By Mulitfamily Exclusive
Bozzuto’s corporate social responsibility program is providing opportunities for its 2,800 employees and more than 100,000 residents to rise for the greater good. In fall 2019, the Greenbelt, Maryland, real estate company launched the newly branded and re-strategized program, Rise by Bozzuto, to unite its stakeholders, employees, residents, partners, and clients to create positive changes.
Selected by the employees, the pillars of the program—homelessness and housing, youth development, and environmental impact—serve as a guide for the issue areas and organizations supported by the collective company.
Bozzuto’s large footprint—managing 85,000 apartments in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington, D.C., as well as recently expanding to the West Coast—allows for the company to partner with national organizations with a local presence in the regions where it operates, including Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Keep America Beautiful, Feeding America, A Wider Circle, So Others Might Eat, and Move For Hunger.
In 2020, a year like no other, the program allowed the company to quickly enact campaigns to give back to those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In less than 30 days during April and May 2020, Rise by Bozzuto led multiple campaigns and contributed $50,000 toward philanthropic causes. More than 230 people from 13 states joined Team Bozzuto for A Wider Circle’s Race to End Poverty virtual 5K, raising about $20,000 to support the ongoing development of neighborhood revitalization programs. In addition, Bozzuto helped sweetgreen and World Central Kitchen provide free meals to front-line health care workers, and, on GivingTuesday on May 5, 2020, it offered a match to double donations for all donated meals, leading to $30,000 raised. In fall 2020, the program supported Feeding America and supplied more than 10,000 meals to the nonprofit’s network of food banks in the regions where Bozzuto operates.
Rise by Bozzuto has helped cultivate more participation in charitable and community building efforts, with the company seeing a 47% increase in employee donation participation and a 200% increase in year-over-year engagement since the program’s launch in 2019.
According to the company, the reach of Rise by Bozzuto would not be possible without its Community Champions—a team of 60 employees from across the company that launch initiatives for fellow team members, residents, and partners in their regions and is empowered to build relationships with local organizations.
“Believing in the impact of compassion and inclusion informs so much of what we do as a company,” states the award nomination. “This impact is made possible by our dedicated associates and our ability to connect the entire Bozzuto network. Communities rise to support their members. People rise to meet challenges. Rise by Bozzuto amplifies our impact.”
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