Working in our communities
We at Philips have long been active in the communities where we live and work. Now we are taking this dedication to the next level with our first global social investment program, called SimplyHealthy@Schools. Initiatives around the world bring “sense and simplicity” to people’s health and well-being, and simply enhance life with light. We enhance learning by upgrading school lighting, teach youngsters about nature and HIV/AIDS, support programs to fight global killers like cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and more. By linking social investment initiatives with the scope of our business, we can make the most of our core competencies to make a difference in people’s lives.   Encouraging healthy, active lifestyles, we are proud to be a signature sponsor of the American Heart Association’s Start! Heart Walk. There’s no question actions speak louder than words. That’s why we have taken an important step to reinforce our desire to be the leading company in Health and Well-being by sponsoring the American Heart Association’s largest multi-city event and fundraiser called the Start! Heart Walk. Through a special website, employees created walking teams with colleagues to participate in a local Heart Walk in cities across the United States or virtually through our Philips Virtual Team. By taking part, over 1,900 employees found a great way to exercise and have fun with colleagues, while raising more than EUR 223,000 to support research, find answers and save lives. Fighting a global killerCardiovascular diseases, which include heart disease and stroke, are the world’s leading cause of death, claiming more than 17 million lives annually, with over 864,000 of those in the US alone. “Philips is helping our mission of fighting heart disease and stroke by providing support to this important cause so that more resources can be made available to those looking for tips on how to get more physical activity into their day,” said Neil Meltzer, American Heart Association Board Chairman and President and Chief Operating Officer, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.
  Building on our heritage of working with the communities where we operate, we have launched our first global social investment program. It’s called SimplyHealthy@Schools. With SimplyHealthy@Schools, Philips employees are going to classrooms around the world to upgrade lighting to enhance learning and energy saving. And they’re working with teachers to show children simple ways to improve their health and well-being with light, water, air, sleep, oral hygiene and exercise. All employees can volunteer to improve school lighting or help 9 to 12 year-olds become ‘Health Warriors’. The program got off to a flying start in eight countries – India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore and Thailand – reaching about 5,000 students in 37 schools. It’s slated to expand globally in 2010. Building on our work with students worldwideCommunity involvement is not new to Philips. We have been running programs in all regions for many years. In Brazil, for example, hundreds of employees have reached out to tens of thousands of students since 2001 when they began raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy through the ‘Donate Life’ project. Our volunteers have taught young people about the environment since they started ‘Learning with Nature’ in 2002. Then, with the support of the São Paulo Municipal Secretariat of Education, we began ‘Speaking from the heart’ in 2006 to educate students about cardiovascular health. These are just a few of the many projects in Brazil where Philips is well-known for its social investments focusing on global issues. Students who attended our Eco-Camps in Malaysia in 2009 learned about energy efficiency and how they can reduce their ‘Footprint in Nature’ by making simple changes in their everyday lives. The goal always is to plant the seed for a mindset that will preserve the environment for future generations.
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