Community Involvement
Since the very beginning Bruce Plested has instilled within the Mainfreight culture a strong community responsibility with an emphasis on early learning and achievement through education.
Duffy Books in Homes was developed by author Alan Duff and is designed to introduce children in lower decile schools to the magic of reading by giving 7 books a year to each child that they can keep and enjoy. Mainfreight got on board as one of the founding sponsors and Bruce Plested maintains his involvement as Chairman of the Board. It is based on the belief that the children respond so well to the program because of the sense of ownership and empowerment that having books of their very own gives to them. This fosters an on-going love of reading and in turn learning. This programme has given away 7 million books in New Zealand since 1996 and Mainfreight has exported this philosophy to sister branches in Australia and the USA with great success.
The Life Education Trust is another endeavour that Mainfreight are involved with. Every year - with their endearing mascot Harold the Giraffe - The Life Education Trust trailers visit hundreds of schools throughout New Zealand promoting good health and raising awareness of health related issues that face young New Zealanders. Lots of activities and interactions with the tutors and Harold make it a memorable and fun experience for the kids and means that the programme is an extremely successful marriage of entertainment and education.
Mainfreight Auckland has had a longstanding and extremely close association with Bairds Road Primary school for a number of years. So close in fact that the school controversially chose to change its name to Bairds Mainfreight Primary in 1997.Other branches have followed suit and have their own special relationships with schools in their areas.
Mainfreight also run an in-house scholarship programme for children of team members who are entering university for tertiary study.
Read more about this topic: Mainfreight
Famous quotes containing the words community and/or involvement:
“The heroes of the world community are not those who withdraw when difficulties ensue, not those who can envision neither the prospect of success nor the consequence of failure—but those who stand the heat of battle, the fight for world peace through the United Nations.”
—Hubert H. Humphrey (1911–1978)
“Not only do our wives need support, but our children need our deep involvement in their lives. If this period [the early years] of primitive needs and primitive caretaking passes without us, it is lost forever. We can be involved in other ways, but never again on this profoundly intimate level.”
—Augustus Y. Napier (20th century)