Shawn Theunissen, head of CSR at Growthpoint Properties, explains: “When setting ourselves the challenge of making a meaningful impact on Nelson Mandela Day, we also took a long, hard look at what staff volunteerism and community engagement really means for us. We started with the 67 minutes of Mandela Day and thought of it as a yearlong initiative for all staff members. This has given Growthpoint’s community engagement a new perspective altogether.”

To achieve its target of 6700 hours of volunteerism, Growthpoint launched its newest community engagement initiative for staff. Called Gsquared – derived from Growthpoint Gives or G2 – it is action-oriented toward community welfare. The Gsquared programme will be active from Growthpoint’s three regional offices in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Town.

The 6700 hours is a target for everyone in the company to work towards together over Growthpoint’s current financial year, which ends on Thursday, 30 June 2016. Each of Growthpoint’s 676 staff members will be enabled to spend eight-hours towards a planned community engagement. Growthpoint’s CSR team and its business units will be on hand to support its staff by providing opportunities to volunteer at various charities.

Already, there are several projects on the cards. Better SA will facilitate a number of activities for Growthpoint, including making sleeping bags, refurbishing school and charity facilities, and spending time joining in educational games at schools.

Norbert Sasse, CEO of Growthpoint Properties, says: “We’re making this commitment because we care about the welfare of the communities where our staff live and where our business has an impact. Through Gsquared and our commitment of 6 700 hours of staff volunteerism for Mandela Day, we are empowering the people of Growthpoint to lead by example and be agents of positive change in their own communities, all year round.”

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