Honeywell, which manages the Kansas City National Security Campus for the U.S. Department of Energy, is ramping up its efforts to support key community initiatives, including workforce development.
Honeywell and its predecessor companies have been part of the Kansas City community for nearly 70 years. Honeywell has a long history of supporting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to encourage students to explore careers in technical fields. Recently, Honeywell made a $1 million annual commitment to the Kansas City community and expanded its philanthropic goals to support veterans, workforce development, and diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Honeywell uses a variety of programs and initiatives to foster a culture of philanthropy at the Kansas City National Security Campus. Employees can use 40 hours a year to volunteer in their communities. A robust scholarship program, administered by the Community Foundation, allows Honeywell to invest in building the next generation of the skilled workforce.
The Honeywell Opportunity for Prosperity through Education (HOPE) Scholarship helps put students in the Kansas City metro area on the path to a rewarding, technical career supporting national security. Scholarship recipients are paired with a mentor from Honeywell for professional coaching and career advice. A class of HOPE Scholarship recipients is pictured to the right. Mentorship is also a key element of Honeywell’s Black Achievers Society Engineering Scholarship for minority students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in engineering. The Nyeland-Shuth Scholarship, established in memory of two Honeywell employees, is awarded to children of Honeywell employees.
Senior Engineering Tech Specialist Grant Lewis has worked for Honeywell for 18 years. Lewis currently serves as a reviewer for the Black Achievers Society Scholarship and leads many of Honeywell’s STEM outreach activities.
“I’ve been a supporter of many charitable campaigns that Honeywell has sponsored,” said Lewis. “I started as a participant, but now I lead some of these efforts. I’ve always wanted to support my community. I lead various volunteer opportunities and recruit new and seasoned employees to get on board. It’s awesome to see communities, schools and organizations get excited because they know what Honeywell brings to the table. Besides my day-to-day job, it’s one of the most rewarding things I do.”
With corporate social responsibility at the forefront of the minds of young employees and job candidates, charitable giving programs are a crucial part of any company’s benefits package.
“I believe it’s extremely important that Honeywell gives back to the community and allows its employees to get involved and make an impact,” said Lillian Cooper, Senior IT Manager at Honeywell. “Because of the ongoing support Honeywell provides, like community outreach activities and volunteer opportunities, I am proud to be a Honeywell employee.”
The Community Foundation is honored to serve as Honeywell’s charitable giving partner.
“The Community Foundation is a tremendous resource for the corporate community,” says Ashlee Parker-Osborne, Community Relations Lead at Honeywell. “The expectation today is that businesses have a corporate social responsibility program to support the communities they call home. The Community Foundation makes it easy because the staff has the best practices and processes in place to help us effectively engage our employees and create positive change in the community.”
Is your company interested in creating or expanding its corporate giving programs? Getting started is easy. Visit the corporate services section of our website, contact LaVon Colhour by email, or call her at 816.627.3400.
Authored by: Ashley Hawkins, Content Specialist