Dressed in We.care shirts, donning hair nets and equipped with gloves, Western Digital employees across twenty-five company locations around the globe packed more than one million meals in fall 2017 to help fight hunger. Why? Because at Western Digital, employees are not only delivering the possibilities for data to thrive, but also participating in the We.care program and providing resources for our communities to thrive worldwide as well.
The Western Digital Foundation administers We.care and its mission is to honor the company’s commitment to exemplify corporate social responsibility through employee volunteerism, community grants, scholarships and product donations. Our philanthropic focus areas include:
- Education for underprivileged and underrepresented youth with special emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
- Hunger relief
- Environmental issues
- Support of programs that serve U.S. military families and veterans
Volunteerism
The heart of our community support lies in our employees themselves. Our unique We.care volunteer program encourages employees to volunteer in groups to support our philanthropic focus areas, as well as the causes that mean the most to them.
The power of “We.” is strong at Western Digital, and it is that team mindset that brings success in business and the most impact in volunteerism. Just last year, thousands of employees filled thousands of backpacks for underserved and underprivileged children, served food to the homeless, and cleaned up nature preserves, all to support our philanthropic objectives. But it didn’t stop there, they also walked to raise awareness around illnesses, stuffed jars to bring joy to sick children, and assembled care kits for kittens, all because these are the issues that matter most to them.
From mentoring students to saving turtles, the We.care program was designed to enable employees to step away from their desk and be proactive in creating a better world!
Community Grants
Mobilizing our employees to go out in the community is just one piece of our program. At Western Digital, we also support neighboring nonprofits and schools through our community grants program. Selected through a competitive application process, grants are reviewed by an internal committee and awarded to programs aligned with the company’s philanthropic focus areas. You can learn more about our community grants program here.
Scholarship Programs
The Western Digital Scholarship Program is launching this year (2018) to help level the academic playing field. This global program will provide increased access to STEM education to underrepresented and underprivileged youth, as well as support women and minorities in achieving academic success. Students demonstrating promising potential, both in academics and extracurricular activities, and whose educational opportunities could be expanded with help from a scholarship, can apply to be considered as awardees. We are very excited to launch this program and help light the path to success for deserving students! Keep checking the Western Digital blog for further information in the coming months. You can also register at the bottom of this page to receive new articles via email.
Product Donations
While our employees’ hearts and time greatly contribute to the community, our products are powerful resources as well. Western Digital product donations, such as the 5,000 SanDisk® SD™ cards recently donated to Pratham USA to be loaded with educational content for students in remote communities in India, can be used as valuable tools to support a variety of our philanthropic endeavors. It’s just one of the ways we use data for good.
And “Why do we do it all!?”
From volunteerism, to product donations, we make giving back a priority because at Western Digital, we really do care! And we are lucky enough to have the technology – and people – to make a significant difference in the world.