WINTER 2008

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Pg 112 - GIVING BACK

Companies That Care
This past June, I received an urgent email from Mary Morton, communication and program director of Nourish America (you can learn more about this non-profit organization on page 33). The email contained an important request for all types of product-from cash funds to food to cleaning solutions to body and skincare products-to aid the Iowa flood victims. At that time, more than 36,000 people had been evacuated from 23 Iowa cities and rural county areas. To make matters worse, 83 out of Iowa's 99 counties were declared state disaster areas. Within minutes, I had contacted a number of product manufacturers to see if they could help by donating food and personal-care products. One company replied immediately.

"If you've ever been through a flood situation, there's nothing better than feeling clean. It's one of the dirtiest experiences you can imagine," says Chuck Bennett, vice president of Earth and Community Care, a department within the Aveda corporation. "We approached it from three dimensions, but the biggest one was the one you lead us to," relates Bennett. With his help and that of Katie Galloway, manager of the Aveda Earth Fund, the company quickly donated about $160,000 worth of the basics-soap, shampoo, and conditioner-to Nourish America. They also gave a cash donation of $10,000 to the Farm Aid Family Farm Disaster Fund. "We did that out of our ongoing support for sustainable agriculture," explains Bennett. "That's one of the things we like to do as a company, because of our reliance on agriculturally produced ingredients for our products. We support small family farms not only in the U.S., but around the world." The third thing Aveda did was put into place by its local network of salespeople in Iowa. They made t-shirts and sold them to raise funds for the spas and salons that were impacted by the floods.

"We [businesses] need to be sensitive to the needs of communities in which we operate, and as a result of that sensitivity be prepared to support needs and communities as they arise," believes Bennett. I ask him how he became so wise. "I've been at it a long time," he says, "and I'm well-taught by Katie and my team."

And so, it is here, on our "Giving Back" page that we extend a hearty and special "thank you" to the team at Aveda for stepping up to the plate without hesitation, and to helping Nourish America gather over one million dollars in donated products.

-Mary Bemis, Founder & Editor in Chief