eBay offices across Europe take part in GIVE Week starting Sept. 10, with employees raising money and volunteering for good causes. The week is packed full of activities in locations including London; Dublin; Prague; Bern and Zurich in Switzerland; and Dreilinden, Germany.
According to Christine Reichenbach, Switzerland GIVE Team Co-Chair, “The idea of this week is to increase awareness, demonstrate and celebrate true eBay values and give all the employees across EU the opportunity to make a difference while also having lots of fun!”
Kicking off the week in London, employees are ready to give their time supporting the Landmark Arts Centre on Monday. Employees will help by painting an area of the venue to better serve the visually impaired, and will also work to tidy up the garden area. The week also includes a nonprofit fair where employees can hear how GIVE Team grants have supported various organizations and learn about volunteer opportunities. The week will end on Saturday with The Annual Great River Race, in which employees will row 43 kilometers along the Thames into London. The UK GIVE Team will make grants to the charities sponsored by the winning boat and by the team that raises the most donations.
The Ireland GIVE Team will promote grantmaking by holding sessions for employees where they can learn how to nominate a nonprofit for a GIVE Team grant. A bake sale will be held as well, with proceeds going to Cheeverstown, an organization that provides a wide range of services to adults and children with developmental disabilities. Cheeverstown previously received a grant to make a van wheelchair-accessible.
The Germany GIVE Team has invited Save the Children Germany and Gute Tat to come and share information with employees about how they can get involved with the organizations. Both nonprofits, along with a third, TelefonSeelsorge, have also been selected as beneficiaries by the winners of the Expedition Everbest Challenge and will be presented with checks at the event. The Everbest challenge brought together 700 employees from offices across Europe and APAC in a quest to walk a distance equivalent to reaching the summit of Mt. Everest.
In Prague, the newly formed Czech Republic GIVE Team will volunteer for Running With Those Who Can’t, an organization serving disabled children. The week will also include a GIVE Team presentation where pictures from volunteer events in the Czech Republic are shared as well as information on getting involved.
The Switzerland GIVE Team will have activities in both the Bern and Zurich offices, including a presentation by the Gracias Foundation where employees will learn how they can volunteer for the organization. The Maisha orphanage in Kenya, will make a presentation describing how grant funds from eBay Foundation have helped the organization and about volunteer opportunities. In Bern, employees will hear from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, which aims to reduce poverty globally. The agency will discuss its strategic goals and share how Switzerland contributes to poverty reduction, sustainable development, and the solution of global problems. And, in Zurich employees will hear from the City of Zurich’s Volunteer Office about the importance of giving and volunteering in Switzerland. There will also be bake sales and a charity auction benefiting Maisha and a second organization helping children in Africa.
EU GIVE Week will bring together employees across the continent as they give back to their communities and sets the stage for similar events on the horizon. On Oct. 2, the GIVE Team in Chennai and Bangalore will celebrate the Joy of Giving Week, a national weeklong festival of giving that honors the birthday of Gandhi.
Employee-led GIVE Teams support eBay Inc. local communities with charitable activities in nineteen locations around the world.