August 07, 2019
Alcoa volunteers give home-grown support for vulnerable youth
A safe-haven for at-risk youth in the Peel region has been given a good winter maintenance check and general upkeep by a group of employee volunteers from Alcoa’s Pinjarra Alumina Refinery.
“This is a place where our young people need to feel safe, happy and comfortable in their surroundings, so the volunteering efforts to maintain the farm grounds and facilities really help,” Homestead For Youth co-founder and registered psychologist Carla Fadelli said.
Homestead For Youth, a local not-for-profit support service for vulnerable youth within our community, recently hosted the volunteers as part of the Company’s Alcoans Coming Together in Our Neighbourhoods (ACTION) Program. By providing young people with a safe refuge and a home, Carla saw the difference in how relaxed and open young clients were with her therapy. This started an innovative approach to youth mental health, and in 2014, established Homestead for Youth at a five-acre property in the Swan Valley. By 2016, the suicide epidemic in the Peel region of Western Australia drove Homestead for Youth to move their farm home-base to Meelon.
Alcoa’s ACTION Program encourages employees to volunteer in their local communities by donating $3,000 to chosen charities in recognition of those volunteering efforts.
The program is this year set to inject more than 2,000 volunteer hours and $200,000 into communities close to where Alcoa operates in Australia.
More than 80 Alcoa employees from the Pinjarra Alumina Refinery have agreed to take part this year. The volunteering activities range from busy bees at local charities, schools and sporting clubs through to assisting with community events and fundraising for not-for-profit services.
Alcoa of Australia Chairman and Managing Director Michael Parker thanked the employees involved in the volunteering activities saying it was proof that together we could make a big difference.
“Alcoa is proud to be an engaged and supportive partner in our neighbouring communities and we encourage and support our employees to also be active community members,” Mr Parker said.
Alcoa has a proud history of helping build stronger sustainable communities. In 2018, the company made about $4 million in community contributions and its employees volunteered for more than 2,500 hours to help at about 100 different community activities.
In addition, Alcoa employees generously support the community through the Personnel Employed at Alcoa Charity Help (PEACH) Program. Employees can elect to make donations straight from their pay that are then distributed to community and charitable activities.
ENDS
Media contact
Louisa Loder, Community Relations Officer, 9531 6240, louisa.loder@alcoa.com
Editor’s note
Alcoa of Australia (Alcoa) has a proud history in Australia which it hopes to continue by remaining internationally competitive, attracting ongoing investment and providing jobs for future generations.
• Alcoa has been contributing to Australia’s economy since 1963, investing more than $12 billion over 56 years.
• More than 65 per cent of Alcoa’s total annual revenue stays in Australia through wages, local purchasing, taxes, royalties, capital investment and dividends to Australian shareholders.
• Alcoa employs more than 4,275 people in Australia. About 3,750 live in WA.
• In our 56 years, Alcoa has taken on more than 2000 apprentices, trainees and graduates.
• Alcoa invested $1.7 billion with Australian suppliers in 2017.
• Alcoa paid $654 million in Australian wages, salaries and associated benefits in 2017.
• Alcoa paid $400 million in State, Federal and Local government taxes and royalties in 2017.
• Alcoa made $4.2 million in community contributions in 2017.
About Alcoa
Alcoa (NYSE: AA) is a global industry leader in bauxite, alumina and aluminum products, with a strong portfolio of value-added cast and rolled products and substantial energy assets. Alcoa is built on a foundation of strong values and operating excellence dating back nearly 130 years to the world-changing discovery that made aluminum an affordable and vital part of modern life. Since developing the aluminum industry, and throughout our history, our talented employees have followed on with breakthrough innovations and best practices that have led to efficiency, safety, sustainability and stronger communities wherever we operate. Visit us online on www.alcoa.com, follow @Alcoa on Twitter and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Alcoa.