The Novartis Community Partnership Day initiative provides employees of the healthcare company with a unique opportunity to give back to the local community in a meaningful and practical way. More than 27,000 Novartis associates in 63 countries engaged in volunteer activities to help people in their local communities. Novartis staff in Ireland, donated almost 2,000 volunteering hours.
Alcon
Alcon associates were involved in three projects including, transforming two storage rooms into a sensory room for patients & a bedroom for patient families in Farrenlea CNU, Cork City (a specialist care centre that enables adults with life threatening conditions to die with dignity).
They also helped Irish Guide Dogs renovate a kitchen/ living quarters and transform an unused store room into a client consultation room. Finally, 25 Alcon associates renovated St. Killian’s Primary School playground.
Novartis Dublin
Staff from Novartis Dublin contributed approximately 840 working hours to date for the 2015 Community Partnership Day, working on seven different projects across Dublin. These projects include; a Sunrise Summit Challenge for the Red Cross; hosting an afternoon tea party for local senior citizens; a Blood Donation Drive; and gardening and renovating premises for local community groups. Novartis volunteers also gathered at a special event in Ronald McDonald House to mark Community Partnership Day 2015. The Ronald McDonald House is a resource for families of seriously ill children, providing them with overnight accommodation and support while their child receives care in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. The employees swapped their laptops for ladles to cook hearty, home-made meals for families of seriously ill children attending the hospital.
Novartis Ringaskiddy
In Novartis Ringaskiddy, over 100 associates volunteered across a range of projects for local communities.
These projects included a community clean-up for the Shanbally area in conjunction with the local national school, the construction of two playhouses and some refurbishment work for Sonas Special Primary School in Carrigaline, the refurbishment of Carrigaline Community Associations Junior Youth Club, the creation of a music room for St Kevin’s Youth Encounter School in Cork City, the refurbishment and gardening works for Bessboro Day Care Centre (Alzheimer Society of Ireland) in Mahon, the provision of PC’s to Bishoptown’s Community School and the hosting of a Senior Citizen’s afternoon on campus at Novartis Ringaskiddy.
