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PERSPECTIVES

Reimagining Ways to Give Back for Global Community Day

November 24, 2020
Art Tildesley, Head of Global Executive Services and Citi Volunteers

Every year, Citi colleagues, alumni, partners, clients, family and friends come together to participate in Global Community Day, Citi's annual flagship volunteer initiative, to give back to the communities where we live and work. Traditionally, Global Community Day is celebrated through in-person events where we roll up our sleeves and engage in various service activities – from packaging meals for families in need, to cleaning up and planting flowers in our public parks.

This year, everything changed. Due to the global pandemic, we quickly pivoted our thinking and reimagined ways to give back in lieu of physical volunteer events. Recognizing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on our most vulnerable communities, we were determined to do our part through meaningful volunteerism. The result was our Global Community Day Reimagined campaign, through which Citi volunteers across 73 countries and territories participated in more than 63,000 volunteer engagements totaling more than 100,000 service hours, including:

  • Acts of kindness – activities ranging from running errands for elderly neighbors and supporting local businesses, to making and donating face masks and writing uplifting letters to those in isolation
  • Virtual volunteering – activities such as online career counseling, youth mentorship and resume-building workshops
  • Independent service – activities with a community organization of choice

Reimagining Ways to Give Back for Global Community Day

It has been inspiring to see our Citi volunteers around the world show their continued dedication to serving our communities, especially during a global pandemic. Even though we were physically apart, our volunteers showed us that small, individual gestures can have big collective impacts. And volunteerism hasn't stopped with the end of our campaign – Citi employees continue to volunteer year-round, lending their time and talents to worthy causes that support their local communities. I'm so proud and grateful to work alongside colleagues who live our mission of enabling progress and making a positive impact in our communities. I look forward to coming together again next year to demonstrate the power of Citi volunteerism and service!

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