AbbVie’s ongoing commitment to local communities has been highlighted at the recent ‘Pharma Industry Awards’ ceremony which recently judged the company’s Week of Possibilities volunteer initiative to be the best Corporate Social Responsibility programme by any pharmaceutical company in Ireland.
The ‘Pharma Industry Awards’ recognise and celebrate achievement, excellence and innovation by individuals and companies in the Irish pharmaceutical sector. Submissions were judged by a panel of distinguished professionals. Entrants range from individual researchers, marketing strategists, process and formulation engineers up to campus start-ups and some of biggest companies active in the sector.
AbbVie’s Week of Possibilities initiative is the company’s signature annual volunteering and community support programme. This year it involved 7,600 employees around the world volunteering more than 35,000 combined hours across 50 countries to benefit underserved populations in the communities where they live and work.
Locally, AbbVie joined forces with the national volunteer development agency Volunteer Ireland to plan and implement Week of Possibilities projects. In total, AbbVie employees in Ireland volunteered more than 1,700 hours in a single week to help make a remarkable impact in communities where the company has a major presence.
Employees from AbbVie’s two Sligo sites, the company’s medical devices centre of excellence in Ballytivnan and their pharmaceutical plant on the Manorhamilton Road, recently undertook a significant volunteering effort aimed at maintaining and improving facilities at the Northside Community Centre in Forthill. The Centre aims to provide a focal point to meet the social, economic and educational needs of the people of the North Ward area with a specific focus on those who are experiencing poverty, inequality and social isolation. The last investment in the historic site was almost 20 years ago and it was in a dilapidated state.
More than 250 AbbVie employees from the two Sligo sites contributed almost 1,400 hours to completely refurbish the run-down premises. They thoroughly cleaned and painted the 30 room building and lowered ceilings to improve energy efficiency. The dedicated volunteers also installed a new IT suite and created a dedicated playground for children who utilise the facility.
Caroline McClafferty, HR Director AbbVie Ireland and based at AbbVie’s Manorhamilton Road site, said Week of Possibilities was a great example of how non-profit organisations and the private sector could work together to make a positive difference.
“AbbVie encourages employee engagement in the communities where we live and work. Our volunteer efforts during Week of Possibilities make a real difference and we are delighted to receive external recognition of our company’s responsible business practices and our continued commitment to community-focused projects during our annual volunteering outreach. This success reflects the enormous efforts of our dedicated employees in making a remarkable impact in the communities where AbbVie has a presence,” she added.
