AARP Foundation Teams with Parker Health Group to Combat Social Isolation
Parker Health Group has provided a grant of $170,000 to AARP Foundation to implement Connect2Affect Connected Communities in 13 New Jersey affordable senior housing buildings, serving more than 1,000 residents across 11 counties.
AARP Foundation Connect2Affect Connected Communities is a comprehensive solution designed to connect older adults to their affordable senior housing communities and to each other by making it easy to get community information using just their voice. The program works with affordable senior housing providers to equip their communities with voice-activated devices, tools, and training that help residents maintain the social connections they need to remain independent and age in place longer.
“Social isolation is a serious and complex health issue, one that desperately needs our attention more than ever during these unprecedented times,” says Emily Allen, senior vice president of AARP Foundation programs and head of its Social Connection team.
This year, teacher appreciation has taken on a whole new meaning. Staples wants to give even more teachers the chance to win supplies for their classroom, wherever they’ll be teaching. Through the #ThankATeacher contest, 20 stand-out teachers will be awarded $5,000 in Staples gift cards to stock up on supplies for the upcoming school year.
“It’s undeniable that this school year will look different for everyone. Staples knows that teachers will need our support more than ever – whether they’re teaching in the classroom, remotely or a combination of both,” says Mike Motz, chief executive officer, Staples US Retail. “We wanted to provide a platform this year to allow both students and parents to celebrate their teachers by sharing personal stories of gratitude and appreciation.”
Ally Financial’s Andrea Brimmer on Brands Being 'Human' in Times of Crisis
Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer of Ally Financial, will take the virtual stage at Adweek’s upcoming Brandweek Masters Live summit, Sept. 14-17, to discuss how the company is navigating this moment that requires both principled consistency and seemingly unending flexibility.
“The hardest thing has been keeping up with the pace of change and dealing with dual crises,” she says. “The first few weeks were focused on helping our consumer and auto dealer customers. On the marketing side, my team started meeting multiple times a week to make sure we had the latest information and that all our communications took the current moment into account. We’ve been looking at the data to gauge consumer sentiment at the moment as it changed throughout these crises to make sure our communications were appropriate.
Caesars Says it Will Curtail Promotional Spending
Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment, told investors and financial analysts to not expect a return of promotional spending in regional markets, saying they were “unnecessary.”
Barry Jonas, who is director of equity research/gaming at Truist Securities, agreed with Reeg, saying perks such as free slot and table play, meals and rooms may not be at the same level again because many are considered loss leaders.
The initiative will provide internet access and equipment to thousands of MPS students and families as virtual learning continues this year, according to a news release from American Family Insurance. All MPS students will be able to have internet access and a laptop, the spokesman noted.
This is the largest corporate donation to the program and will allow #ConnectMilwaukee to surpass its original fundraising goal of $1 million. Fans who are interested in joining the effort can contribute to the Brewers Community Foundation or send money directly to MPS.
McDonald’s, Target, Nature Conservancy and Cargill Support Nebraska Farmers
The Nature Conservancy, McDonald’s, Cargill and Target are coming together to launch a new five-year, $8.5 million project aimed at working with Nebraska farmers to advance proven soil health practices to help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and help farmers adapt to climate change. Overall, this effort has the potential to sequester 150,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide over the course of the project – equivalent to removing over 32,000 cars from the road in one year.
Nebraska is one of the top states for U.S. beef production and among the top three states for corn production, a key ingredient for cattle feed. This project will work with interested farmers to reach 100,000 acres of land and provide them with the technical and financial assistance to scale the implementation of regenerative soil health practices, including cover cropping, reduced tillage and diversified crop rotation.
“Mitigating climate change is a top priority for our organizations. We know we cannot tackle this alone,” says Heather Tansey, sustainability leader for Cargill’s protein and animal health businesses. “I’m so proud of this effort to not only promote carbon sequestration in the beef feed supply chain but also support the resilience of agricultural communities.”
1-800-Flowers.com is teaming up with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment to bring movies to the gifting experience, as Universal is making some of its most popular films available to gift-givers as […]