This piece is shared as part of Pledge 1%’s #GivingTuesdayNow campaign, which highlights how Pledge 1% members and the business community are coming together as a force for good to combat COVID-19.
Horizon Therapeutics has been an active supporter of the community since its founding, a little more than 10 years ago. Horizon’s CEO, Tim Walbert, invested in corporate social responsibility even before the company was profitable. When the repercussions of COVID-19 started to become clear, Horizon immediately sought out how to best lend support. We landed with a $1.5 million+ donation, split amongst community nonprofits and foundations in Illinois, the City of Chicago, Lake County, San Francisco, Washington D.C, Canada and Dublin, Ireland.
Additionally, we helped seed two new funds with the Governor in Illinois. The first is focused on supporting our communities throughout Illinois and the second is focused on the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) for our frontline healthcare workers. More information on the PPE fund can be found here.
As a community, we must address the immediate need to support our healthcare workers and first responders. These unsung heroes are working directly with patients; and in these unprecedented times, they are doing so with a lack of critical protective medical products and equipment.
Donations will help provide increased access to medical PPE for healthcare providers and first responders throughout Illinois. As of 4/20, the following PPE has been donated: 3,080 goggles; 13,740 protective clothing; 93,100 cleanroom gloves; 3,620 N95 masks; 14,930 surgical masks; 101,750 testing swabs.
Each of us as individuals, and collectively as part of our workplaces, can lend support to someone, somewhere in need. If donating to the PPE fund speaks to you, please do so here. Any amount helps.
Other ideas include ordering from your favorite neighborhood restaurant and having it delivered to your local domestic violence shelter, tipping your grocery delivery driver double, donating to your local food pantry, or calling a loved one to check in. Do something.
