FE : Our commitment is towards a better tomorrow : Oct 28,2007 | CSR

FE : Our commitment is towards a better tomorrow : Oct 28,2007

CORPORATE VOICE - ‘Our commitment is towards a better tomorrow

JASWINDER AHUJA

A LBERT Einstein is believed to have said, "It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it." This is a noble thought that resonates strongly with Cadence Design Systems' philosophy on community involvement. Whether it's in a city or a neighborhood, our employees around the world endeavour to develop the community, foster a good place to live, work, raise and educate children. Cadence gives local teams the opportunity to guide where some of the company's philanthropic investments are made. After considering the needs of the local community and the company's values, the employees then choose a cause with which they connect strongly.

Giving back to the community is strongly ingrained in our culture. And what better way is there to do this than to help better the lives of children, who represent our future. In 2000, a group of Cadence employees united to create ‘Make a Child Smile' (MACS) - a program that would help our employees share their time, talent and resources with volunteer organisations and programs that work with underprivileged children. Together with the CRY Cadence Corporate Cricket Challenge, known as the 5Cs, MACS has touched the lives of thousands of underprivileged children across India.
Through MACS, Cadence and its employees fund programs at various non-profit organisations. One of these is Bal Kutir, a home for children founded in 1990 by Anjina Rajagopal, that provides children a home, gives them emotional as well as physical security, and empowers them to lead meaningful lives in society. Another project is Vidya & Child, which was set up under the auspices of the Jai Prakash Narayan Memorial Trust in 1998. This program is designed to guide underprivileged children towards appropriate educational opportunities and help provide access to formal education. Kislay and Tapovan are some of our other partners.

Cadence organises several internal fund-raising events to contribute to these causes. One of these is the popular MACS Mela, a half-day event organised annually at our cafeteria where groups of our employees set up stalls for food and games. All employees can buy coupons and participate. Sometimes the Cadence India Photography Club auctions interesting photos, which is a great fund-raiser and offers the additional benefit of encouraging our teams to bond.

Another event is the MACS Marathon, the brainchild of a visiting senior executive from Cadence US, which was organised for the first time in April 2007. The event drew an overwhelming response with 70% employee participation at our Cadence Noida location.

Apart from these events, there are frequent toy and clothes collection drives to which employees contribute generously. Around Diwali, employees contribute to the organisations they would like to support at the ‘Gift a Dream' event.

Bal Kutir's three-storied furnished building and the school building that is being planned for Vidya and Child at Noida are testimony to these fund-raising efforts. Cadence collected Rs 27 lakh this year, with the company matching employee's contributions and donating an additional $25,000.

While a significant part of Cadence involvement, fund-raising is not the only aspect. Employees also enjoy sharing their time and positively impacting the lives of the children in the programs we support. It really is about bringing a smile to their faces. The annual picnics and Diwali celebrations are perfect examples and have become a tradition that the children look forward to each year. At other times, it is not uncommon to see Cadence employees organising a weekend mentoring program or an educational field trip. Some of our employees even use their own time to provide Math tutoring and career advice.

Cadence India's senior management is personally involved in tracking the success of these programs and communicating it to the employees regularly. Several organisational processes are applied to our efforts to ensure continuity. For instance, our new employee orientation educates new recruits about our social responsibility programme and encourages them to participate.
In addition to the MACS initiatives above, one of Cadence's more high-profile initiatives, the 5Cs, is a joint program with Child Rights and You. 5Cs is an annual cricket tournament that brings together industry and business support. Since its inception in 2000, 5Cs has raised Rs 1.8 crore and has reached out to 14,000 children.

It's heartening to see our efforts through MACS and 5Cs bear fruit. All of us at Cadence India are excited about the way our CSR programs have positively impacted the lives of India's underprivileged children and we are committed to our continued involvement in the years to come.
(Jaswinder Ahuja is corporate vice president and MD, Cadence Design Systems India)

Publication : FE; Section : Citizen; Pg : 15; Date : 28/10/07

URL : http://70.86.150.130/financialexpress/ArticleText.aspx?article=28_10_2007_015_003