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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1488864
In Shanghai, Apple Store team member Elyn Tang has volunteered throughout the year with organizations that clean up local rivers and help families who have children with disabilities. She also participated in an event with Rainbow Volunteer Club, a group that helps connect teenage girls living in rural areas of the country with mentors. In March, Tang worked with the organization and wrote a letter of support to a young girl, not knowing who would receive it, and not expecting a reply. But in June, she received an email that touched her heart. “The girl who wrote back told me that my letter made her feel like she wasn’t alone,” says Tang, who is raising a young daughter of her own. “She said she had always wanted to become a teacher, yet had been at a loss and didn’t know how to make it happen. My letter inspired her to work hard to make that dream come true. I feel like my words helped to empower her, and that brings me a sense of peace.” Around the world, Apple supports the work of food banks and other organizations that address food disparity through its Strengthen Local Communities grant program and other programming. And employees regularly team up with local organizations to help provide food, shelter, and other services to those in need. In India, the organization Rise Against Hunger hosted multiple meal-packaging events at Apple campuses in Bengaluru and Hyderabad that collectively put together over 30,000 meals. “It’s important for me to participate in social welfare activities because I feel that everyone should give back to their community if they can,” says Apple team member Vinod Nitturi, who volunteered at the Hyderabad event. “I have been blessed, and so if I can help someone who is struggling, I will do whatever is in my power to make that possible.” As part of its work to advance environmental justice and advocate for communities most impacted by climate change and environmental disparities, Apple this year provided grants to environmental justice organizations, including the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, the Center for Diversity and the Environment, the Native Conservancy, and UPROSE. And for Earth Day, more than 1,300 Apple team members participated in dozens of cleanups and environmentally focused events across the globe. Like many of her colleagues around the world, Apple Store team member Sandra Maranhão is incredibly passionate about contributing her time to environmental causes. But she also volunteers with organizations that raise awareness around prostate cancer, help those living on the streets, and support young people in her community in Rio de Janeiro. “Volunteering is very fulfilling — that feeling of paying back to others what has been given to me is priceless,” says Maranhão, an Expert at Apple VillageMall. “It’s one of the best things about working at Apple; it gives me time so that I can contribute to my community. There’s a phrase that’s part of our credo about making the world a better place, and this is something that guides me. I want the Earth to be as beautiful as it is today for when my children grow up, and we can all do our part to make that possible.” In Shanghai, Apple team member Elyn Tang volunteers with a variety of organizations, including Rainbow Volunteer Club, which supports young women living in rural areas of China. n Hyderabad, India, Vinod Nitturi attended an Apple event on campus where volunteers packed meals for those in need. In Rio de Janeiro, Apple team member Sandra Maranhão volunteers throughout the year with an organization that helps reforest Brazil’s Sugarloaf Mountain.