Wolters Kluwer Cares: A Spotlight on Volunteering Across Our Organization

Our superpowered employee-led group in Pune, India drives year-round CSR and DEIB initiatives that support local NGOs and community organizations, while providing enrichment and engagement opportunities for employees. Activities the team has organized so far included tree plantings, DEIB awareness sessions for Women’s Day and Pride Month, a recycling drive, gifts for underprivileged children, launching a science lab at a local school, supporting an animal shelter, and best of all - they’re partnering up with the local Rotary chapter to use their winnings to build a sustainable water treatment plant for Ashram Shala, a local school. The project will provide access to clean, recycled water to the 300+ students at the school. The “Natural Energy Wastewater Treatment” (NEWT) plant promises to process more than 9,500 liters of sewage each year, sustainably- as the plant doesn’t require any energy, maintenance, manpower, or chemicals to work, while reducing pollution on the local Pawana River.

“Team Parwaah came into existence last year when we all returned to the office, post Covid, and many of us were looking to do community service and give back to society. None of us could have imagined the tremendous outreach and profound impact our small initiatives would have. It has been a humbling experience to witness the difference we have made in the lives of others, and we are excited to have this platform to share our experiences and inspire others to join us on this meaningful journey.

Community service not only helps those in need but also strengthens bonds among team members and fosters a sense of purpose and unity. When people work together towards a common goal, it creates a strong sense of camaraderie and instills a feeling of being part of something larger than oneself.” - Aditi Gupta, Associate Director Financial Planning, Wolters Kluwer FCC and Parwaah committee lead.

The Global Business Services Security Management team are a noteworthy example of taking on new internal projects, working together as a team to come up with creative, scalable solutions with a deep impact on our operations. This team set up 24/7 monitoring of security intelligence sources across all regions for the clear and dark web, with a notification and follow up process communicated across Wolters Kluwer. “The team was thrilled to be recognized for their hard work in working to mitigate risk to Wolters Kluwer. Several enhancements have been identified and the team is working to continue to improve this area. The team will be utilizing the funds to increase our skills and awareness via trainings and certifications to improve our processes and reducing risk overall. Our motivation is and was to reduce risk to our systems, employees, and customers from cyber threats through rapid identification and appropriate action on new threats and vulnerabilities.” – Joseph Afonso, IT Security Manager, Wolters Kluwer.

At Wolters Kluwer, we take sustainability and social impact very seriously and through programs like the Sustainability Awards, we are working to mitigate our carbon emissions, raise awareness on environmental causes, involve employees, and give back to our communities. Wolters Kluwer teams at Enablon, our market-leading integrated software solution for Environment, Health and Safety (EHS), Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Operational Excellence, and Governance, Risk, Compliance (GRC) are creating a better world by making organizations more responsible, productive, and safe through the power of innovative technology. Taking part in the Wolters Kluwer Volunteer Day Off initiative, Enablon teams worldwide selected eligible non-profit organizations to support based on suggestions provided by colleagues:

• Chicago: teamed up with Alliance for the Great Lakes to clean up North Avenue Beach
• The Hague: SUP clean-up event to clean the city's canals
• Bois-Colombes: Partnered with Ville de Marly-le-Roi to plant 180 trees in the Paris area, and also launched 3DE Collect - a new initiative aimed at collecting electronic waste - colleagues can deposit their personal and professional electronic items in designated bins to ensure they are recycled properly.
• Brighton: volunteered and collected dozens of bags of trash and debris from U.K. shoreline and beaches.
• Toronto: Clean-up litter on the beaches of Canada's Lake Ontario.
• Impacts included:
  • Cleaned up beaches and waterways in the Netherlands, United States, United Kingdom, and Canada
  • 180 trees planted
  • 140+ lbs. of litter removed from the water
  • 55.5 lbs. (1,900 pieces) of litter removed from the beach
  • 134 kg electronic waste recycled
  • 98 colleagues volunteered
  • 370+ hours of volunteer work

“I am incredibly proud of the Enablon team for winning this award. I'd like to give a big thank you and congratulations to everyone who organized, coordinated, and participated in our volunteer events last year. Our colleagues' commitment to sustainability and giving back to our local communities is essential to our mission and our culture. It is amazing to see the impact we made in 2022, and I can't wait to see what our volunteering program will accomplish in 2023." – Laurent Dechaux, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CP & ESG Enablon

Chris VanHoose, Director of Technology, & Che’ Smith, Associate Director, Development Security Operations, Wolters Kluwer Financial Corporate Compliance, mentored two high school robotics teams through the FIRST program, an exciting mentor-based program that builds science, engineering, and technology skills, for a total of 600 hours in the first half of 2023. They’re inspired by the FIRST community’s profound impact on today’s youth, and its focus on inclusion and diversity. “These robotics programs empower students with technical and leadership skills, fostering enduring personal and professional connections. Witnessing the strength and growth of these young individuals has motivated us to be actively involved.” They also help support several DEIB programs, including Girls Get Together events with local female engineers as speakers, STEM savvy magazineand Princess with Power Tools events + support of Safe Spaces in STEM for LGBTQ youth and Brilliant Black Builders.

Globally, the FIRST program offers numerous opportunities for professionals across various fields to contribute, from engineers to business planners, marketers, and media experts. To find out how you can help a FIRST robotics team, please visit www.firstinspires.org and click “Find FIRST Near You.”

“The inspiration we find in the FIRST community lies in its profound impact on today’s youth, empowering students with technical and leadership skills, fostering enduring personal and professional connections. With the company’s support, we will continue empowering young minds and making a positive impact on our world,” Chris and Che’ shared in a combined statement. “The funds from this award will support not only the teams’ operational needs, such as entry fees and materials for building robots, but also DEIB programs that help provide a safe and empowering space for underrepresented communities. We are immensely grateful for being honored with the Global Sustainability Award, which will play a crucial role in furthering the mission of creating a sustainable and inclusive world.”

Catherine Kamboj, Video Content Translator with Wolters Kluwer Health, shares her passion for language in a few different ways to help her neighbors and create community within her company. She provides translation and interpretation at The Outreach House, a local nonprofit that serves over 400 households weekly, providing food, clothing, diapers, and financial assistance. As a volunteer for Exodus World Service, an organization that mobilizes the community to welcome and befriend refugees, she acts as a New Neighbor to a family from Afghanistan, teaching English and helping them acclimate to life in a new country. Within Wolters Kluwer, she launched a virtual Language Exchange Community that provides a welcoming, playful space for employees from different backgrounds to connect and improve their English or Spanish skills.

Catherine shares how this award will make a meaningful difference in her community: “I am so grateful for the opportunity to amplify my positive impact with Wolters Kluwer’s contribution. Half of the generous donation will support The Outreach House and their work to serve the increasing number of people seeking assistance for basic needs. The remaining amount will facilitate the private resettlement of two refugees to the Chicagoland area, expediting the 17-year average wait time and providing a renewed sense of home, hope, and community. One of the most remarkable lessons I’ve learned through my volunteer experience is that there is no definitive line between who can help and who can be helped. I’ve had the privilege of seeing food pantry patrons sign up to give back and volunteer, as well as refugees generously and lovingly cooking meals to thank volunteers with so much of the little they have. This is not simply charity; it is a collaborative effort to build a stronger community. The Global Sustainability Award will play a significant role in helping vulnerable people get what they need today so they can go on to contribute their own gifts to lift others up.”

Kam McCluster, Senior Inside Sales Representative, Wolters Kluwer TAA North America, created a purse drive that included 100 new or gently used purses filled with toiletries and items to enrich the lives of homeless women and children while helping them look and feel good. This is an event created outside of the organization and led directly by Kam, who coordinates the locations for drop offs and all the donations/distribution. She looks for local shelters in and around Georgia to distribute the donations to those in need, primarily with her partner organization- Solomon’s Temple Shelter in Atlanta, GA.

When asked to share her motivation behind the concept and volunteering in general, she said: “My goal is to be part of something bigger than myself. I understand that giving my time and planting seeds eventually serves a bigger picture – community. These words were instilled in me from a young age by my paternal grandmother- volunteers don’t necessarily have the time, they just have the heart. Always give back. Knowing my volunteering efforts for my community had been chosen out of 40 submissions left me with a sense of feeling like the last five years of solo effort were not in vain.”

She plans to use winnings from this award to purchase more setup equipment throughout the year, purchase more toiletries and items the shelters need, and host a Back-to-School fundraiser for the kids at the shelter, among other events.

Kam’s story encourages us all to view volunteering through a different lens. “Stretch yourself and find a worthy cause. Consider giving your time and see what a difference it will make. Wolters Kluwer provides an 8-hour paid workday to support the efforts. Whether you do it alone or grab a neighbor or a coworker, your community will win because of it. I’m proud to work for a company that aligns with giving back where I can meet others across the organization that are involved in similar efforts!