In 1946, Al Fleishman and Bob Hillard came together from different background with a singular purpose: to shape the business model, values and culture of their new adventure, a public relations firm.
This year, FleishmanHillard, which goes by the philosophy of “the power of true” is celebrating its 70th anniversary in a unique way.
When the leaders at FleishmanHillard asked the employees how they wanted to celebrate the 70th anniversary, the resounding response from around the globe was that they wanted to be of service and make a meaningful difference in their communities.
And they did just that.
“We’re about halfway through our anniversary year now and collecting inspiring stories from all across our network daily,” John Saunders, CEO told DIVERGE. “This has captured imaginations throughout the firm and has highlighted our employees’ desire to work with a spirit and a purpose even beyond great client work.”
“We plan to continue our partnerships into our 71st year and beyond,” he added. “This could run and run.”
FH employees all over the world took this opportunity to help others including helping disadvantaged children learn to read, mentoring underprivileged youth, providing language immersion for refugee families settling into their new homes, promoting LGBTQ community outreach and more.
“Social inclusion is a cause we are well-suited to support because we have experience connecting with people and raising awareness and visibility for groups or individuals who, in this case, may be excluded from opportunity or marginalized from society,” Saunders explained.
This opportunity gave the 80 FH offices the flexibility to work with organizations of their choosing where they could do the most good in their communities.
As for what Saunders hopes others will get out of this; “I’ve always hated the expression, “give back.” I think we have all been enhanced by this initiative. So it’s not a case of giving back – we have gained.”
