Meet our VEteran Transition & Support ERG @ Sanofi
Recently, we’ve introduced you to our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at Sanofi. In today’s post, authored by Tom Blount, Associate Vice President, Diabetes Marketing, get to know the VEteran Transition & Support (VETS) ERG, which focuses on providing support for veterans in key areas: Mentoring, Outreach, Recruiting & Employment.
Why do we want to focus on veterans? At Sanofi, we strive to be an advocate for Veterans transitioning from active duty into jobs in Corporate America. More than 250,000 veterans are projected to leave the Armed Forces every quarter. The 100,000 Jobs Mission, a coalition of over 200 corporations, and of which we are proudly a corporate member, placed 10% of them, or about 25,000 veterans in jobs last quarter. Those numbers are promising, but there is still work to be done.
The VETS ERG is primarily located in Bridgewater, NJ and Swiftwater, PA, but rapidly expanding to our field associates and affiliates. Veterans account for approximately 20% of our membership, and the others are Sanofi colleagues who care about the cause and believe in supporting veterans.
Helping veterans means helping their families, too.
Non-profit Community Hope® has been our guide through recent veteran outreach projects. VETS members escorted veterans on a nutritional grocery shopping tour, collected personal care products for new veterans entering the transitional programs, served a holiday dinner to veterans, and recently the VETS team participated in the Sanofi-sponsored Community Hope 5k Run/Walk supporting Valley Brook Village transitional housing for veterans.
Members of the VETS group recently supported an American Fallen Soldier Project (AFSP) Portrait at a meeting in Nashville. This makes the 3rd such presentation that Sanofi and the VETS ERG have supported in recent years.
Through the auspices of A.R.M.S. – American Recreational Military Services, VETS members served lunch to a returning NJ National Guard unit and packed holiday gifts to the children of deployed troops.
Sanofi has provided a rich platform for us to bring our passions to work. We must use this opportunity to be a strong advocate of all ERGs in an effort to maintain a balanced work force at Sanofi.
