ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø co-founder Robert I. Toll has always been an incredible proponent of giving back, and as such, giving back is in our company DNA. Over the years, he forged partnerships between ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø and a number of amazing causes, including the American Cancer Society, Seeds of Peace, and the Metropolitan Opera. A legacy of giving was born—and continues to this day.
At ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø, our value Do the Right Thing means we take our corporate social responsibility to heart. We know that a community is made up of more than houses—and that it's only as strong as the people in it. ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø has a proud legacy and an ongoing mission of contributing to major regional and national charitable organizations.
For a number of years, ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø has proudly supported the American Cancer Society (ACS), a nationwide, community-based health organization, in its mission to free the world from cancer through life-saving research. Every year, teams of ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø employees from divisions across the country work together to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø has raised more than $10 million for the American Cancer Society over the course of 15 years, through donations and fundraising events, with every dollar raised going directly toward funding and conducting cancer-fighting research.
CEO Douglas C. Yearley, Jr. was one of the founding co-chairs of the Pennsylvania chapter of CEOs Against Cancer, and ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø continues to be a supporter. The CEOs Against Cancer initiative leverages the power of global thought leaders to inspire a movement within organizations that directly improves the lives of employees and communities, all while making a meaningful investment in the fight against cancer.
Since 2000, ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø employees, associates, friends, and family have been readying Camp Seeds of Peace for the summer season. Located 40 miles northwest of Portland, Maine, the camp is devoted to inspiring peace and harmony in young people from conflict-ridden areas and ending the cycle of violence. Each year the camp hosts hundreds of teenagers from several countries. Led by professional facilitators, the teens live side by side for two-week sport and activity sessions specifically designed to teach conflict resolution skills.
Each year, hundreds of ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø-affiliated participants join forces to prepare the Seeds of Peace grounds for campers and renovate the various buildings and structures. Many ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø employees and their families have made this altruistic venture an annual event.
Since 2005, ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø has proudly sponsored the Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee radio broadcasts, the longest-running continuous classical music program in radio history. The programming is aired over the ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network, which comprises over 300 stations in the United States and reaches 11 million people in 42 countries around the globe. Regular radio broadcasts from The Metropolitan Opera began in 1931, and ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø was proudly named the corporate sponsor in 2005, continuing the tradition of bringing opera to listeners around the world.
ºÚÁÏÍø¹ÙÍø divisions and departments are encouraged to bring employees together on an annual basis to participate, as a group, in a day of community service. We call this program BEAM, a name derived from both the support beam in a house and a ray of light. Departments have volunteered for projects including building houses for families in need, packing school supplies, building shelving at an underserved school district, serving food at a food kitchen, and much more.
Teams are encouraged to give back to local charities that they feel a connection with, including organizations such as Posse, YouthBuild, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Movember, and Covenant House.