Australia – Continuing a long-standing tradition of its annual Worldwide Foundation Day, VMLY&R, brand and customer experience agency under WPP, has closed its more than 100 offices across the globe for business last 29 September 2022, to give more than 13,000 employees the opportunity to support worthy causes and non-profit organisations of their choice through volunteer projects.
For this year, the theme for VMLY&R’s Worldwide Foundation Day is ‘Make Your Mark’, which encouraged employees – regardless of whether they engage virtually or in person, individually or with a small group, or with family members – to do something that resonated with them. The day aimed to highlight the collective impact of all employees rolling up their sleeves to give back in meaningful ways over the same 24-hour period.
In Aotearoa, New Zealand, VMLY&R Auckland has supported Family Action and cleaned Western Springs Lakeside Park, while VMLY&R Wellington has volunteered with Clean Where You Walk, removing plastic from Wellington’s beaches and contributed to public art installations with the Wellington Sculpture Trust
Meanwhile, in Australia, VMLY&R Brisbane has volunteered with Conservation Volunteers Australia and Daisy Hill Conservation Park to help rehabilitate local wetlands and enhance the biodiversity of a national park, while VMLY&R Melbourne and Sydney have volunteered with Legacy Australia to reimagine a modern donation box, sorted and packaged clothing for redistribution at UPPAREL Recycling Centre, and organised Bondi, Wollongong, Manly, and St Kilda beach clean-up efforts.
“The annual VMLY&R Foundation Day is a really special time for our team. Having a positive impact on the societies we live in has always been a core value to VMLY&R since we began,” said Thomas Tearle, VMLY&R’s CEO in Australia and New Zealand.
He added, “It’s amazing to see our five offices across Australia and New Zealand make their own unique marks in their individual communities. Being a part of this global initiative is such a privilege and demonstrates that this really is the most connected agency network on the planet with over 100 offices doing this in unison.”