2022 Community Engagement Wrap-Up
January 23, 2023
January 23, 2023
Looking back at where we donated, volunteered, and continued important initiatives in our communities
Another epic, energic year has wrapped up for us here in Community Engagement! We continued with our goal of connecting with communities where we live and work, to help strengthen them in meaningful ways. Through our efforts, we were able to provide more than $5.2 million to organizations throughout the world through donations, sponsorships, and volunteer work in the areas of our four pillars¡ªarts, education, environment, and health and wellness.
While acknowledging that each community has distinct needs and potential, we continue to search for strategic collaborations that empower and leverage entire communities. By participating in community partnerships and rewarding initiatives that foster inclusiveness in the larger marketplace, Â鶹´«Ã½ encourages diversity and inclusion in our communities, supporting programs that facilitate interaction with women, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color), and people with disabilities.
In 2022, we continued engagements with Black, Indigenous, Asian, Women, LGBTQ2+, and Latin-led organizations¡ªNational Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), iSTEAM, Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Pride@ Work, Catalyst, Rainbow Tick, O4U, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and World Central Kitchen (WCK).
We understand the value of education and can imagine how difficult it can be for students financially as they focus on the future. Last year, we awarded over $462,800 in scholarships and formed new partnerships with two HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities), worth $50,000 each, for scholarships and programming aimed at underrepresented students at Howard University and Tennessee State.
Forty-three students from around the globe were awarded scholarships through our Stantec Equity & Diversity Scholarship (E&D Scholarship). Seven of these students were given internships around North America. This annual scholarship was created in 2020 when we recognized the need to increase our focus on finding more ways to support underrepresented populations in our industry¡ªand will award $200,000 to students in STEAM (science, technology, environmental, arts, and mathematics). We¡¯re currently in our third intake for the scholarship and will be providing scholarships and internships to another 44 students in 2023.
With our annual holiday giving-back campaign, we surveyed employees and asked for their input on which organizations they¡¯d like to see receive $100,000 in funding. These funds provide additional and vital support in our communities¡ªUnited Nations, World Central Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, Canadian Mental Health Association, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Beyond Blue, and Mind.
Continuing our work with Oxfam in support of global disaster relief, we launched a collaboration with World Central Kitchen to assist in resiliency efforts and food security for people affected by disaster. Our amazing employees provided Â鶹´«Ã½ through pro-bono work to the Boys and Girls Club, University of British Columbia, Habitat for Humanity, and Engineers Without Borders (EWB).
Our 9th annual, signature Company-sponsored volunteer event, Stantec in the Community Week (SITC Week), took place in June. Over 3,700 employees worldwide donated their time, energy, and support to 343 organizations. One of the events during SITC Week saw Glasgow employees help families who are suffering from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Outside of SITC Week, our employees proudly volunteer all throughout the year with local organizations where they live. Our colleagues not only volunteer their time to local organizations, but they also excel at fundraising for well-known charities such as Movember, and last year, they raised $46,353 globally in support of men's health. And employees helped raise over $45,000 for their local charities through our global volunteer initiative, Dollars for Doers.
We also continued to support our internal community through the Â鶹´«Ã½ BetterTogether Fund (BTF). The fund assists Â鶹´«Ã½ employees who are experiencing financial hardship as a result of natural disasters or unexpected personal challenges and sits with over $218,000 that includes donations from our employees.
Since we began tracking donations, sponsorships, and volunteer opportunities in 2007, our contributions have surpassed $36 million. We¡¯re excited to build on these achievements in 2023¡ª because we understand the importance of giving back to the community, we¡¯re committed to meeting our 2030 goal of investing an additional $30 million in community organizations around the world. Not only will we achieve our goal, but we¡¯ll also continue to assist charitable organizations in our communities to strengthen their ability to achieve their goals and work effectively to sustain themselves over time.