“It enabled us to do more than we ever could have imagined. It gave a sense of community. It gave a sense of purpose. It uplifted our DEI initiatives while connecting to Our Credo. And it was just really fun.”
At Johnson & Johnson, the culture revolves around their Credo. Every year, all the sites across the world participate in a Credo Day to give back to the community and engage with the third tenet of the Credo: “We are responsible to the communities in which we live and work and to the world community as well.”
In 2020, Credo Day was canceled because of the pandemic. So in February of 2021, J&J employees started looking for a way to make this year’s Credo Day virtual.
“The past two years have been difficult for many of us across the world,” says Kerry Carney, the site lead at the Titusville office in New Jersey and the Chair of the global site group. “This was an opportunity for our global community to unite and help an important cause that aligns closely to Our Credo.”
Kerry wanted to figure out “how we could do this in a virtual, high-stress environment, with so many colleagues working remotely and experiencing burnout. We needed to find something that could have a big impact without becoming an extra burden for site leads.”
Kerry and the other organizers chose to do a three-week challenge with Charity Miles.
“We chose She’s the First as our charity because, well, it’s incredible,” laughs Kerry. “Their global impact is inspiring, and their values and mission align closely to Our Credo.” Kerry personally was excited to “go out and do something for a global cause that is helping ensure girls everywhere are educated, respected, and heard.”
On top of that impact, She’s the First “was something that employees across the world felt connected to, because the organization’s impact is far-reaching, not just here in the US.”
In just three weeks, Kerry and her colleagues raised an amazing $20,000 for She’s The First!
“This was truly a global effort, with participants in more than 13 countries,” says Kerry. “It was inspiring to see everyone unite behind this great cause. We're so used to working in our own individual communities and this gave us an opportunity to make global connections and come together.”
“We got wonderful feedback,” Kerry adds. “I had people reach out to me personally sharing how much they enjoyed it. People were excited to participate. They shared pictures of themselves out in their communities, walking, running, riding their bikes with their kids.”
Employees used Charity Miles for all kinds of activities, from walking the dog to playing basketball. “Just simple daily things that you may not consider doing purposefully for She’s the First,” says Kerry. “Charity Miles made it easy to just connect to the app and walk your dog. Through the app, all your daily activities are actionable and able to equate towards a financial donation, which is awesome.”
Best of all, J&J employees were able to enjoy their Credo Day again. “It enabled us to do more than we ever could have imagined,” says Kerry. “It gave a sense of community. It gave a sense of purpose. It uplifted our DEI initiatives while connecting to Our Credo. And it was just really fun.”