The expanse of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives being undertaken by companies in the Shannon region, through direct financial support or employee hours expended, is quite staggering yet much of this activity is undertaken without fanfare but greatly enables so many charitable organisations to undertake projects they could not otherwise do.

Prompted by a request from a member company as to how it could contribute to the betterment of the community, Shannon Chamber engaged a Limerick Institute of Technology intern to research the expanse of CSR activity being undertaken by companies and the types of organisations they are assisting.

 The results of this will be outlined at a special CSR event, organised by Shannon Chamber being held at Shannon Airport on Thursday, 18 October from 6 – 8:30pm. The event, entitled: CSR, the Joys of Giving and Receiving’, will be presented by the inimitable Seamus Hennessy and involve speakers who are involved in the giving and receiving of support: businesses who undertake CSR and organisations benefiting from this financial or manhour support. These speakers include representatives from the Shannon Group plc., Element Six, HOMS Solicitors, Ei Electronics, ZAGG International, Junior Achievement Ireland, Milford Care Centre, and Clare Crusaders.

 The event will also feature musical renditions from CSR recipients Sixmilebridge Folk Club and the Moyross Corpus Christi Choir, now famous for their wonderful performances, most especially their recent appearance on RTE’s Up for the Match programme.

As Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes explains: “We are delighted to be hosting a dedicated CSR evening, in collaboration with Shannon Airport, to showcase some of the projects companies in this area are undertaking and how their ‘giving’ benefits the region. We see the benefits of an event of this nature as providing a platform whereby businesses can network with organisations seeking support. It will also give organisations seeking support from the business community the opportunity to give their elevator pitch , through having a ‘pop-up’ or advertising presence at the event, which is free of charge.

“We are excited about this event as we believe we have an amazing cohort of companies in this region whose workforces want to get involved in helping their communities and the businesses themselves want to give back. We hope that through this type of informal networking the level of CSR being undertaken in this region will increase even more..”

Shannon Chamber is issuing an open invitation to all businesses in the wider Shannon area who are involved in or wish to start CSR to attend this event and, organisations seeking support – financial, manhour, or otherwise  – to book their ‘advertising’ space in at this event by contacting lkizaite@shannonchamber.ie

For more information or to register your attendance, log onto www.shannonchamber.ie/events-training/ or call 061 475854