort dedicated to empowering
and recognizing employee volunteerism. The goal of LINKS is to link Sony
Pictures to the community and to its employees, and link Sony Pictures
employees to each other. Run by a steering committee of 12 employees,
LINKS events have reached all parts of the Los Angeles community.
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. volunteers have assisted the Special Olympics of
Southern California, Heal the Bay, Habitat for Humanity, Midnight Mission, TreePeople, Dress for Success, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, the Downtown Women’s Center, the Mar Vista Family Center, Exceptional Children’s Foundation, L.A. Works Day and Culver City Friends of the Library. The organization participates yearly in the Revlon Run Walk for Women and AIDS Walk Los Angeles.
Sony Corporation of America sponsors the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters Workplace Mentoring Program, through which 15 high school juniors from the Urban Assembly School of Music and Art in Brooklyn are matched with 15 employee volunteers from SCA and Sony BMG Music Entertainment for a 13-week educational program developed by the Programs Department at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab.
The program is designed to build strong bonds between the “Bigs” and “Littles” through mentoring, while enabling the “Littles” to learn about work etiquette and the various careers available in the music, technology and entertainment industries.
