I want to start by setting the scene as my day today is a little out of the ordinary!!
Kerry Group is a global leader in taste and nutrition and a leading supplier of added value brands and customer branded foods to the Irish, UK and selected international markets.
Our 'Towards 2020' sustainability programme reflects our vision for creating a better future for the world and this week is a key milestone for our community partnership with Special Olympics. Special Olympics is a charitable organisation that provides year-round sports training and competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Their mission aligns perfectly with our Kerry Foods purpose and we're delighted to have the opportunity to work better together to create more inclusive communities.
Having only launched our partnership in March 2018 our people fully embraced all opportunities to volunteer at Special Olympics events around our 4 partner countries. In addition, our Kerry volunteers have been fundraising, mentoring athletes and developing their own leadership skills through various programmes. In recognition of the dedication and commitment shown by our people, we offered a unique opportunity for a selection of Kerry volunteers to attend the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi this month.
So as I type out this 'Day in the Life' style blog I am sat in the Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi completely immersed in a bubble of utter joy and happiness with athletes who have overcome a wide range of personal challenges with bravery and determination like you've never seen.
Having flown out from Heathrow a few days before the Opening Ceremony my role at the Games, along with my manager, is to lead this volunteer initiative and support our volunteers to share their stories and experiences both with our colleagues and our external audience.
Five of our volunteers are from our sites in Ireland and they've gone through a programme with Special Olympics Ireland to be placed in specific sporting roles. So far they've been supporting with everything from Bocce to Powerlifting! Meanwhile, our four volunteers from GB are partnering with Special Olympics GB on their Communications and Media plan. As a charity organisation with no government funding all help is much appreciated and our volunteers, fuelled with boundless passion and enthusiasm, are doing an incredible job in raising awareness of Special Olympics and celebrating our athletes through website management, daily newsletters, social media management and supporting media representatives including BBC and ITV. Much of this type of work is new to our volunteers with them coming from backgrounds as varied as Supply Chain to HR. Whilst it's phenomenally rewarding work it's also proving to be a fantastic learning opportunity for them as individuals. And I'm on hand to offer my comms thoughts and support as and when they need it!
Our wider colleague network have been so involved and interested in our partnership and are keen to hear how our volunteers and the athletes are getting on. We have our own Kerry communications plan whereby I've been supporting each of the volunteers to create and send a daily postcard back to the business talking about their highlights and key moments from the day. I've also been regularly posting stories on our intranet, providing updates and materials to our Communication Champions network and ensuring our social media channels bring to life the experience our volunteers are having and the impact of our partnership.
Whilst this week is definitely a career highlight I feel so lucky to be in such a varied role day-to-day and working for an organisation where employee engagement, people development, recognition, and our communities are at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make.
Planning for these World Games has been a huge focus for me so far this year so once it's all over it will definitely feel strange! But it will be straight into preparations for our annual employee survey in May and I'm excited to see how we can continue to grow our partnership, including leveraging our expertise in food and nutrition to support Special Olympics in offering advice and support to athletes and their families on nutrition and healthy eating.
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