USA. Hudson Group underlined its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility with two key year-end charitable landmarks.
Firstly it made a US$300,000 donation to Communities In Schools (CIS) at Hudson’s annual Management Seminar & Vendor Show in Las Vegas.
Throughout the year, Hudson stores in airports, bus and rail terminals collect the money in counter-top boxes at registers to encourage customers to donate their spare change to aid CIS.
“We thank our Hudson customers for their incredible generosity to help nearly 1.5 million students from dropping out,” commented Hudson Group President & CEO Joe DiDomizio. “We look forward to continuing – and expanding upon – our partnership with CIS. Indeed, every child deserves the opportunity to rise to the very top of their potential with an education.”
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For over half a decade, Hudson Group has supported the charity resulting in over US$1 million in donations. Earlier this year, DiDomizio was elected to the CIS national board of directors.
“This donation represents not only the tremendous leadership of Joe and the Hudson team but also the deep generosity of Hudson’s customers,” commented CIS President Daniel Cardinali, who accepted the cheque. “We are grateful for the help it will provide to those disadvantaged students who need our collective support to stay in school and achieve in life.”
CIS is the nation’s largest and leading dropout prevention group. Its nearly 200 local affiliates in 25 states and the District of Columbia surround students – nearly 1.5 million nationwide – with a community of support. They leverage services that already exist in the community to level the playing field for these students for a national average of only US$160 per student annually. CIS said that 91% of the students they work with on a one-to-one basis remain in school.
“Education is a critical issue, with roughly one in three students dropping out of high school in the United States annually,” added DiDomizio. “By engaging our customers with the CIS initiative, their small donations of pennies, nickels, and dimes add to make a big impact on the future of so many children in need.”
Military milestone
In related news, Hudson Group announced that it has reached a milestone with over US$1 million in customer donations of phone cards to the military. This equates to more than 79,000 cards.
The pre-activated AT&T cards, which retail for US$15 each, allow troops to call home to their families and friends, as well as providing free internet access. They work from landlines and payphones across the globe, including war zone locations. Soldiers carry minimal items with them and are not always allowed to carry a cell phone while on active service. The donations are included within care packages to military organisations.
“There’s definitely a need to do something for the troops,” noted Justin Butterfield, Hudson Group’s General Manager at San Diego International Airport. “We have one of the world’s largest airport USO’s and it is great to be able to partner with them.”
The promotion started in late 2014 and exists in 27 Hudson Booksellers, Hudson News, and Hudson airport store locations.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport customers have donated the most (25,178 cards or US$377,670); this is followed by San Diego International Airport (15,170 cards or US$227,550); and Los Angeles International Airport (13,637 cards or US$204,555).
