Raytheon Technologies on Wednesday announced Connect Up, a 10-year, $500 million corporate responsibility initiative intended to drive generational positive impact related to critical societal challenges.
A release from the company advised that this focused philanthropy expands upon and elevates Raytheon’s legacy of community investment through lifelong learning, veteran and military family support, and localized community engagement.
Raytheon, one of America’s top defense contractors, has a large presence in Huntsville, including the company’s highly automated Missile Integration Facility on Redstone Arsenal. Raytheon and Northrop Grumman have also based their joint Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) program headquarters in the Rocket City.
“The measure of business success must include community growth,” stated Greg Hayes, CEO of Raytheon Technologies.
“The Connect Up program leverages our global reach, the expertise and passion of more than 180,000 employees, a heritage of era-defining engineering and technology ingenuity, with a track record of solving some of society’s biggest challenges,” he continued. “Through focused investments, volunteer commitment and strategic partnerships, we will create lasting, multi-generational impact in education opportunity, armed services support and local community relief.”
Connect Up reportedly combines philanthropic capital, public/private partnership and employee volunteerism to support underserved communities by:
- Advancing lifelong learning, with a focus on providing access to STEM education to underrepresented communities — particularly communities of color — by partnering with groups like National Academy Foundation, SMASH and Girls Who Code.
- Honoring public service by helping military personnel and their families advance education goals and supporting post-service transition to the civilian workforce with key partners including Student Veterans of America, American Corporate Partners and The Mission Continues.
- Driving local community impact with organizations such as Feeding America and Boys & Girls Clubs of America that address social welfare to create a more equitable future.
In addition to philanthropy, employee volunteerism is central to the mission of Connect Up, and Raytheon this week launched an enterprise-wide employee volunteer initiative to provide opportunities for employees to connect with and give back to their communities. The company will challenge its employees to unlock the power of connections through 1 million acts of service in 2021, starting with the launch of its first-ever Global Month of Service in April.
Raytheon head of global corporate social responsibility Randy Bumps said in a statement to Yellowhammer News, “Through strategic investments in organizations serving military families, educational attainment and an array of social welfare needs, we’re improving the communities where we live and work, especially in Huntsville. And, through skills-based volunteerism, our employees are making a lasting impact on the lives of our neighbors everywhere we do business.”
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
