The 'season of giving' is here. But Boeing and its employees work year-round to improve their communities and assist people in need. Here's a look at the ways that the company and its people provide this support.

Good deeds, daily

With Thanksgiving this month in the United States and the December holidays a blink of the eye away, November ushers in what many call the "season of giving." At this time of the year, people often think about giving to those in need in their communities. What many may not realize, however, is that those needs exist all year long.

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Heart strings and purse strings

The members of the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound Board of Trustees are a diverse group. But they all have a passion for supporting the communities where they live and work.

"It's a big job, but it has really helped me grow," said Elizabeth Perrin, a Materials Management employee in Auburn, Wash., and secretary of the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound Board of Trustees. "We see the basic needs of our family and friends, but the need out there is much greater than I ever dreamed."

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'How can I help?'

No one was prepared for the enormous devastation Hurricane Katrina caused when it struck the U.S. Gulf states recently. But even under these circumstances, Boeing employees took action and asked, "How can I help?"

Besides contributing about $4 million to the American Red Cross via the Employees Community Fund, Boeing employees gave generously of their time and other resources to help those in need. This was particularly apparent at Boeing sites nearest the disaster area—especially Houston, about 350 miles away from storm-affected New Orleans.

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On their own two feet

When a little girl named Phuong Thuy was examined earlier this year at Bach Mai Rehabilitation Centre in Hanoi, Vietnam, she had one request—that her left leg be amputated. The congenitally short leg made Thuy self-conscious about playing outside with her siblings and friends, and was likely to lead to curvature of her spine. But when center staffers asked her to try an orthoprosthesis instead of amputation, she agreed.

The option of an assistive device may not have been possible without a Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) program partially funded by Boeing.

In Vietnam, unexploded ordnance and landmines, along with birth defects and disease, have left an estimated 700,000 citizens needing assistive devices and physical therapy. The VVAF is one organization that's stepped up to fill that need.

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Building bridges

When it comes to volunteering in their local communities, Boeing employees in Southern California have got it nailed. Each year for the past six years, hundreds of volunteers from area Boeing sites have hefted hammers and lugged lumber, building a variety of structures for two local organizations in need.

Coordinated by California Community and Education Relations, the Southern California Building Project brings together volunteers annually to complete a building project at facilities in communities where Boeing employees live and work.

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A shot at success

On West Madison Street in Chicago, you'll find the United Center, the arena where crowds have flocked to watch sports luminaries such as basketball great Michael Jordan. A few blocks away on the city's West Side, a traditionally underserved community, is Dodge Renaissance Academy, a public school serving kindergarten through 8th grade students.

Helping give the kids there a winning shot is Boeing's support for two nonprofit organizations that help develop better Chicago Public School teachers and principals: The Academy for Urban School Leadership and New Leaders for New Schools.

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