To learn more, please visit vml.com/foundation and follow VML’s Foundation Day activities via #WeAreVML.
Industry’s largest synchronized charitable corporate impact day unites 26,000+ employees worldwide to spend the day giving back to local communities and causes
VML will close more than 100 offices around the world on Thursday, Sept. 26, to normal business. Instead, the agency’s 26,000 global employees will spend the day supporting worthy causes and non-profit organizations of their choice through volunteer projects. Over the past 20 years, VML collectively has supported more than 250 non-profit causes through the Foundation Day program.
Goodness goes on tour to celebrate the rhythm of compassion with this year’s theme for VML Worldwide Foundation Day: “Heart Beats.” As the industry’s largest synchronized charitable corporate impact day, the day aims to highlight the collective impact of thousands of colleagues rolling up their sleeves to give back in meaningful ways over the same 24-hour period. VML empowers employees to act on causes that resonate personally. Volunteer activities across the network range from environmental and community-focused initiatives to education and health action.
Jon Cook, VML global CEO, said, “Since the launch of VML earlier this year, one of the things we’ve looked forward to most is the increased impact we can have on Foundation Day. It’s the ultimate embodiment of the agency’s core values, emphasizing connection, inspiration and inclusion. While VML volunteers will be deployed in more than 100 individual markets globally, we will be united in purpose and in service of our communities.”
VML Worldwide Foundation Day is a signature feature of the agency’s community outreach program, a priority embedded into the agency’s overall employee experience offering. In addition to VML’s dedication to inclusion, equity, and belonging; career growth and development; and employee well-being, the VML Foundation is an intentional investment in the communities that nurture our business success.
In the U.S., the VML Foundation is an employee-funded and employee-led organization held under 501(c)(3) status that surpassed $3.2 million in charitable donations earlier this year. Employees are invited to financially support the Foundation with personal contributions. Foundation members receive tangible benefits, including the ability to secure charitable grants and participate in a $2-to-$1 matching gift program, resulting in hundreds of employee-directed donations each year. Additionally, the VML Foundation supports pro bono services for nonprofits, yearlong volunteer opportunities, employee resource group fundraising, disaster relief efforts and more.
Lauren Ziegler, VML Foundation associate director, said, "VML Worldwide Foundation Day continues to provide space for employees to not only connect with local charitable organizations, but also make connections with one another. We focus on the charitable interests of our employees throughout the year, and on Foundation Day we’re able to make an impact on the causes our colleagues care about most.”
This year, VML employees will donate their time and talents to hundreds of nonprofit and community organizations.
Click on each region below to learn where VMLers will be volunteering across North America, LATAM, APAC, and EMEA.
VML Atlanta — Cleaning up the local river system with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, planting trees with Trees Atlanta, building furniture for the Furniture Bank of Atlanta and supporting Books for Africa.
VML Austin — Partnering with Keep Austin Beautiful for an impactful cleanup at Roy G. Guerrero Park. Volunteers will focus on restoring the area by collecting trash around the fields and Secret Beach.
VML Chicago — Working with several organizations in Chicago, including Cara Collective, Center on Halsted, Digs with Dignity, Gerber Hart Library, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Habitat ReStore North, Habitat ReStore South, Kate’s Smiles, Lincoln Park Conservancy, Metropolitan Family Services, Monarch Thrift, Nourishing Hope, Plant Chicago and Sarah’s Circle.
VML Cincinnati — Collaborating with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful and the College Hill community to clean up Pleasant Hill Academy and Crawford Commons. The team will remove litter and debris to create a safer, cleaner environment that enhances outdoor learning spaces and supports better education outcomes for students.
VML Cleveland — The team will be hosting a Habitat for Humanity Fill A Truck event at the office to donate used furniture and clothing.
VML Colorado – Cultivating sustainable urban agriculture at Growing Gardens.
VML Costa Mesa — Processing nutritious food to be distributed to local network of providers.
VML Dallas — Volunteering at Feed My Starving Children filling food packs benefitting communities around the world. In the second half of the day, the team is working with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to pack breast health kits and HOPE Kits.
VML Detroit — Working with nine different organizations, including Volunteers of America, Michigan Humane Society, Focus on Hope, Noah at Central, Greening of Detroit, Forgotten Harvest, Motor City Mittens, Detroit Experience Studio partner high school and Friend of Detroit Animal Care.
VML Kalamazoo — Volunteering at Loaves & Fishes, Kalamazoo River Valley Trail and the YMCA.
VML Kansas City — Partnering with nearly 30 local nonprofits in the Greater Kansas City area, including Ability KC, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Cultivate KC, Giving the Basics, Habitat for Humanity of Greater KC, Habitat for Humanity Truman Heritage, HappyBottoms, Harvesters Community Food Bank, HopeBUILDERS KC, Kansas City Indian Center, Kanbe’s Market, KC Pet Project, Lead to Read, Mattie Rhodes Center, Nourish KC, Rose Brooks Women’s Shelter, Scraps KC, Tall Oaks Conference Center, Thelma’s Kitchen, Union Cemetery, Variety KC, Veterans Community Project, and Westside CAN.
VML Los Angeles — Meal service for The Midnight Mission Kitchen, sorting clothes, and making food boxes and hygiene kits.
VML Memphis — Volunteers will help create office space at Oasis of Hope, spend time with animals at Memphis Animal Services, pack and organize food at Mid-South Food Bank, and bake treats for families at FedEx Family House.
VML Miami —Assisting at Lotus House, a local women's and children's shelter, by helping their culinary and operations team for the day. The team will also prepare lunches for those affected by poverty and homelessness at Smile Trust and supporting Voices for Children comfort closet.
VML Minneapolis — Joining forces with Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center, where the team will be engaged in gardening, trail maintenance, landscaping and indoor activities.
VML Montreal— Focusing on providing family support at Ronald McDonald House, care for ALS patients at ALS Quebec,wellness programs for older adults at The Cummings Centre, and partnering with Friperie Cartier Émilie.
VML Nashville — Volunteering at MACC (Metro Animal Care and Control Shelter)
VML New York & New Jersey — Partnering with over a dozen local community organizations to give back to the NY and NJ area, including Ali Forney Center, Black and Brown Collective, City Meals on Wheels, City Parks Foundation, Covenant House New York, Grace Giving, The Hoboken Shelter, LES Ecology Center, Little Essentials, NEXT Distro, New York Food Bank, O’Hara Nature Center, Rise Against Hunger, Surfrider, and The Campaign Against Hunger.
VML Newport Beach — Partnering with Harvest Solutions Farm, an organization dedicated to providing dignified, equitable and consistent access to nutritious food.
VML Portland — Volunteering with Rose Haven, a day shelter and community center serving women, children and gender non-conforming folks experiencing the trauma of abuse, loss of home and other disruptive life challenges.
VML Rogers — Supporting local community partners Apple Seeds, 7 Hills Homeless Center, Samaritan Community Center, NWA Trailblazers and Ronald McDonald House Charities.
VML San Francisco — Volunteering with the SF Marin Food Bank, which serves over 53,000 households weekly. Volunteers will assist with distributing groceries, recycling, check-in and other tasks.
VML Southern California — Partnering with local organizations focused on food security, education, and animal welfare. Volunteers will support Giving Farm, Harvest Solutions Farm, and Project Angel Food by helping provide fresh produce and meals to those in need. Additionally, they will engage with children at Para Los Niños and assist the San Diego Community Cat Foundation in caring for kittens and enhancing their outreach.
VML Stamford — Supporting longtime community partner Open Doors. This local nonprofit has been a resource for people dealing with poverty and homelessness in the greater Norwalk area.
St. Louis — Partnering with several organizations to make a community impact. Efforts include supporting Nurses for Newborns and APA (American Pet Association), while volunteers will create greeting cards for seniors through United Way. In celebration of National Public Lands Day, the team will work with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation. Additionally, at the Maryville Centre Drive Campus, VMLers will participate in a trail cleanup and host a blood drive in collaboration with Impact for Life.
VML Toronto - Packing Community Care Kits for the unhoused community in Toronto.
VML Vancouver - Serving lunch at a local unhoused shelter in Vancouvers East End.
VML Washington, D.C. — Volunteering at DC Central Kitchen preparing meals for those in need.
VML Argentina — Supporting three local NGO organizations: Dando una mano — preparing breakfasts for people in vulnerable situations; Jovenes con Autismo — autistic youth mentorship; Eco House — coastal cleaning day and tree planting
VML Brazil — Working with multiple organizations supporting the elderly, animal welfare, blood donations and orphanages.
VML Chile — Supporting local areas affected by natural disaster improving conditions of homes, schools, hospitals, etc. The team will also serve at the Animal Rescue Foundation — volunteers will be able to care for, walk and feed abandoned animals.
VML Costa Rica —Painting, installing courts and general maintenance at the Escuela en Alajuelia.
VML Colombia — Volunteering with Fundación San Mauricio painting desks, gardening and distributing donations of computers to students.
VML Guatemala — In partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, volunteers will help restore critical areas of watersheds and micro-watersheds where trees serve for efficient water retention.
VML Mexico — Volunteering at local food banks, animal shelters, and homeless shelters in and around Mexico City.
VML Peru — Spending time with women and families at a local women’s shelter.
VML Puerto Rico — Painting, cleaning and installing school furniture at Centro Corazón Azul.
VML Uruguay — Volunteering at RedLAco to reduce waste, recovering fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be wasted due to their shape and size. Produce will be donated to local social services organizations.
VML Cape Town — Supporting multiple organizations: SPCA Sandton, Woodrock Animal Rescue, MES-IMPILO Soup Kitchen, Sacred Heart Bakery, Food and Trees Africa, MATLA BANA Care Packs, Mayibuye Early Childhood Centres, and Do More Foundation Early Childhood Development.
VML Copenhagen — Supporting a local childhood cancer nonprofit through donated services.
VML Czech Republic — VMLers are supporting four focus areas – Animal Welfare, Sustainability, Creativity & Sport. The team is volunteering at a local animal shelter, organizing a beautification project in Prague 7, helping with restoration efforts, leading a creative consultation with a NGO, and participating in a charitable bike ride.
VML France — Combating food waste and food insecurity impacting local youth.
VML Germany — Working with Bahnhofsmission Berlin (Emergency Housing), Joh's Eckart GmbH (animal welfare shelter), SOS Kinderdorf Oberberken (beautification project), and Fruchtalarm (pediatric cancer project).
VML Greece —Volunteering with We4all by cleaning local parks and beautifying shared outdoor spaces.
VML Hungary — Continuing to support underprivileged young women in partnership with The Shoebox Project. The team will welcome women from the program into the VML office for a day of career exploration and mentorship.
VML Italy — In collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the team will spend the day in the WWF park of Vanzago in Milan. Projects include painting a shelter for injured animals, planting 300 new plants and cleaning up dry brush.
VML Health Italy — Donating time and talent to support patient programme partner AISLA, consulting on the pillars of ethical communication and how to address patient needs.
VML Johannesburg — Partnering with Randstad on the topics of health, inclusion, accessibility and well-being.
VML Luxembourg — Raising awareness of breast cancer by participating in a charity run/walk (Pink October Run in Hesperrange) in honor of loved ones.
VML Poland — Launching a grant contest for all employees, encouraging everyone to submit their ideas for volunteer projects.
VML Portugal — Assembling furniture and painting at a local shelter serving underprivileged children, supporting a food waste program, and participating in sustainability activities.
VML Romania — Hosting an office garage sale to raise donations, either in the form of food supplies or financial aid, to support children in foster homes.
VML Spain — Organizing a charity paddle tournament for our employees, raising funds and in-kind donations to benefit the Food Bank of Madrid. Additional programs will take place in-office focused on mental health.
VML The Netherlands — Leading a guerilla marketing effort combating cigarette waste in the city. The team will raise awareness by organizing a campaign in which pocket ashtrays will be handed out in the street by volunteers.
VML UK — Volunteering in the community garden at Living Under One Sun, participating in a 10-mile sponsored walk benefitting Macmillan Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation, and cleaning up Thames Beach as well as Regent Park.
VML Aukland — Providing help and support on the ground at SPCA center.
VML Australia — Working to achieve tasks on WPP's Reconciliation Action Plan in Australia; pushing WPP toward key goals and objectives created in partnership with First Nations Authority Reconciliation Australia.
VML China — Organizing a charity bazaar open to the public, with proceeds funding bedding for student dormitories in impoverished mountainous areas of China. Offices will also host a recycling program to turn plastic bottles into school uniforms supporting students in economic hardship, achieving low-carbon environmental protection and sustainable development for public welfare.
VML Hong Kong — Partnering with Coral Academy supporting coral conservation, restoration and public education.
VML India — Volunteering with Green Yatra for recycling efforts, and Acon for a tree planting day.
VML Indonesia — Organizing a charity bazaar at the office. The proceeds will go to a nursing home and an orphanage. VML Indonesia will also be organizing a blood drive.
VML Melbourne & Sydney — In an effort to raise awareness and end domestic violence, teams will donate time and talent to advance the mission of local nonprofits Mary’s House Services and Refuge Victoria.
VML Philippines — Supporting the Kythe Foundation by spending time with children in Kythe's affiliate hospitals and providing hospital safety kits to patients.
VML Singapore — Working with Willing Hearts, TOUCH Community Services, and the Salvation Army assisting in meal preparation, packing, cleaning, and ad hoc tasks such as gardening and housekeeping.
VML Thailand — Helping the local home4animals animal shelter.
VML Vietnam — Employees and clients will participate together in a blood donation drive and community beautification activity.
VML Wellington — Volunteering for Kaibosh Food Rescue.
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