HSBC Partners With Olmsted for ReLeaf Campaign
Today, HSBC Bank announced that its charitable foundation HSBC in the Community (USA), Inc. would be taking part in the Olmsted Park Conservancy’s ReLeaf program by matching all donations dollar for dollar (up to a total of $50,000).
“HSBC is committed to the environment around the world so when one of our hometown jewels was tarnished, we felt a great need to ensure the parks regain their glory,” Kathleen Rizzo Young, president of HSBC’s Foundation and Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for HSBC.
All 1,200 acres of Buffalo’s Olmsted Park land were affected by the October storm. Thousands of trees were lost or damaged. Clean up efforts have been in full swing, but there is still a long way to go to restore our parks to their original splendor. Though it is impossible to replace the many mature trees that were lost, the ReLeaf campaign is in place to raise funds for the work that will need to be done to plant younger trees and to continue to repair and care for the many trees that were injured.
All 71 WNY HSBC branches will accept checks for the ReLeaf campaign (cash donations cannot be accepted at branches). All business, individual, and group donations from $1- $5,000 will be matched by HSBC.
When I spoke with Jonathan Holifield, Olmstead Conservancy’s CEO, he said, “Global corporations of this caliber (HSBC) don’t partner with other organizations lightly. We are proud to have met the test, both for what it says about our organization’s growth and the benefit it will have toward the work that we are doing.”
This year, consider donating to ReLeaf. Perhaps your office would like to donate a portion of its holiday party budget, take up a collection, or host a bake sale. Maybe this year, instead of spending $100 on a tree for your home, you could donate $100 toward purchasing a tree for the parks. But it doesn’t have to be $100- even $5 can make a difference. And with HSBC’s efforts, a check written to ReLeaf and dropped off at any HSBC immediately doubles your donation.
For a list of all of HSBC’s branches, and further information regarding Olmsted Park Conservancy and ReLeaf, log on to www.buffaloolmstedparks.org.
Where did affectionate copy editor run off to?
This is good news, it is about time that HSBC stepped up to the plate in Buffalo!
and what about the other parkland in Buffalo?
Please excuse me while I yawn....
So one of the biggest banks in the world, that has hundreds of millions of dollars available is offering up 50G's?
I mean yeah, I know something is better than nothing, but shame on HSBC for trumpeting themselves as some sort of altruistic environmentalists.
Not to mention that it is only a dollar match and that they have placed a cap on it.
Puhleeeeeease.
HSBC does nothing for this community. I think it's about time that someone wrote a post about how one of areas biggest employers gives very little back. HSBC should learn from M&T and step up.
While I am very happy to see them participate in ReLeaf, they past performance in community activities have been less than stellar. I hope that this might mark the start of a trend in community involvement by one of Buffalo's biggest businesses. But for now I am going to keep my money (the tiny bit I have) invested in M&T. The people there amaze me sometimes how much the company and personally they donate to the community. Think about any community or cultural event. Are there any that don't have an M&T logo under the sponsors list?
hsbc gives back very little?
how about maintaining six thousand jobs in western new york (5,000 non-branch, their largest employment base in america) when their operations would without question be more profitable elsewhere? how about their intent to invest over a billion dollars locally over the next decade?
we should consider ourselves lucky that this long after taking over marine midland, hsbc still has the local presence that they do.
sure, they aren't good corporate citizens, but as a business in a free market economy they are not obligated to care for the community. they are obligated to turn a profit.
certainly, m&t is a fantastic bank that goes well beyond its obligations and is deeply involved with buffalo, but it does not create the economic impact locally that hsbc does. personally, i'll trade all of buffalo's non-profits for a few more hsbc's any day.
the last poster has clearly been reading his Milton Friedman (rip)
HSBC bought Marine Midland (in what was essentially a hostile takeover) because MM was very profitable; MM was in no danger of disappearing, so we have no reason to feel 'lucky'. Marine had already moved much of its labor force to WNY - that was because of the lower wages here.
Now, the enormous profits go to London. Meanwhile, HSBC continues to pressure its employees to do volunteer work, so they can take credit for being good corporate citizens.
$50,000 is better than nothing, but just barely.
Yeah I got nothing against them as a business, but cities were built from corporate participation in the communities they belonged to. Bethlehem steel came to buffalo because other business leaders pushed to bring them here because it would help Buffalo. Almost all of our mayors until post WWII were prominent business leaders that wanted to better serve their community (granted I am sure their businesses didn't complain either)
Places with strong business - community relationships are the places that are considered progressive and prosperous because those businesses are more likely to ride out the hard times there instead of jumping ship to cheaper pastures.
I would love to see HSBC become very involved in our community not only because of the potential benefits and money they could bring to the table but also because that relationship will strengthen their connection to staying in buffalo and doing business for the long haul.
Whether this model of business - community relations still can exist post WWII and in the global economy, I have no idea.