Even before Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm on September 26, Americares had launched a response. Before the storm, Americares emergency experts reached out to more than 360 partner clinics with offers of assistance, and in the days that followed, they shipped more than 16 tons of medicine and medical supplies, installed water purification systems, and deployed a mobile medical unit and mental health teams to restore health services and address trauma and loss from the storm.

This rapid response was made possible through the support of corporate partners in the Americares Emergency Response Partner (AERP) program. The AERP program fosters corporate partnerships that engage employees and mobilize resources for disaster preparedness efforts. Among the aid Americares delivered to North Carolina were hygiene kits assembled at its Stamford, Connecticut, headquarters by employees from seven corporate partners.

Emergency response is just one way Americares acts on its mission. Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster. Each year, Americares reaches 85 countries on average, including the United States, with life-changing health programs, medicine, medical supplies, and emergency aid. Americares is one of the world’s leading nonprofit providers of donated medicine and medical supplies.

If your workplace is looking to make a real impact in the wake of disasters, Americares is a great partner, and their AERP program offers an engaging way for corporations to get involved.

Employee Engagement Offering: Americares Emergency Response Partners Program
The AERP program builds the foundation from which Americares responses are launched. These corporate partners’ annual commitment provides a reliable stream of flexible funding, which is critical to maintaining a constant state of readiness and launching robust responses to emergencies worldwide. By supporting the core, underlying capabilities of Americares emergency response program, AERP members play a part in funding every Americares emergency response, helping to save lives around the world.

AERP funds enable active response preparation before disaster strikes and immediate response when it does. As an AERP member, you help:

  • Maintain an emergency inventory of medicine for rapid deployment
  • Preposition medical and relief supplies in disaster-prone countries
  • Maintain an international roster of on-call disaster response experts
  • Monitor disasters around the world as they unfold
  • Conduct needs assessments with health centers and government agencies
  • Respond to large disasters before incident-specific funding is received
  • Respond to hidden disasters that lack media attention or dedicated funds but affect millions

Through the AERP program, Americares has seen the profound impact of corporate partnerships in action, with partners including Chevron, Patagonia, Voya Financial, and more.

The strongest partnerships engage at every level. The AERP program has allowed Americares to foster deep, meaningful partnerships – engaging beyond financial support and creating opportunities to connect companies’ leadership, employees and customers to both their companies’ and Americares missions. But there are many ways for corporations to engage, including leveraging employees’ time for volunteering or activating employee giving or consumer-facing giving campaigns.

  1. Lunch and Learns: Invite Americares staff experts to lead discussions on global humanitarian issues, share stories from the field and provide insights into the importance of disaster preparedness.
  2. Kitting Events: Organize team-building activities where employees assemble humanitarian aid kits. This hands-on experience fosters camaraderie – and provides essential supplies to those in need. These kits play an important role in many of their responses, especially in the earliest days of a disaster.
  3. Employee Giving Campaigns: Mobilize your workforce by creating a co-branded fundraising page or organizing events that encourage employees to contribute to Americares disaster relief efforts.
  4. Skills-Based Volunteering: Encourage employees to apply their skills and expertise in volunteer roles that address pressing global challenges and make a direct impact in the communities we serve.
  5. Livestream Gaming Events: With platforms such as Tiltify, employees can host fundraising events that blend fun and philanthropy, supporting Americares mission while engaging in community-building activities.
  6. Consumer Engagement Opportunities: Drive awareness of your company’s support for Americares through product-purchase campaigns, point-of-sale initiatives, and online donation drives. You can also collaborate with Americares marketing team to create custom solutions to engage consumers and promote your brand.
  7. Social Media Toolkit: Enhance visibility for Americares mission by utilizing a dedicated social media toolkit that provides language, logos, images, videos, and impact stories to share on your corporate channels.

For example, the Odyssey Group has been a strategic partner since 2007, and their support has included funding Americares Free Clinics, assembling emergency kits at Americares distribution center in Connecticut and joining the AERP program to provide long-term support. These collaborations not only provide critical support to communities most impacted, but also enrich employees’ experiences, reinforcing their connection to the mission of saving lives and improving health worldwide.

Exploring the Impact

For 45 years, Americares has helped millions of people around the world affected by poverty or disaster find a path to health, because we believe health is a human right.

Need help?
At Global Impact, we are dedicated to empowering companies to create meaningful and impactful employee engagement experiences. As a proud partner of Americares, we offer comprehensive support to help you make the most of their incredible offerings. Whether you’re looking to join their AERP program, invite Americares to speak at your workplace, set up a kitting event, or want fresh ideas for themes and topics, we’re here to help. 

Let us help you inspire greater giving and foster a culture of social responsibility within your organization. Reach out today to get started!