ON Semiconductor Employees Give Back Virtually During National Volunteer Week

With social distancing as the new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteering in the traditional sense, such as assisting in person at soup kitchens or at retirement care homes, has become almost impossible. But people have found different ways to continue to show solidarity and care for their communities during this unique time. Meanwhile, nonprofits have been facing the challenge to meet their regular volunteering needs, and are now more than ever looking for volunteers who want to give back and help those in need. Luckily, virtual volunteering options have provided a way for ON Semiconductor employees to give back to the community in a safe and flexible way.

During this year’s National Volunteer Week from April 18 through 24, employees connected virtually with colleagues and their community to create transformative impact. Through an engaging series of events, which were led and curated by Visit.org, employees helped fulfill volunteer needs of four nonprofit organizations including Treasures 4 Teachers, Arizona Centers for Comprehensive Education and Life Skills (ACCEL), VIBE Arts and Senior Activity Center. With three volunteer partners being past ON Semiconductor Foundation grantees, these events aimed to further our support and partnership with organizations making a difference in our local communities.

Hands-on volunteer activities included creating uplifting cards for senior citizens facing isolation, accompanied by a friendly introduction to the Senior Activity Center in Pocatello, Idaho. Employee participation contributed to funding a meal program currently providing nutritious food to more than 3,000 seniors per month. At another event, employees assembled 17 communication binders for children with developmental disabilities while learning about how the nonprofit ACCEL in Phoenix, Arizona works to provide holistic education to youth with special needs.

As a creative way for employees to get involved, a virtual drawing class taught by an experienced art educator from VIBE Arts in Toronto, Canada, led employees through an octopus design. The team’s participation helped to employ one community artist affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and funded an arts education workshop for two students in need. Lastly, a virtual volunteer experience led by Treasures 4 Teachers, in Phoenix, Arizona, a nonprofit that provides free and low-cost supplies to teachers, guided employees as they assembled six science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) journals for students to use as lesson guides.

Throughout this week of service, employees contributed 31 volunteer hours and the company invested $1,490 USD into the community through our dollars-for-doers program and nonprofit donations. According to Independent Sector, the current estimated national value of each volunteer hour is $28.54, which represents the cost to the nonprofit organization of hiring paid workers to provide these services. At ON Semiconductor, we recognize volunteerism as a key avenue for not only giving back to the communities in which we live and work but also for providing purposeful engagement to our workforce. Those who participated in the virtual volunteer events expressed that they enjoyed “making a difference” and “helping others feel good” - demonstrating the two-way impact of volunteering. After this inaugural series of successful virtual events, we are excited to continue offering ways for employees to get involved with important causes around the globe.

Learn more about how ON Semiconductor is involved making a positive impact in the local community at https://www.onsemi.com/about/foundation/community.