Since our beginnings, Hallmark has believed in the very best of human nature, the desire each of us has to live a life that intertwines in meaningful ways with others. That belief influences the products we create, the relationships we build, and the support we provide to our community. This caring tradition started with my grandfather, was codified in a written statement of beliefs and values by my father, and continues to be carried forward today—as it has been for 106 years—by the attitudes and actions of Hallmark employees. Last year, Hallmarkers gave more than 47,000 hours of their time to volunteer projects, ranging from repairing homes and tending gardens to tutoring students and visiting hospitals. As you read this report, please know that while we are proud of the ways we help and care for others through both financial support and gifts of time, we do not do it for accolades or recognition. Our corporate purpose is “to inspire meaningful connections, which enhance relationships and enrich lives.” This is Hallmark’s core belief and fundamental reason for being, and it drives both our business actions and our corporate citizenship. It is a calling we gratefully embrace and work every day to advance, and it is our great privilege to be able to do so.
Sincerely, Don Hall, Jr. CEO, Hallmark Cards
All children have the chance to grow up as healthy, productive, and caring persons. Vibrant arts and cultural experiences enrich the lives of all citizens. There is a strong infrastructure of basic institutions and services, especially for persons in need. All citizens feel a responsibility to serve their community.
06 Milestones of Giving
08 2015 by the Numbers
10 Helping Children & Families
18 Supporting Arts & Culture
24 Meeting Basic Needs
32 Investing in Kansas City
M I L E STO N E S of G I V I N G For more than 100 years, Hallmark has crafted a culture of sharing, caring, and giving back to the Kansas City community. In the past 80 years, over three-quarters of a billion dollars in cash and merchandise have been donated. And in the past decade, Hallmarkers have volunteered almost half a million hours of their time, valued at over 10 million dollars.
19 1 0
195 1
On January 10, young J.C. Hall arrives in Kansas City, Mo., with two shoeboxes full of picture postcards and a dream.
Hallmark sponsors its first United Way campaign and today is the leading corporate contributor to United Way of Greater Kansas City.
The Hallmark Hall of Fame series is launched, which has become television’s most honored and longestrunning prime-time series, continuing to entertain, enlighten, and inspire today.
1999
2005
1 9 97 Hallmark starts the “For America’s Babies” program to promote the importance of immunization. In the past 5 years, over 4 million cards have been donated to governors to send to new parents. 6
“Cards for the Cure” is launched which, to date, has raised more than $2.7 million for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
1951
Hallmark donates the 6,500-piece Hallmark Photographic Collection to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
1 9 61
1968
197 7
Hallmark partners with the Red Cross to begin sending greeting cards to those serving in the military. In recent years, a quarter of a million cards were donated to the Red Cross’s Holiday Mail for Heroes program.
Groundbreaking for Crown Center, one of the nation’s first mixeduse developments, takes place. Today Crown Center attracts 5 million people annually to the heart of the city.
Donald J. Hall advances “Social Responsibility Plus,” which advocates for greater partnership between corporations and community. A decade later, Hallmark’s Beliefs and Values reinforce this commitment to corporate citizenship.
2 01 0
2014
2 015
The United Nations NGO Positive Peace Award is given to Hallmark based on positive impact on “their communities through corporate responsibility.”
Hallmark is awarded the BCA 10 Award, a national honor from the Business Committee for the Arts, recognizing businesses for their exceptional involvement with the arts.
The Salvation Army National Advisory Board presented Hallmark with the Others Award for Hallmark’s generous commitment and dedication to the Salvation Army for decades.
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2 0 1 5 by th e N UM BE RS In 2015, Hallmark once again demonstrated caring and responsible corporate citizenship for Kansas City and each community in which we operate. Through gifts of time, talent, and treasure, Hallmark and Hallmarkers have made a genuine difference in countless lives in 2015.
$5.3 million in cash donations to nonprofits
$17.9 million in product donations
191,000 visitors to Kaleidoscope
47,000 volunteer hours valued at over $1 million
8
280,000 meals donated to Harvesters
437
#1
corporate contributor to United Way KC with over $2.1 million in donations
22
units of blood donated
houses rehabbed
2,614
1,340 lbs.
holiday gifts wrapped
of food grown and donated
37,000
BackSnacks packed for hungry children
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students mentored weekly
100
Children’s Mercy Hospital decorators
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CRE ATIV E SPAC E S Kaleidoscope is a place where children are invited to be creative, have fun, and feel good about their own special ideas. Nearly 200,000 people experience Kaleidoscope through its various programs annually. In 2015, the attraction continued the work that has made it an integral part of Kansas City for more than 40 years. Provided by Hallmark, Kaleidoscope is free of charge to visitors.
— Linda Avery, Manager, Hallmark Visitors Center & Kaleidoscope Special programs include Hallmark’s Creative Talent series where Hallmark writers and artists bring their unique expertise to make educational presentations about their professional careers in the arts. Last year, the series welcomed more than 2,800 children from the community. For classrooms that aren’t able to make the trip to Kaleidoscope’s location at Crown Center, Hallmark offers Kaleidoscope Comes to You.
In 2015, Kaleidoscope staff visited schools and reached more than 10,000 students, providing inspiration and fun materials for students to create their own works of art. Additionally, to assist Turn the Page KC, Mayor Sly James’ literacy initiative, Kaleidoscope provided materials for more than 1,000 children at an event supporting the program in 2015. Materials from Hallmark production processes serve as a major source of art
supplies for Kaleidoscope— as well as for the attraction’s donations of materials to local businesses and nonprofits—transforming objects that might otherwise end up in the landfill into products of selfexpression and enrichment. In 2015, Kaleidoscope recycled 10,000 pounds of cardboard, diverting approximately 5,000 pounds of waste from landfill, and recycled 175 pounds of Crayola® markers through the Crayola ColorCycle program. Linda Avery, who has been with Kaleidoscope for more than 30 years, says many families have made visiting a multi-generational tradition. “One of the most rewarding things is to see people who visited Kaleidoscope as children come back with their kids and enjoy the experience again.”
CHILDREN & FAMILIES
“We are a public service. Sometimes, it’s hard for people to believe that Hallmark chooses to do this for the community and there is no cost for the experience.”
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STR ONG FO U N DAT I O N S
For many Hallmarkers, creating a better community is only a short walk away as a result of the company’s long-standing partnership with Longfellow Elementary. For this school in Kansas City’s urban core—just a few blocks from Hallmark
“Hallmark has a huge impact on Longfellow students’ development with study buddies and the lead to read partnership.” — Peter Retsos, Principal Longellow Elementary
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headquarters—the partnership has provided Longfellow with both volunteers and financial assistance. These efforts include painting classrooms, donating Hallmark products to the school’s Holiday Shop, and sponsoring reading programs. Hallmarkers also recently donated funds that have enabled the school to purchase a washer and dryer and take field trips. In 2015, more than 30 Hallmark volunteers mentored students once a week through the partnership’s Study Buddy program. “The program helps kids academically, but it’s really about forming long-term, positive relationships,” says Cora Storbeck, community involvement director at
Hallmark and long-time volunteer. “We make sure these students know they have people who care about them and support their success.” With many children coming from low-income and immigrant families, the company has made a huge impact on Longfellow’s student development, says Peter Retsos, principal. “Our students have a connection with greatness that is provided by Hallmark. Anytime you connect students with greatness, it has a direct impact on their lives. They begin to affiliate themselves and think successfully, which is the foundation for students to grow into respectful adults.”
Hallmark is an outstanding partner. We look forward to the ways we can serve families together in the years to come!
CHILDREN & FAMILIES
— TA M I G R E E N B E R G , C E O Ronald McDonald House Charities, Kansas City
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MAKE A DI F F E R E N C E Operation Breakthrough, the largest single-site early education and social services facility in the state of Missouri, serves 400 children daily from Kansas City’s urban core. It strives to provide a safe, loving, and educational environment for children, while empowering their families through advocacy, emergency aid, and education. Operation Breakthrough wants to see all children have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. For several decades, Hallmark has assisted with 14
that mission in a variety of ways, by donating funds, sponsoring events, and volunteering—ranging from holding babies in the nursery, to assisting teachers in classrooms, to working on the organization’s board. Last year, Hallmarkers helped to provide holiday gifts so that 55 families had a good Christmas. “Hallmark and Operation Breakthrough are part of the same community; we are neighbors,” says Diana Keating, former Hallmark employee and Operation Breakthrough board
member. “It is a great way to play an active role in the community where we work and in a small way make a difference in the lives of families that have many challenges and obstacles to overcome.”
400
children
served daily
GROW I N G H O P E
Hallmarkers have served as loyal front desk volunteers for years and tended and harvested 1,339 pounds of organic produce last year from our Crown Garden. — Tami Greenberg, CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities KC
For families that must travel and spend several weeks away from home during treatment for their seriously ill or injured children, Ronald McDonald Houses provide a “home away from home” so that parents can stay close to their hospitalized child at little or no cost. To support this vital service, more than 60 Hallmark volunteers planted, tended, and harvested more than 1,300 pounds of organic produce in 2015 for Ronald McDonald House guests. “Not only does this give families fresh, organic
produce, it also helps reduce food costs for the charities,” says Amy Winterscheidt, national volunteer manager, Hallmark. “At times of the year when we harvest more than they can use, we help with canning and preserving the extra produce.” Hallmarkers built the garden with a few raised beds four years ago in an unused lot across the street from Hallmark headquarters, next to the Ronald McDonald House serving Children’s Mercy Hospital. In just a few years, the four beds grew to 16 beds capable of producing nearly a ton of fresh produce. The garden also supplies two other Ronald McDonald Houses in the area with fruits and vegetables,
including spinach, lettuce, snap peas, onions, carrots, potatoes, radishes, squash, strawberries, tomatoes and much more. As Crown Garden developed, Hallmarkers also added compost bins, a shed to store tools and landscaping and paths for families of patients who visit the gardens for a welcome break from the long hours spent inside the hospital. Crown Garden won a global award from Ronald McDonald House Charities in 2015 as a result of the dedication of Hallmark volunteers—a commitment that only looks to grow in the future.
CHILDREN & FAMILIES
Hallmark’s Crown Garden provides not only a source of nourishment, but also a therapeutic outlet for guests staying at Ronald McDonald Houses in Kansas City.
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FOSTE RIN G T H E F U T UR E A few years ago, Hallmark employee Deanna Munoz had trouble finding a creative writing program for her daughter—so she decided to create her own. From that inspiration has grown a program encouraging dozens of children in Kansas City to explore their artistic talents. Munoz started The Scribblers Co. Creative Writing in 2013 as a free, after-school writing program with the support of the company and colleagues who volunteered to serve as writing mentors to students in underserved areas. The weekly classes quickly grew in popularity, both with students and mentors, and the program expanded 16
in 2014 to include a sister program, The Scribblers Co. Art Enrichment, which focuses on the visual arts.
“We need to start early to keep the passion for art alive.” — Deanna Munoz, Hallmark Employee
In 2015, organizers altered the curriculum to provide more one-on-one instruction and added a drama program, The Scribblers Co. Theatre Workshop, in 2016.
The mission of all of the Scribblers programs is to give children in fourth through ninth grades the opportunity to be mentored and encouraged by artists within their community. The organization’s longterm plans are to guide the students through grade school to potential enrollment in higher education. “We need to start early to keep the passion for art alive, especially in urban areas where there may be few other sources of support,” says Munoz. “It’s amazing to see the growth of the kids as they become more confident.”
2600
gifts wrapped in 2015
IT’ S A W RA P
Each year, a small planning team coordinates the event and invites employees to register for one-hour wrapping sessions. The team preps the area by sorting gifts selected by the parents and setting up the gift wrapping tables and then ships 35 to 40 pallets loaded with presents. “I love this opportunity because you know that
you’re bringing joy to children who will not be with their parent during the holiday season,” says Gladys Brown, product integrity process analyst at Hallmark and a leader of the project. “Being separated from your parent would be extremely difficult, but knowing that they thought of you and were able to send a gift helps to soften the sadness. It is truly a favorite volunteer event that means a lot to Hallmarkers.” Due to Hallmark’s longstanding commitment to Salvation Army projects, the Salvation Army National Advisory Board presented Hallmark with an Others Award in 2015 honoring its extraordinary spirit of service to others.
CHILDREN & FAMILIES
For the sixth year, more than 500 Hallmarkers wrapped and packed gifts for 2,600 children with incarcerated parents through the Salvation Army’s Toy Lift program. The project makes a difference in brightening the holidays for the children as well as the volunteers.
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HITT IN G A H I G H N OT E Hallmark has a long and proud history of championing the arts in Kansas City, from financial contributions to audiencebuilding programs. Some of the organizations the company regularly assists include the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Kansas City Art Institute. Support for these 18
organizations includes major “New research dollars grants, event sponsorship, are among the hardest and Hallmarkers serving dollars for performing arts as organization board organizations to obtain, and members and volunteers. we have become a better, smarter, and more informed In 2015, the company organization thanks to donated more than half a Hallmark’s support,” says million dollars to support Frank Byrne, executive these arts organizations. For director, Kansas City example, Hallmark funded Symphony. “Hallmark has research that allowed been an invaluable partner the Symphony to expand over the decades. We can’t marketing initiatives in the imagine working without region. Hallmark on our team.”
Creativity. Civility. Quality of life. Hallmark stands as a giant in this regard.
ARTS & CULTURE
— Jeffrey Bentley, Executive Director Kansas City Ballet
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PER FOR MA N C E P E R KS
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One way that Hallmark encourages supporting the arts in the community is through its 50/50 Ticket Program. Employees and retirees are able to attend locally produced theater, symphony, and dance performances for half the ticket cost.
employees can purchase up to three additional tickets for family and friends for each performance.
Hallmark pays the other half to boost attendance, to help local organizations develop new audiences, and as a valuable perk for employees. The benefit applies for both single and season tickets across a wide range of venues, and
contributed
Hallmark started the program in 1978, and it was believed to be the first of its
$400K in ticket sales
kind in the country. Inspired by the program’s success, 19 other companies in Kansas City offer similar programs today. “In 2015, Hallmark’s 50/50 Ticket Program contributed more than $400,000 to ticket sales,” says Amy Winterscheidt, national volunteer manager at Hallmark. “That’s a great boost for arts in the community!”
Communities with strong, forwardmoving arts organizations have, not incidentally, strong, forwardmoving corporate and business institutions. They invest in the vitality inherent in art and in artists. They understand not only the bottom line benefits that accrue but the less obvious, more pervasive rewards that redound to their community. — Jeffrey Bentley, Executive Director Kansas City Ballet
T EAM WO RK
Amy Winterscheidt, national volunteer manager at Hallmark, led the development of the program in 2010. “It’s been wonderful to lead a project that helps the arts organizations work collaboratively to develop their audiences,” she says.
“The key is promoting the belief that a rising tide lifts all boats.” Working with marketing directors at the Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kansas City Symphony, and Kansas City Repertory Theatre, as well as with local marketing agencies, the program conducted a major marketing research project to identify the best strategies to reach potential new patrons. Since then, the program has capitalized on what it learned with new marketing efforts,
including the development of a ticketing payment app that brought in more than $280,000 in sales just eight months after launch. In 2015, the group took its promotional efforts a step further when it launched First Friday events to attract younger audiences. Buoyed by a collaborative mailing to more than 107,000 households, the free or low-cost events were successful in exposing potential new patrons to the performing arts.
ARTS & CULTURE
Hallmark is proud to lead the Fab Arts Collab, an initiative to bring the area’s four major performance arts organizations together and encourage collaboration to promote long-term audience development in Kansas City.
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SON G S O F K I N D N E SS The Thank You Notes, a group of singers and musicians made up of Hallmark artists and writers, provides the healing power of music to those in need. Formed in 2012, the group regularly performs for children at Ronald McDonald House and Children’s Mercy Hospital, and for seniors at the Don Bosco Senior Center and Brighton Gardens Retirement Community, among other venues. In 2015, the group logged more than 500 hours at performances and practices.
Andrews Sisters to new favorites by CeeLo Green and Sara Bareilles, the members of the Thank You Notes enjoy both the music and each other’s company. “But the best part of performing, by far, is seeing the reactions from the audience members,” says Catherine Skorupski, a senior writer at Hallmark and director of the group. “Many are experiencing difficult times, and hearing songs they know and love is a welcome respite.”
With a set list that varies from jazz standards by Ella Fitzgerald and the
ON TH E W IL D S I D E In one of Hallmark’s most popular singleday volunteer events, Wild Saturday at the Zoo provides Hallmark employees the opportunity to give back to a local attraction, spiffing up the Kansas City Zoo for the summer season. The annual event is open to employees and their families, including children ages 6 and up. Projects range from clearing brush to planting a vegetable garden to creating chalk art. 22
For example, in 2015, 375 Hallmark volunteers planted 5,445 plants and flowers, spread 6 semi-truck loads of mulch, and planted 94 herbs and vegetables in the Hallmark Children’s Garden for the zoo animals. Participants can come back and enjoy their handiwork at any time, with the free zoo pass they receive for volunteering.
Each May, hundreds of Hallmark staff and their families arrive and in a few hours dress up the zoo for the summer crowds. This makeover wouldn’t happen without the Hallmark team.
ARTS & CULTURE
— R A N DY W I S T H O F F Executive Director & CEO, Kansas City Zoo
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The success of our United Way is directly tied to the caring spirit of everyone at Hallmark. Hallmark continues to be our most generous business partner, giving more than $2.1 million to our mission in 2015. — Brent Allen Stewart, Sr., President and CEO, United Way of Greater Kansas City
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T H E WAY FO RWARD Few companies can match the commitment that Hallmark has shown to United Way over the decades, and 2015 was no exception. The company’s combined employee and corporate gift totaled more than $2.1 million, making Hallmark the leading corporate contributor to United Way in Kansas City, even when compared with larger companies. The average employee pledge has increased 24 percent since 2008. Each year, Hallmark hosts a pledge drive encouraging employees to commit part of their paychecks to United Way, which in turn funds nonprofits across the city working to mitigate the effects of poverty, promote education, and improve health. “The entire company rallies around many activities,” says Amy Winterscheidt, national volunteer manager for Hallmark. “The focus is on education so that Hallmarkers can see the needs of the community and how their contribution addresses those needs.”
$592
average pledge by Hallmark employees to United Way
For the 2015 campaign, the creative studio designed a new marketing campaign for United Way to use across the city. The pro bono work done on the United Way’s behalf will further the success of the organization, says Brent Allen Stewart, Sr., president and CEO, United Way of Greater Kansas City. “They’ve done a wonderful job of generating a creative platform that gives us a unique voice. It’s something we’ll be able to build on and utilize for many years to come.”
BASIC N EEDS
Hallmarkers serve as United Way liaisons to help organize the campaign and educate their fellow Hallmarkers on the difference their contributions can make. The drive is supported by an internal marketing campaign developed by Hallmark’s Creative Marketing Studio.
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HOP E FO R H U N G E R One in four children in Missouri live with hunger. To help, Hallmark has partnered with the Harvesters Community Food Network for more than two and a half decades. “From funds to expand our BackSnack program to countless volunteer hours, sponsorship of events, and an annual company food drive, Hallmark has demonstrated a tremendous commitment to the fight against hunger,” says Valerie Nicholson-Watson, president and CEO, Harvesters. “That commitment has made a huge difference in the lives of hungry families, children, and seniors in our community.” By filling backpacks with nutritious food, Harvesters’ BackSnack program provides low-income children with meals each Friday to tide them over until they go back to school on Monday. Hallmarkers packed more than 37,000 packs in 2015, in addition to the $5,000 donated by Hallmarkers to replace worn-out backpacks. Hallmark also sponsors an annual Food Drive at its headquarters, which raised more than $71,000 in 2015—enough funds, with a corporate match from Hallmark, to donate more than 280,000 meals.
The drive’s success is due, in part, to an array of fun activities, including the creative CANstruction displays Hallmarkers make out of canned food, and dunk tank and pie throwing competitions that pit employees against each other to raise support.
CAN DO ATTITUDE For many years, Hallmarkers have tapped into their creative spirits to build CANstructions, or sculptures made entirely of food cans, during the company’s annual food drive. Employee teams build the structures around Hallmark headquarters to raise awareness about the fight against hunger in Kansas City. After the contest, employees donate the canned food to Harvesters Community Food Network for distribution to those in need.
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From funds to expand our BackSnack program, to countless volunteer hours, sponsorship of events, and an annual company food drive, Hallmark has made a huge difference in the lives of hungry families, children, and seniors in our community. — Valerie Nicholson-Watson, CEO Harvesters
REFURBISH & REFRESH
Kurt Stackelbeck, project manager in technology & business enablement at Hallmark, explains that working with the group has been one of the most satisfying volunteer experiences he has ever had. “It is truly amazing to see what a team of people can accomplish in a day,” he says. “One of the greatest things about this program is the people that you meet, and it is so wonderful to see the difference the teams of volunteers make in the homeowners’ lives. The homeowners who are helped feel the same way, and some have even sent Hallmarkers thank-you poems to express their gratitude.”
Hallmark has partnered with Christmas in October for 30 years, typically contributing about 300 Hallmarkers, friends, and family members to the project each year. Across Kansas City, Christmas in October refurbishes about 300 homes every year, impacting the lives of approximately 1,000 people who live in them. Stackelbeck adds, “Volunteering for Christmas in October goes beyond physical repairs. Our work not only enables homeowners to live in safety and comfort, but it also helps instill a sense of pride in their homes and their community. We are not only improving their homes, we are helping to improve their lives.”
BASIC N EEDS
The mission of Christmas in October is to bring volunteers and communities together to improve the homes of low-income, elderly, disabled, and Veteran homeowners.
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CRE ATIN G C H A N G E Hallmark knows that a vibrant community requires a diverse population. That is why the company joined other area companies in 2014 to back LiveKC, with the goal of making Kansas City a more attractive place for millennials to live, play, and work. The organization hosts several philanthropic, civic, and social events each year in an effort to get millennials invested in improving Kansas City. One aspect of the work LiveKC is doing involves connecting millennial-aged employees at Hallmark with volunteer opportunities around the city.
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“LiveKC has provided a unique opportunity for our millennials at Hallmark to meet and work with other young professionals in the KC area on issues of common interest,” says Patty Sullivan, a vice president in human resources at Hallmark. “Hallmarkers have played a key role in setting priorities for the organization, and have been active contributors to LiveKC projects on education initiatives, urban renewal, and more.” For example, Hallmarkers can partner with Lead to Read to volunteer at a local
elementary school to help improve students’ reading proficiencies. “Being a part of the organization energizes me to make my city better and get involved in things that really matter, like education and local elections,” says Emily Sullivan, product manager at Hallmark. “I am excited to see what Hallmark and LiveKC will do for our city’s future!”
HOLI STI C H E L P
Hallmark employees volunteer with Mattie Rhodes Center, supporting events such as Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
and First Friday’s Art Gallery shows. Hallmarkers from the Hispanic Employee Resource Group have collected school supplies for elementary schools in the Mattie Rhodes Centers’ communities. Annually, Mattie Rhodes Center reaches more than 11,000 residents. Contributions from Hallmark have allowed the center to leverage significant dollars to provide Kansas City families, children, and adults with important mental health services, to reduce the incidences of domestic violence, and to increase the availability of safe out-of-school recreational programs for youth. Additionally, Hallmarkers are partnering with the agency
on launching a Chicano Arts Festival in 2016. Andrea Gomez, corporate contributions manager for Hallmark says, “Being a member of the Mattie Rhodes Center Board of Directors is a rewarding experience. I can use my professional skills to help the organization make a positive difference in the communities they serve.” The center receives Andrea’s Volunteer Involvement Pays (VIP) dollars as well. The VIP program, funded by the Hallmark Corporate Foundation, pays qualifying nonprofit agencies and schools up to $400 per calendar year per employee in honor of employees who volunteer.
BASIC N EEDS
Aimed at helping Kansas City’s Hispanic population, the Mattie Rhodes Center provides a holistic approach to individual and family well-being through social services, behavioral health counseling, and the arts. It is the only fully bilingual/ bicultural, nationally accredited, and statecertified behavioral health care provider of its kind in the Greater Kansas City region. Hallmark has supported the 122-year-old organization’s efforts for the past 25 years through funding and employee involvement.
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When you read the thank-yous we receive and see pictures of the faces of those receiving our donated products, you know you’ve made a difference. — Debbie Evans, Inventory Disposition & Charity
$1.2 million worth of products to Toys for Tots
by Hallmark in support of the U.S. Marine Corp's program to distribute Christmas gifts to children.
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SUPPORTIN G SE RV I C E
The mission of MIG has been primarily focused on educating employees about military service, and providing support to Hallmark in understanding and fulfilling its obligations to veterans and military personnel. In 2015, the MIG mission was expanded to include the support of military personnel in the Kansas City community.
MIG participants are passionate about helping to educate other employees and ensuring a continued military-inclusive and community-connected environment. Hallmark and MIG have helped support several military organizations, including local VA hospitals, Caring Cards, the WMA, reStart, KCAOG, KCAUSA, and various local VFW and American Legion Posts. Additionally, the Hallmark Band, comprised primarily of Hallmark employees and retirees, partners with MIG on their June Patriotic concert at the Crown Center Pavilion in a public celebration of the Fourth of July.
BASIC N EEDS
Hallmark’s history of supporting America’s troops dates back to the 1960s when cards were sent through the Red Cross to those serving in the military. Today Hallmark continues that tradition of supporting military personnel through its American Heroes line of cards, through product donations to military families, and through a recently established Military Interest Group (MIG), one of six employee resource groups at Hallmark.
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Today, Kansas City is on the threshold of a proud new era. The new year begins with the Crown Center announcement. With such momentum, others should be encouraged to dream big, too. — Kansas City Star, January 5, 1967
C ROW N I N G AC H I E V EM ENT For more than 40 years, Crown Center has played a vital role in Kansas City as a catalyst for change in the urban core and a pioneering idea in urban development, combining living and working spaces.
Today Crown Center includes more than 2.2 million square feet of office space, a 6-acre residential community, and world-class hotels
and shopping. Whether it’s attractions like LEGOLAND® Discovery Center, SEA LIFE Aquarium, and the Hallmark Visitor Center or special events like the Holiday Tree lighting, outdoor summer movies, or the Kansas City Irish Fest, Crown Center has become an essential part of local culture.
million visitors
are attracted to Crown Center
INVESTING IN KC
Joyce C. Hall, founder of Hallmark, and his son, Hallmark chairman Donald J. Hall, created Crown Center in an effort to revitalize the area near Hallmark headquarters. The Halls knew that a monetary return on their investment would take decades, but they recognized the value in making a long-term commitment to the city’s future.
each year for shopping, entertainment, office & living spaces 33
We are responsible to our city and to our communities not merely because thriving cities and communities indirectly—or even directly—benefit our company economically. Rather, it is a responsibility born out of the kind of natural, loving, and moral commitment that binds each of us to our own individual families. — DON HALL Chairman, Hallmark Cards