Mercedes 2012 Annual Report Download - page 164

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5 | Sustainability | Social Responsibility
life and also offering educational opportunities to our employees
and their families. Last year, we also intensified our partner-
ships with leading art institutions and events at our international
business locations. Examples include the Art Beijing trade
show in China and the Villa Romana artists’ residence in Italy.
In addition, we support Germany’s national youth orchestra
and help with the Emerging Artist Award program in the United
States.
Education. Improving access to education is one of the most
long-lasting investments in society. That’s why we are involved
in numerous projects that support young people, as they will
be the skilled employees of tomorrow. The most prominent
example of this involvement is our Genius education initiative
w genius-community.com. The initiative is geared toward
children and teenagers and combines various educational
projects focusing on future technologies, mobility, and envi-
ronmental issues.
With the support of the initiative Big Brothers Big Sisters in
Germany w bbbsi.org, we are also helping to expand mentoring
activities for socially disadvantaged children and teenagers
between the ages of six and 16. The mentors provide the young
people with help, encouragement and new perspectives on
the various situations they face in their lives.
Charitable projects. As a result of our global presence, we
regard it as our mission to support aid projects that improve
the communities in which we do business. In addition to offering
effective disaster relief when necessary, we have initiated
a number of projects for providing long-term assistance to enable
people to help themselves. For example, through its SEED
(Sustainability Education Empowerment Development) program,
Daimler Financial Services assists slum inhabitants and street
children in Chennai, India. Other initiatives include the micro-
credit program for women in need in Ethiopia, which we devel-
oped in cooperation with the Menschen für Menschen foundation,
and our global partnership with the SOS Children’s Villages
organization. We also support the work of the German chapter
of Doctors of the World, which organizes more than 350
healthcare programs in almost 80 countries.
As part of our national sponsorship program, we also donated
money last year to charitable initiatives that focus on helping
families and children in Germany. Among them is the brotZeit
project w brotzeitfuerkinder.com, which combines programs
for supporting active senior citizens with the care of socially
disadvantaged children. Needy children are served balanced
breakfasts free of charge, and senior-citizen volunteers provide
slow learners with individualized support.
Corporate volunteering. We are working together with
our employees to improve living conditions in the communities
in which we do business. Among other things, we further
expanded our ProCent initiative in the year under review. In
this initiative, Daimler employees voluntarily donate the
cent amounts of their net salaries to nonprofit organizations.
Every donated cent is matched by the company. The donations
are collected in a fund and used to support environmentally
and socially beneficial projects that are recommended and imple-
mented by the company’s employees. In 2012, ProCent began
to support its first group of 100 projects.
On the Day of Caring, employees from Daimler Financial
Services contribute a day of work to support the company’s
socially and environmentally beneficial projects. During this
event, the employees help to build schools, construct housing
for people in need, and renovate social welfare facilities.
In 2012, the Day of Caring was held in 18 countries worldwide.
More details of projects promoted by the Group and activities
related to our social commitment can be found in the Daimler
Sustainability Report and on our website under “Sustainability.”
w daimler.com/sustainability
For the benefit of Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, Mercedes-Benz apprentices restored two 230 SL “pagoda-roof” cars from the 1960s.