BCLC Honors Corporate Responsibility Efforts in Transitional D.C.

Speakers from current and future presidential administrations bestowed citizenship awards in five categories 

By Danielle Lee

Change was in the air at the 9th annual U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center Corporate Citizenship Awards dinner Nov. 18 in Washington, D.C. where five companies were honored for their volunteer efforts in the expansive National Building Museum a few miles from the White House. Current Press Secretary and event emcee Dana Perino shared the microphone with several presenters, including President-Elect Barack Obama's civic service advisor Harris Wofford to comment on the past and future of corporate responsibility.

The winning companies emerged from the categories of corporate stewardship, large business; corporate stewardship, small/midsize business; U.S. community service; international community service and partnership.

Perino kicked off the night's service theme by introducing a military official familiar to past White House events to sing the national anthem. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez was also on hand to echo the general praise of the private sector as the “greatest ambassadors for freedom and good will.”

Audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG’s youth education focus garnered it the large business award over fellow nominees Bank of America, Pilot Travelers, Siemens USA and Verizon Communications, while communications and technology firm Harris was awarded the small/midsize business honor for its local environmental impact programs. Other nominees in the category were CSCI, IntegrityOne Partners, NutraCea and Quality Float Works.

Allstate Insurance accepted the U.S. community service award for its focus on teen safe driving awareness put it above other shortlisted companies Air Conditioning Contractors of America, Deloitte & Touche USA, Southwest Airlines and Xcel Energy.

Coca-Cola’s “new village” project, which has improved the quality of living for 9,000 residents in a Hunan Province village by improving access to drinking water and heat, won the company the international community service award. Fellow finalists were AmCham Nicaragua, FedEx, Pfizer and Procter & Gamble.

The partnership award went to Eli Lilly, the International Council of Nurses and their 18-person alliance to fight multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Other partnerships in contention included Abbott Laboratories and Direct Relief International; American International Group and CHF International; CVS Caremark and the Simon Youth Foundation; and MTV Networks and the Jed Foundation.

Between presentations, Obama adviser Wofford outlined the president-elect’s plans for mandated public service and expanding the Peace Corps., which Wofford helped build during his time with the Kennedy administration.

He also spoke of Obama adding a chief technology officer to his cabinet, a move that will better facilitate a national network of volunteers.

The winners were chosen by a panel of experts made up of BCLC’s board of directors and past citizenship winners.