In 2018, Sherritt’s Fort Site continued to roll out the Spirit of Sherritt program, launched in 2017, which is composed of two initiatives: the Giving Program and the Volunteer Program.
What does the Spirit of Sherritt mean to our employees? “The Spirit of Sherritt program enables the company to support various registered charities and not-for-profits our employees care about. The program demonstrates how the company lives its ‘Purpose and Promises’ by actively supporting our employees volunteer efforts in our local communities, honouring the company’s rich history.” – Poonam Madan, Senior Advisor, Sustainability, Fort Saskatchewan refinery.
The Giving Program allows employees to apply for a $250 donation to a charity for which they have volunteered a minimum of 40 hours of their personal time. The Volunteer Program allows eligible employees to use a maximum of one work day per year to volunteer during work hours. A number of criteria must be satisfied in order to qualify, and exclusions exist for individuals, religious or political organizations or activities, and for-profit initiatives, for example.
Over the course of the year, Sherritt’s Fort Site donated $2,800 in recognition of employees who volunteered their own time to non-profit and charitable causes in their local communities (outside of work hours), and over 160 hours of company time. Examples of places employees volunteered or donated to include local food banks, children’s health, STEM education, the arts, and community or youth sporting associations.
In 2018, Sherritt’s corporate office employees continued to support Make-a-Wish Canada. This year was particularly special, as a young Ontario girl had one wish, to visit a mine! In partnership with Goldcorp, Sherritt funded the unique wish (the first time that Make-a-Wish had ever granted a mining wish!) with $10,000 raised by employees. Goldcorp hosted our Wish Kid at one of their Canadian sites. Read more about the special occasion here.