The Amway One by One Campaign for Children

One by One is moving

Jesse Hertstein — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:30:00 GMT

Please find our blog at its new location: http://blogs.amway.com/onebyone

Since the One by One blog was launched in January 2007, we have told hundreds of stories about how this campaign is impacting children around the world.

While many of our stories are about programs and people in the United States, we are increasingly capturing events taking place globally.

Thus the move to a global blogging platform.

Amway is truly a global business, and One by One has spread to each of the markets where we operate – more than 80 countries and territories.

As of the end of 2009, we have counted 7 million children helped by One by One programs. This was made possibly by raising $112 million and donating 1.3 million volunteer hours by Amway employees, Independent Business Owners and their families.

Of course, we will continue to tell lots of stories of what is happening in the US and West Michigan. After all, this is home base for Amway.

It is truly astounding to see what has been accomplished since the program’s launch in 2003. But as we capture and tell the individual stories that make up these numbers, we become LESS surprised. It’s just who we are.

Please continue this journey with us at http://blogs.amway.com/onebyone.

The new platform will make it easier to follow our stories, and interact with us. We look forward to seeing you in our new home!

Walking for Easter Seals in the Big Apple

Jesse Hertstein — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:58:00 GMT

We had a fantastic turnout for the Easter Seals walk in New York City. It's amazing to see Amway IBOs, corporate leaders, Easter Seals advocates and clients, all coming together in Battery Park, with the Stature of Liberty watching over everyone.

This walk has one of the highest participation rates of Amway Global people in the country - it only follows the walk in Amway's hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In fact, this walk has been very successful in raising money for the cause. More than $1 million has been given to the local Easter Seals through the New York Walk With Me event since 2002.

Amway Global executive Lisa Hunter attended and helped to kick off the walk. Adriane Land, who manages recognition programs and communications was on hand as well.

Kanti and Lati Gala also helped to lead the walk. The Gala's have been longtime supporters of Easter Seals, and were recognized at the annual dinner last year.

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful walk. You can see some pictures of the event below.

If you are participating in an Easter Seals walk in your town (there are 70 across the country - all sponsored by Amway Global), please let us know and send us some pictures to post.

For more information on the walks, visit www.easterseals.com.

This year, we celebrate $30 million raised for Easter Seals by Amway and its employees and Independent Business Owners over our 27 year partnership.

Thanks to all of you who turn out to help improve the lives of children and adults with special needs!

The creativity of Amway givers

Jesse Hertstein — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:47:00 GMT

I get a lot of calls asking for Amway to support some great causes that our IBOs and employees are involved in. We have to pass on most of them so we can focus on national partnerships that provide opportunities around the country, like Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Easter Seals.

So I was a little taken aback when I got a call from Vishwas Mahale, who was writing a book and wanted to donate a portion of proceeds to the Amway One by One Campaign for Children.

In fact, I couldn't even help him out, since One by One is not a formal charitable foundation. Instead, it's a campaign, a movement, and a way to organize all of our global efforts under one focus area - helping children in need.

So we talked more about One by One and what might be a more appropriate way of carrying out his vision of using literary success to promote the success of underprivileged kids.

In the end, Vishwas decided that 20% of the proceeds from the sale of his book would go toward food, clothing and education for underprivileged children through nonprofit organizations.

His book is called "The Success: How to Achieve Humanity's Most Powerful Desire." It is available as an ebook at www.thesuccess.com and Amazon Kindle, which can be downloaded with e-reader devices or on PC and MAC. The hardcover edition will be available soon.

Of course, this is in no way an endorsement of the book itself, either on my behalf or on behalf of Amway Global. Rather, it speaks to the imagination of our IBOs, and the common thread of helping community that we seem to find everywhere in the Amway business.

Best of luck to you Vishwas, and thank you for making a difference for children!

Positive Sprouts with Nutrilite

Jesse Hertstein — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:50:00 GMT

What better place to build a garden than the Boys & Girls Club that Carl Rehnborg helped to found more than 60 years ago!

We had a beautiful - and very productive - day on Saturday. Around 40 Club members came in early to get started on the garden, along with an equal number of Amway employees and Independent Business Owners from the surrounding area.

After all my traveling, I was able to use some flier miles to bring my eight year-old daughter Hannah along so she could experience the event – and life on the road!

The space had been enticing the kids for the last couple of days with a bare picket fence and big, empty rectangle beds. Shovels, rakes, watering cans, seeds, plants, wheelbarrows and a big box with the components of a tool shed had begun to accumulate around the site, just waiting for busy hands to make them work.

I was amazed to see how quickly and happily the Club members and Amway volunteers jumped into the work. In fact, we had to slow them down because we were at risk of finishing with the project before lunch was served!

A petite woman in white pants and a fashionable scarf was shoveling mulch and staining the fence. Yet she finished the day totally clean! Others embraced the dirt, and showed signs of their labor in blackened gloves and dirty knees.

It was clear to see that this was only the beginning of something big at the Buena Park Club. They already have a strong focus on health and nutrition, championed by Bruce Hird, the Executive Director. In fact, Bruce recently lost 62 pounds after committing to be an example to the Club members, and shave some of his own bad habits that had accumulated over the years.

We were so proud to have Lisa Rehnborg give opening remarks, carrying on the tradition of her grandfather who provided funding to start the Club in 1948. She now serves as chair of the board and is among the Club's biggest advocates and supporters.

The Club members made the garden their own. You could see their senses opening up to the plants, with a new understanding of the source of our food. They touched, smelled, tasted and then planted seeds, seedlings and full plants. There was a blend of fruits, vegetables and flowers, all divided up into thematic gardens like the Pizza Garden and the Salsa Garden.

One boy was given a water can to drench the new seedlings. He covered the gardens over and over again, embracing his role in making things grow. Another small boy found a loose flower, and "planted" it with care, then showing it off to all the grown-ups. Another stayed behind to gently place bean seeds, one at a time, in a perfect circle around a bean pole. And a girl called me and others over to show us the sign she painted that informed the world that OKRA was planted here.

We delivered curriculum booklets to the Boys & Girls Club staff that was designed by experts from the Green Education Foundation, who were also on hand, working with local Master Gardeners to ensure we had the best organic gardens and local plants. They were perhaps the best examples for the Club members, passing on an intangible asset - enthusiasm for gardening.

In the end, volunteers not only built a garden, we landscaped the area and beautified the grounds. There was a real energy and excitement. Volunteers were already asking when they could come back and what else they could do, even those that drove from long distances.

Marvin Laster from the Boys & Girls Club national office gave final remarks. He talked about growing up at a Club in Atlanta himself, where he still pays his annual dues. He told the story of a turtle that someone found on a post. He said when you see a turtle on a post, you know that he didn't get there by himself. He said we are great individuals but we can be so much more together.

Fitting words to close a wonderful day!

Following are some pictures. You can see a bigger set on our Flickr account at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35587570@N07/sets/72157624275312589/

Every one is the best one

Jesse Hertstein — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 09:59:00 GMT

As we roll out our events this year, each one I participate in becomes my next favorite. Not that they are necessarily getting better each time. It's just that each one has its own dynamic and things that make it uniquely great.

We finally camped out in our hometown this weekend. The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Grand Rapids Youth Commonwealth. It's a place that we've volunteered at, donated to, and even have an Amway executive on the board of directors - Lisa Hunter from Integrated Marketing Services.

There were a ton of kids at this event. We split them into four groups so they could rotate into different stations. They shoveled soil and compost; they planted the gardens; they made their own pots with seeds to take home; and they painted their faces and painted markers for the plantings.

IBOs and employees showed up to help out, and once again we transformed not only the garden, but the landscaping around the Club. Volunteers pulled weeds, spruced up beds, painted fences and planted flowers. We even brought our own Master Gardener to this one - Linda Van Zee from our IT department.

Tomorrow is the next event at another Amway hometown: Buena Park, California. And next Tuesday we will attept our first mid-week event in San Diego. Email us at boysandgirlsclubs@amwayglobal.com if you would like to join.

Enjoy the pictures! The full set is at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35587570@N07/sets/72157624228967389/

A different kind of walk

Jesse Hertstein — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:25:00 GMT

The Easter Seals walk was very different for me this year. And my kids had a brand new experience too.

In past years, I've always attended to support our company. We are a national sponsor, and have been for more than 27 years. It's important to get lots of people to funraisers so we can create a festive atmosphere and build credibility for the organization. That's enough to get me and my family engaged.

Our family attends a lot of fundraising events, but we often lump the different causes into one "charity" bucket and just enjoy whatever walk/run/dinner is taking place, knowing that the money will be used for some kind of good, for some kind of people.

On the drive to the walk, my son asked why we were walking. I explained to them that some people had disabilities that kept their bodies and brains from doing things that we can do, and they needed extra help, which sometimes costs a lot of money that people don't have. I told them Easter Seals helps provide that help and pays for it with the money they raise from these walks and other places.

They asked a lot of questions about disabilities, a subject that had not really come up before.

Later, when we checked in and got our tshirts, we received lanyards that had cards showing Easter Seals "Ambassadors." These were kids who had disabilities and received Easter Seals services. They were also kids from our town, who were at the walk and could be found if we looked around.

My daughter took time to read the paragraph about her ambassador, and told her brothers about theirs. Then we tried to spot them as we walked, and we talked about how they were the stars of the evening.

It was one of the best teachable experiences we've had in a long time.

As a sponsorship coordinator, my focus has been numbers. How many people will attend. How much money will we raise. How many cities will promote the walks. How many execs will show up. What media coverage will there be.

In Grand Rapids, our numbers were fantastic. We broke all of our records and had huge participation from our leadership and Independent Business Owners. Mission accomplished.

But the event also served to create three new little ambassadors for Easter Seals. And those may be the best numbers of all.

Here are some pictures from the event.

See the full set of photos on our Flickr album:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35587570@N07/sets/72157624333867620/

Amway brings sunshine and gardens to Seattle

Jesse Hertstein — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:04:00 GMT

It had been raining for days ... weeks .. and those of us planning to build a garden at the North Seattle Boys & Girls Club were biting our nails and hoping for the best.

Well, the sun broke through the day before our event, and we had the biggest turnout of IBOs yet! Around 70 Amway Global volunteers planted, weeded, painted, pruned, landscaped, laughed, learned and shared on Saturday.

One IBO showed up with his landscaping company's truck and began sprucing up the field for the Club members to play in. An IBO couple re-set a brick walkway to eliminate a tripping hazzard. Another IBO brought a dozen tomato plants from her garden that were incorporated into the garden design.And some groups that drove from far reaching places like Tacoma (1.5 hours) and Portland (3 hours) to participate.

The North Seattle Boys & Girls Club is what they call a "neighborhood club." Kids don't come here just to sign up for sports programs or specialized activities. This is where they spend their time after school and during the summer. Many come from the nearby low-income housing units. Many are from families of immigrants who speak languages from all over the world.

On Saturday, we left the Club better than we found it. A landsaping facelift, a new garden and curriculum, a freshly groomed field for sports and activities.

More important, we left a new team of volunteers, advocates and friends of the Club who will continue to support the important work of shaping our future leaders.

Thanks to all who participated, and who made the Amway Global Positive Sprouts program happen!

Following are some pictures of the day. You can view the full photo set at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35587570@N07/sets/72157624158768753/

Positive Sprouts in Denver

Jesse Hertstein — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:26:00 GMT

We had a great time with IBOs and Boys & Girls Club members at the Arthur E. Johnson Boys & Girls Club in Denver this weekend. This is part of the Positive Sprouts program through Amway Global.

Following are some pictures of the day. We hope to see a lot of you in Seattle this weekend at our next event! Email us at boysandgirlsclubs@amwayglobal.com to sign up.

To see our photostream on Flickr, click on this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35587570@N07/sets/72157624115907437/

What the Red Cross is doing with your donations

Jesse Hertstein — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:48:00 GMT

Our IBOs, emploiyees and customers gave more than $280,000 to the American Red Cross through our website after the earthquake in Haiti.

Now that we have a bit of distance from the events, it is helpful to see what our donations were able to accomplish in Haiti. Here's a recap from the Red Cross:

As part of its largest international response since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the global Red Cross network has helped approximately 2 million Haitians since the country’s January 12 earthquake. In the past four months, the global Red Cross network has collectively:

Handed out tarps, tents and toolkits for nearly 450,000 people.
Provided relief items for 500,000 people.
Distributed 111 million liters of clean drinking water.
Built more than 1,300 latrines.
Partnered to vaccinate nearly 800,000 people against deadly diseases, including more than 152,000 vaccinated by the Red Cross.
Coordinated the shipment of more than 2,100 units of blood to medical facilities.
Treated more than 100,000 people at Red Cross hospitals or mobile clinics.
Registered more than 28,400 people with missing loved ones on its family linking Web site.
Deployed more than 900 responders to Haiti, including 165 representing the American Red Cross.

The director of our local chapter sent me a link to this video that talks about what the Red Cross is doing to prepare the Hatian people for the upcoming hurricane season:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-p1lRTtSD4

I think we are on to something

Jesse Hertstein — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:07:00 GMT

It’s an early morning in Denver. Our second garden project with the Boys & Girls Club takes place tomorrow. Gardening is on my mind.

Once I get past the busywork of the planning, the communications, poring over the gardening curriculum, meeting with Club directors … I start to see signs that we are onto something.

Just this week heard about a new garden program for kids in Ada, near Amway headquarters, which aims to teach them about fruits and vegetables. I read in the newspaper about another new program in the metro area that grows produce to donate to people in need. Then I saw a Facebook fanpage invite about an initiative through our local universities focused on urban gardening.

And as I’m typing in my hotel room with CNN on, they are covering a program in DC where chefs around the country are working with the First Lady to adopt schools and teach them about food through gardening and cooking.

We are tapping into something big here.

When we kicked off the Amway Global Positive Sprouts program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America national conference in May, every Club director and board member we talked to wanted to be a part of it.

Many were already dabbling in gardening, but had not been able to turn it into a formal program supplemented with education and activities that internalized the knowledge and found creative ways to consume the harvest. Others had plots of land they wanted to do something with. Some were even willing to do rooftop or vertical gardens because they didn’t have any room, but saw the value in this sort of program.

One of the Clubs in southern Florida had actually put together a program that was economically self-sustaining, and was providing food to their local communities – even accepting food stamps for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Tomorrow, 60 kids and 60 IBOs will come together to build a garden. Simple enough.

But I’m finding that this means much more, and that the program model we are creating will provide the seeds for a passion that is growing around the country.

Stay tuned for more!

Watch IBOs at our first Positive Sprouts project in Philly

Jesse Hertstein — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:19:00 GMT

This video captures the amazing experience we had at the Boys & Girls Club in Philadelphia. Thanks to all the IBOs who were on hand to make our first project a success.

[If the video does not come up on your screen, click here to view at a different location.]

There are six more cities on the list for 2010, including Denver this weekend. Check out our Positive Sprouts post for details on how to sign up, or email boysandgirlsclubs@amwayglobal.com.

Playground # 6

Jesse Hertstein — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:52:00 GMT

The following is from Amway Corporate Citizenship Intern and guest blogger Michelle Asmara.

Without a playground, where would our fathers have taught us to swing or to make it across the monkey bars? Where would TJ and Spinelli (Recess) have rebelled against unfair social norms and celebrated their individuality? Where would Gracie Hart (Miss Congeniality) have learned to stand up for herself and knock out a bully? Exactly – I don’t know either.

Without a playground, where would our fathers have taught us to swing or to make it across the monkey bars? Where would TJ and Spinelli (Recess) have rebelled against unfair social norms and celebrated their individuality? Where would Gracie Hart (Miss Congeniality) have learned to stand up for herself and knock out a bully? Exactly – I don’t know either.

We at Amway recognize that a playground is an integral part of childhood, so last Friday we made sure one more community had access to one. Led by KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization, 120 Amway employees, along with 40 more volunteers from the Black Hills community and the Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department, transformed the smattering of trees and grass that previously characterized Kensington Park in Grand Rapids, Mich. into a whimsical play area, complete with playground equipment to climb, board games beautifully painted on picnic tables to challenge the mind, and even a stage area to call all future starlets and rock stars.

I have to say, there’s nothing quite like creating something magnificent while working side by side with truly dedicated colleagues and community residents, and the fact that the playground was actually designed by the neighborhood kids made it that much more special. Teams under the leadership of KaBOOM! staff did everything from rebuilding picnic tables, to assembling a jungle gym, to hauling hundreds of pounds of mulch, to clearing brush, to creating fantastic decorative murals.

At the end of the day, when the park was almost complete, a mom approached the picnic table where I sat across from her daughter painting a backgammon board. “Wow, the kids are really going to love this,” she breathed looking around at the work we’d done. I smiled at her with gratitude. After all, that was what this playground build was all about: the kids.

For us at Amway, it’s not “corporate citizenship” or “CSR” or even simply “philanthropy.” It’s not about labels or coverage or awards; about good PR or meeting a quota. It’s about the excited smiles, the wondering eyes, the laughs and the joy. It’s about campaigning for children’s right to be children, about enriching their lives, child by child – One by One.

For us, it’s just another awesome day! And for me – a new intern in my second week – it was a wonderful start to what I’m sure is bound to be an amazing, rewarding summer.

Click here to see volunteers in action!

IBOs gather to support the US Dream Academy

Jesse Hertstein — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:56:00 GMT

One of the best parts of my twelve-month assignment working in the US office is getting close to IBOs and seeing what programs they support.

There are some One by One campaigns that we organize at the headquarters level, and invite IBOs to participate. But there are many campaigns that they already have in place and are actively giving and volunteering to improve the lives of children locally, and around the world.

This week, I attended a gala for the US Dream Academy, an organization supported by a number of IBO leaders. The US Dream Academy provides mentoring programs for at-risk children and youth whose parents are incarcerated. At ten centers around the country, they provide skills-training, character development, and help children dream what their future will be – then they help them go out and accomplish it.

Jodi and Kathy Victor, IBO leaders from Ohio, have been longtime supporters of US Dream Academy. In fact, they have been involved since the organization was launched nine years ago by gospel singer Wintley Phipps.

They have brought other IBOs to the cause, and introduced it to our One by One Campaign for Children about five years ago. Our combined efforts will raise more than $173,000 for the cause this year.

At the event, we saw a host of superstars who support US Dream Academy, including Angela Basset, Charles Dutton, Dan Rather, Louis Gosset Jr and young pop singer Charise.

The most moving part of the night was when about 50 kids from the Dream Academies performed “We are the World.” We repeatedly heard that night how important it is to foster these kids, who are the next world leaders.

In the flurry of building new One by One programs from the top down, it was refreshing to be reminded that many of our best programs begin with IBO involvement, from the ground up.

Success at our first Positive Sprouts garden project

Jesse Hertstein — Tue, 18 May 2010 01:19:00 GMT

IBOs, Amway Global executives, Boys and Girls Club members and staff rallied on a beautiful Saturday in Philadelphia this weekend.

Around 90 people came together to build a community garden for the Northeast Frankfort Boys and Girls Club. In fact, it was a series of gardens. There was a pizza garden, a salsa garden,a three sisters garden, a herb garden and several others.

We didn't just stop at the planting. Volunteers erected a shed, spread a mountain of mulch, cleaned the grounds, added flowers to the landscaping, and even painted the bathrooms in the Club basement.

Our garden experts from the Green Education Foundation did an amazing job, along with three master gardeners from the local community. To keep the Club members engaged while we adults sweated it out on some of the heavy projects, they created Education Stations. Club members made smoothies, planted onions in pots they could take home, they painted pictures pictures and jumped back and forth between the stations and the garden building.

By lunchtime, it was hard to tell who were IBOs and who were Club staff. And by the end, it was even hard to tell who were the kids and who were the adults. We were all a bit dirty, and having a great time.

When the Club's drill ran out of batteries and our IBOs couldn't finish the garden tool shed, one of them ran home to grab his own. When the water and Nutrilite sports drinks needed to be chilled, another drove nearby to her house to pick up another cooler and some ice.

One IBO was a garden expert herself, and brought along planting tips, and ideas for the Club members to stay engaged by building ownership of the garden beds. Another one lived just down the street, but had never noticed the old brick building with the small sign in the front. He planned to be return.

In fact, they all talked about how they would come back to volunteer, and continue the project. The nutrition curriculum that Amway Global sponsored was written by the Green Education Foundation, and will be come a standard manual for garden building within the Boys and Girls Clubs. This means the program will have sustainability, and can be replicated at other Club sites.

This was a fantastic way to kick off a new partnership. We will be in six other cities this year, and hope to expand the program into even more over the next couple of years. You can find more information on our initial blog posting about the project.

Thanks to all who made this project a success!

Calling all IBOs in Philadelphia!

Jesse Hertstein — Wed, 12 May 2010 13:41:00 GMT

We are three days away from our big kickoff event in Philadelphia, and there is still room for IBOs who want to participate.

We will be building one of seven community gardens with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. This will be our inagural event, hosted by Amway Global executives and local IBOs. So we are inviting media and we will be photographing and filming so we can share with other IBOs around the country, and around the world.

If you would like to participate, please email boysandgirlsclubs@amwayglobal.com.

Following are the event details. We hope to see you there!

What
The first community garden building project through Amway Global and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America

When
Saturday, May 15, 2010 - rain or shine
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Where
NE Frankfort Boys & Girls Club
1709 Kinsey St
Philadelphia, PA 19124

Who
- Amway Global executives and corporate representatives
- Boys & Girls Club members and staff
- IBOs from the Philadelphia area (up to 30)
- Garden experts from the Green Education Foundation

Why
Kicked off in May, 2010, the Amway Global Positive Sprouts project mobilizes community volunteers to get their hands dirty by planting gardens with Boys and Girls Club members in seven cities around the country. The program will provide educational curriculum so Club members learn about the importance of including fresh fruits and vegetables in their diets.

What to Expect
This will be a hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves event working with around 50 youth ages 10 to 17 from the urban Philadelphia area. Additionally, we’re leveraging our expertise as a health and wellness company to educate youngsters about nutrition, organic gardening practices and cooking from the garden. Tshirts and gloves will be provided prior to the event, so wear your jeans, sunglasses and outdoor shoes - we'll take care of the rest. Media will be invited and a film crew will be on hand to document our first garden so we can promote to IBOs and consumers in the other six cities we will visit this year. Please fill out and bring the attached photo release forms, which will be collected at check-in.

Agenda
8:00 a.m. - Arrive at Northeast Frankfurt Boys and Girls Club
8:05 a.m. - Opening ceremonies and introductions
8:30 a.m. - Ground preparation, digging, spreading soil, removing rocks
10:30 a.m. - Garden stations, education, planting, watering
12:30 p.m. - Lunch break (food provided by Boys and Girls Club)
1:30 p.m. - Final ground preparations
2:00 p.m. - Ceremonial dedication
3:00 p.m. - Farewell and optional sign up for future volunteering

To Sign Up
Email boysandgirlsclubs@amwayglobal.com with your full name, IBO number, email, phone number, and the names of any guests you would like to bring (only adults 18 and over please).