Alcoa Foundation Award Grant

ALCOA FOUNDATION MARKS 10.10.10 WITH SURPRISE $10,000 COMMUNITY GRANTS

Chelan-Douglas Land Trust selected as one of 3 charities in the United States and one of 10 around the world to receive $10,000 each

People around the world are finding interesting ways to celebrate 10.10.10. Many couples chose this date to get married. Alcoa Foundation saw it as a fun opportunity to give back - surprising 10 charities in 10 communities around the world with $10,000. One local non-profit, the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, learned today that they will be one of the ten recipients of the surprise grants.

“The entire Wenatchee Works leadership group and their families have joined me and my daughters to surprise the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust today,” said Alcoa US Primary Products President Bob Wilt. “Alcoa Foundation‟s $10,000 donation is the first Leadership Gift in the Land Trust‟s annual campaign to fund their operations including their outstanding stewardship work improving wildlife habitat and eradicating invasive species as well as building trails and their outreach efforts for conservation in North Central Washington.

“For the past decade Wenatchee Alcoans have pitched in to help the Land Trust with trail-building and habitat restoration and more recently supported their efforts in consensus building for land use in the Stemilt Creek Basin and the Wenatchee Foothills,” Wilt added. “To further leverage Alcoa Foundation‟s 10.10.10 gift, our local leadership team is pitching in today to spruce up the Horse Lake trailhead and the trail to the Horse Lake viewpoint, pulling invasive weeds and pruning sagebrush along the edges of the Lone Fir Spur trail that leaves from the same trailhead.”

“The Land Trust is deeply honored to receive this community grant,” said the Land Trust‟s Executive Director, Bob Bugert. “Alcoa has been a strong partner and supporter for many years, with hundreds of Alcoa volunteers working to make a difference in our community. This grant will lead off our Annual Fall Campaign, supporting our work conserving the natural areas that make North Central Washington‟s such a special place. As part of the Annual Campaign, this $10,000 will be matched by the Icicle Fund, doubling its positive impact in our community.”

The „Alcoa Foundation 10.10.10 Big Give‟ is part of the Alcoa‟s annual Month of Service, a global volunteering event that this year will mobilize more than 23,000 employees to make a positive impact in their local communities, giving 6,000 service hours in 700 service events throughout October.
Alcoa‟s Big Give will take place on Sunday, October 10, in 10 Alcoa communities around the world, from Tennessee where we‟ve operated for almost 100 years, to our newest center of operations in Iceland, and everywhere in between – Russia, Brazil, Switzerland and Canada.

The funding will be awarded by Alcoa executives, to 10 diverse recipient charities that are addressing the most pressing social and environmental priorities in the communities where Alcoa operates - hunger and homelessness, HIV prevention, emergency rescue, and environmental sustainability.

“The 10.10.10 Big Give was conceived to further strengthen the work of our thousands of employee volunteers, who are this month transforming their communities – planting trees, improving child literacy, serving meals, and repairing community facilities,” said Alcoa Foundation President, Paula Davis.

“Our people are passionate about giving back where they live and work, and we are thrilled to be able to further support their work, with these 10 special gifts to 10 very deserved charities, and make an even greater difference in the lives of who need it most.”

“I am delighted to be here today with my plant leaders and our families,” said Wenatchee Works Plant Manager Nik Winjum. “Today‟s effort with the Land Trust is only one of the dozen volunteer activities our local employees are supporting this month that range from yard cleanups for Volunteer Chore Services to a food drive and construction work on the Lindman Home Build.

“Throughout this 5th annual Month of Service, I expect that more than half of Wenatchee works employees will contribute more than 400 total hours of volunteer work in the community,” he added. “Having this surprise grant to give in our community only reinforces the partnerships we have in the Wenatchee Valley.”

Alcoa Foundation is committed to strengthening community sustainability in the communities where Alcoa operates, with $515M granted to address priority local challenges since 1952. The work of Alcoa Foundation is further enhanced by Alcoa‟s thousands of employee volunteers, who in 2009 gave 650,000 service hours to improve their neighborhoods, the equivalent of 325 people working full-time.