A Good Corporate Citizen

While EMD Serono's mission includes a steadfast commitment to patients and the development of treatments for unmet medical needs, the company also places an equal amount of importance on being a good corporate citizen.

However, it is the actions behind the words that are truly proving the positive, sustainable impact the company is having in Rockland and throughout the Commonwealth. With 14 community partners and numerous charitable and community-related events held each quarter, it is easy to understand why the company has received the Boston Business Journal's Corporate Philanthropy Award for exceptional charitable programs two years running.

"Our goal here is to build a positive corporate reputation in the community by developing lasting relationships with key organizations and utilizing our resources to better the communities where we work and live," says Renee Connolly, Vice President, US Communications. "Additionally, we try to ensure we are building these relationships with organizations that are a good strategic fit."

Through financial contributions (sponsorships, grants, fundraising and matching donations), in-kind donations (product donations and drives, and employee volunteerism), and support of key community events such as the Massachusetts Conference for Women,  EMD Serono continues to play an active role as a good corporate citizen in our home state.

Community Service Council
Leading the charge in this area for EMD Serono is the Community Service Council, an interdisciplinary group of approximately 15 employees who act as ambassadors both internally and externally and are responsible for engaging other employees from across the organization in community affairs efforts.

"They do more than anyone sees," explains Connolly, "Whether it is reviewing charitable contribution requests, working the sign-up table, or leading teams on Community Service Day, the members of the CSC are doing what they can to raise EMD Serono's visibility as a good neighbor."

This year, one of the unique ways the Community Service Council tried to draw up further interest from employees was to host its first ever Community Fair at the Rockland headquarters. The goal of the Community Fair is to raise employee awareness of the different community-based organizations in the Greater-Boston area and on the South Shore, including volunteer opportunities that are available.

Return on Investment
According to Connolly, choosing a community affairs partner that is a strategic fit allows the company to benefit from its good deeds as well. "For example, EMD Serono's longstanding relationship with the United Way's Math, Science and Technology Program, opens the company's door to kids and gives them a glimpse of the science of EMD Serono," she says. "We may be helping to educate a future scientist that comes into EMD Serono and does wonderful work for us 10 or 12 years down the road."

A Busy Year
EMD Serono was out and about in the community more than ever in 2007. Here's a look back at some
of the community service events of the past year:

• Daffodil Days kicked off the year in February and March as EMD Serono teamed up with the American Cancer Society to sell daffodils and raise money for cancer research, education, advocacy and patient services programs. Employees turned out in droves to support the initiative, and through flower sales, company match and bouquets delivered to South Shore Hospital – total company support was approximately $20,000.

• In March, EMD Serono employees cleaned out their closets for the 2nd Annual Community Service Clothing Drive benefiting three Greater Boston area organizations – Cradles to Crayons, Solutions to Work and Bread & Jams. In total more than 65 boxes of clothing were donated.

• In May, 10 EMD Serono-sponsored teachers from the South Shore attended the four-day National Biotechnology Teacher-Leader Program. Teacher- Leader is a professional development program for
science teachers hosted by the Biotechnology Institute.

• As summer rolled in, more than 40 employees headed out to spend the day planting trees at Memorial Park and painting and cleaning classrooms at Jefferson Elementary schools in Rockland as part of the first Community  service Day of 2007.

• Also, this summer, EMD Serono provided a corporate donation to Project Health. The contribution goes to  support Project Health's efforts to help break the link between poverty and poor health of low-income families and children in Boston by mobilizing students to provide sustained public health interventions, in partnership with urban medical centers, universities and community organizations.

• October brought a second Community Service Day and with it, another connection with Project Health. EMD Serono employees helped "makeover" the Orchard Gardens community center in Boston where Project Health holds one of their after-school programs. Additionally for Community Service Day, EMD Serono worked on projects at Greater Boston Food Bank, The Food Project, and the Franklin Park Zoo.

• Also in October, 50 employees joined the EMD Serono walking team for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. The five-mile walk was held in Boston and coincided with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. EMD Serono was the "finish line" sponsor of the event, and the team raised $5,000 for research.

• In December, EMD Serono was a Co-Chair sponsor of the third annual Massachusetts Conference for Women, offering more than 50 employees the opportunity to attend this exceptional networking and professional development event.

• Closing out 2007, EMD Serono has taken part in a number of events, including a Canned Food Drive in October, which provided much needed items for the Greater Boston Food Bank, as well as the second annual Thanksgiving Charity Feast, where employees were treated to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner served by members of the the Senior Management Team in exchange for a donation. The money raised through the feast went to Community Servings – an organization that supplies meals to people with HIV and AIDS.

• Most recently, the company's annual Toys for Tots Drive collected toys for less fortunate children during the holiday season.

• Also ongoing, EMD Serono is a cum laude sponsor of MassBioEd's BioTeach program. With its second two-year sponsorship term underway in 2007, the program serves to integrate biotechnology into every high school in Massachusetts. Currently, more than 115 of the 358 public schools in the Commonwealth have been outfitted with lab equipment and supplies to teach biotechnology. The program also serves to help teachers access and use engaging biotech curricula and sustain plans for replenishing supplies and ongoing professional development. EMD Serono is a sponsor of Weymouth and Quincy High Schools on the South Shore.

Therapeutic Areas
EMD Serono's therapeutic areas have also played a major role in the company's community service efforts.

Two of the many efforts Neurology participated in this year included the Great Mass Getaway ride from Quincy to Provincetown and the MS Challenge Walk — a three-day, 50-mile event on Cape Cod. Combined, the EMD Serono teams for these two events raised in excess of $100,000.

In the area of Endocrinology, one example of EMD Serono's outreach is its partnership with Fertile Hope. Fertile Hope is a national, nonprofit organization  dedicated to providing reproductive information, support and hope to cancer patients and survivors whose medical treatments present the risk of infertility. Besides donating Gonal-f to the organization, EMD Serono also donated nearly $50,000 to various events and programs.

The MAGIC Foundation, Major Aspects of Growth In Children, is another organization with which EMD Serono has partnered. MAGIC is made up of more than 25,000 families whose children (and affected  adults) have growth hormone deficiency or other medical conditions which affect their growth, and EMD Serono has been an integral partner with numerous efforts, including the donation of product.

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