Legacy Named Education Champion

3/20/2006 - E3: Employers for Education Excellence, a statewide non-profit organization that supports excellence in education, has named Legacy Health System an Oregon Education Champion. The company will be listed on an "honor roll" of education champions to be published statewide.

"As an employer, Legacy has long been a leader in encouraging employees to be involved in community service," said Kari Stanley, Legacy's director of community relations. Last year, Legacy's contribution of labor, supplies and equipment to the community totaled $8.2 million.

To earn the education champion designation, companies must provide time, encourage volunteerism and provide resources for employees who volunteer in schools. The application lists several criteria, including offering paid time off for employees to volunteer, providing learning opportunities for teachers and students through job shadowing, tours, mentoring and internships, and providing space for school meetings and other functions. Legacy Health System met six out of the eight criteria.

Through Legacy's community service leave program, employees can take up to two weeks paid leave to volunteer with community non-profits. Under the Dollars for Doers program, Legacy donates up to $100 per year to organizations where employees volunteer. Legacy Literacy Improvement Today (LLIT) and Legacy Mentoring a Kid Effort (LMAKE), reading and mentoring programs, encourage employees to help children in schools by paying employees 1.5 hours per week to volunteer, and donating $100 to the participating schools on behalf of every volunteer. See Employee Volunteerism for more information about Legacy's commitment to employee volunteerism.