Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/122387
ally helped gather 13 tons of food and $18,158 in donations. General Growth Properties has made education a priority through its two main charitable ventures. The firm's Kimco Realty's KimCares programs extend near and far. "Our efforts spark a lot of Kimco team spirit, which brings us closer together as an organization." Wonders program raises millions for Westfield's charitable organizations. In the Enriching Children's Lives through Education program, each Westfield shopping center helps support a local school. Last year volunteers from Westfield Garden State Plaza, in Paramus, N.J., helped restore a greenhouse at Paramus High School, with Westfield pitching in $10,000 to assist. Kimco Realty's KimCares programs extend to mall communities near and far. Headquarters workers volunteer with the local MercyFirst organization to provide after-school programs for youths who have experienced serious trauma. They also work with Soldiers' Angels, which aids active and veteran members of the military with care packages and firstresponse backpacks. "Our efforts also spark a lot of Kimco team spirit," said Heather Mitchell, Kimco's humanresources manager, "which brings us closer together as an organization." Kimco collected clothes and sup- headquarters-based GGP Cares program has supported two elementary schools in low-income Chicago neighborhoods, enlisting hundreds of workers to paint the classrooms and hallways, raise funds, provide tutoring, donate winter clothes and buy backpacks filled with school supplies. At the mall level, GGP's Celebrate Schools program has collaborated with DonorsChoose. org to help fund schools and teachers in mall communities. Shopping centers have sponsored fund-raising fashion shows, student performances, coupon-book sales, spelling bees, science fairs and the like. Both programs are to continue this year. "While we raise money for our schools, the time and commitment we also donate, especially when we're able to interact with children, is even more valuable," said David Keating, General General Growth properties' GGp Cares Growth's vice president of corproGram supports two low-inComeporate communications. area sChools in ChiCaGo. The Westfield Works 224 SC T / M a y 2 0 1 3 plies for people displaced by Hurricane Sandy. Other ICSC members came through too. Westfield donated $150,000 to the relief efforts and offered malls in affected areas as gathering places for additional aid. Jones Lang LaSalle helped coordinate relief efforts at nearly 60 of the shopping centers on the East Coast through the Red Cross. CBL set up charging stations for phones and computers at Harford Mall, in Bel Air, Md.; Stroud Mall, in Stroudsburg, Pa.; and York (Pa.) Galleria Mall. Macerich set aside space at its Shops at Atlas Park, in Glendale, N.Y., for collections of food and supplies. Simon Property and General Growth set up Red Cross modules on mall websites, and Pyramid Cos.' Poughkeepsie Galleria sponsored a blood drive. The country's largest retailers came up big as well. Walmart pledged $1.5 million for aid, and Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement donated $1 million each to related causes. Kohl's gave $1 million and e nco urage d e mplo ye e s to volunteer in recovery causes. Gap Inc. donated $750,000 cash and at least $250,000 in clothing, while Limited Brands gave $500,000 to the Red Cross and earmarked an additional $500,000 for rebuilding. Macy's collected $500,000 in donations that it matched en route to raising $1 million for the Red Cross. The industry is traditionally generous, according to the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy, which notes that retailers give 1.7 percent of pretax profits to charity, versus 0.9 percent for other industries. SCT