Business News

Océ Employees Assemble, Decorate and Donate 95 Bicycles to Las Vegas Children through the Nellis Air Force Base First Sergeants Council

Wednesday 15. December 2010 - Océ volunteers contribute hands-on assistance to help children in need during the holidays

Océ, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, today announced that a team of Océ North America employees from the U.S., Germany, The Netherlands, Canada and Mexico contributed more than 2,000 volunteer hours building and donating bicycles valued at $18,000 to the children of Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases enlisted personnel who otherwise couldn’t afford them.
During a special team-building event at the company’s 2011 National Sales Conference, 260 Océ North America employees, including 130 from Océ Wide Format Printing Systems and 130 from Production Printing Systems built and decorated ninety-five bicycles. The volunteers assembled four different sizes of bikes for boys and girls ages six to fourteen, complete with helmets, flags and personal notes from each team to the child who will receive the bike. Océ donated the bicycles to the Creech and Nellis Air Force Base First Sergeants Council for distribution to children in need. In addition, Océ Wide Format Printing Systems donated $3,000 to Child Haven, a local non-profit organization serving young victims of abuse, to purchase twelve cribs.
The First Sergeants Council is a group of senior enlisted advisors of U.S. Air Force military units with a special duty – looking out for the morale, welfare and conduct of enlisted service personnel and their families. Most members of the First Sergeants Council have earned the rank of Master Sergeant, Senior Master Sergeant or Chief Master Sergeant and advise commanders on how to best assist all enlisted Air Force personnel. For example, during the holidays, they make sure donations like the bicycles built by Océ get into the hands of the Air Force families who need them most.
“This is a great program that will ensure that Air Force children are not forgotten this holiday season,” said First Sergeant, Joel Buys of the First Sergeants Council. “The generous contribution that Océ has made, in volunteer hours, in building the bicycles and donating the bikes and funds to purchase cribs, will allow us to make the holidays a little brighter for Nellis and Creech Air Force Base families who otherwise could not afford them. For many of these kids, this will be the first bike they’ve ever owned. The Océ contribution will mean the world to them.”
“This is a small way that Océ can reach out and provide a helping hand to the members of the community who need it most – the children of men and women of the armed forces who are serving our country at home and overseas and facing tough times,” said Mal Baboyian, president of Océ North America’s Production Printing Systems division. “This one-of-a-kind experience embodies perfectly the Océ pledge to serve as a responsible corporate citizen.”
In addition to nine first sergeants who were on hand to help out with the event, sixteen local children ages five to thirteen judged the bikes based on criteria such as “first team to complete one bike,” “first team to complete and decorate a second bike,” and “coolest” or “best-decorated bike.” At the conclusion of the event, Océ presented the child judges with store gift cards and invited them to select a bike of their own to take home.
“We’re proud of the hardworking team of Océ volunteers who pitched in to give back to children in need,” said Patrick Chapuis, president of Océ North America’s Wide Format Printing Systems division. “Building bikes for the First Sergeants Council was a rewarding experience that touched the hearts of everyone who participated. It was even more meaningful when we saw the looks on the faces of the child judges when we told them they could take home their favorite bike. They had no idea that they would receive bikes themselves.”
The bicycle-building event and donation of funds for cribs underscores the Océ commitment to giving back to the community and supporting worthy causes and organizations like the First Sergeants Council that support those who need – at a time when they need help the most.