WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Aug. 30, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HanesBrands announced today that the company and its employees exceeded their goal and raised $334,715 for the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County during its 2012 campaign, an increase over 2011's gift of $330,173.
Hanes is the Arts Council's largest employee workplace campaign and one of the nonprofit's top corporate donors.
"HanesBrands is a staunch ally of the Arts Council as we work to enrich arts education in the schools, recruit and retain the best employees for our businesses, and ensure the vibrancy of our city and county, said Milton Rhodes, president and CEO of the Arts Council. "They are one of our shining stars in terms of corporate and employee support and we are both proud and grateful to be associated with them."
Since 2001, the company and its employees have donated more than $3.9 million to support the Arts Council's mission to enrich the lives of residents by advocating on behalf of the arts. In 2008 the company and its employees pledged $2 million to the Arts Council to help fund the construction of HanesBrands Theatre, a 300-seat performing arts theater in downtown Winston-Salem.
The company's Arts Council campaign followed another successful United Way campaign in which Hanes and its employees pledged $2.2 million to be donated to the United Way of Forsyth County in 2012. Hanes and its 2,500 Forsyth County employees have been the largest corporate contributors to the United Way, donating more than $30 million to support community agencies and programs since 1999.
"We surpassed our $2 million goal by $200,000 because of the unwavering support of Hanes employees," said Ann Fritchman, the company's current United Way campaign chair. "Our employee participation was up this year, a true testament to how much Hanes employees care about their community, how important they are to the community, and how committed they are to helping United Way provide critical services to those in need."
As part of the company's campaign, Hanes granted paid time off to more than 400 headquarters employees to volunteer for a Day of Caring at 10 area community projects, many of which were United Way agencies.
In 2011, the United Way of Forsyth County honored Hanes with the "Decade of Excellence" award, recognizing the company's commitment to community volunteerism and financial support. United Way of North Carolina awarded Hanes with its 2010 Spirit of North Carolina Campaign Excellence Award, recognizing the company for having the best campaign for its size in state. The company also won a Spirit Award in 2006, 2008 and 2009.
HanesBrands
HanesBrands is a socially responsible leading marketer of everyday basic apparel under some of the world's strongest apparel brands, including Hanes, Champion, Playtex, Bali, JMS/Just My Size, barely there, Wonderbra and Gear for Sports. The company sells T-shirts, bras, panties, men's underwear, children's underwear, socks, hosiery, casualwear and activewear produced in the company's low-cost global supply chain. Ranked No. 512 on the Fortune 1000 list, Hanes has approximately 53,300 employees in more than 25 countries and takes pride in its strong reputation for ethical business practices. Hanes is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star 2012 Sustained Excellence Award winner and 2010 and 2011 Partner of the Year. The company ranks No. 152 on Newsweek magazine's list of Top 500 greenest U.S. companies. More information about the company and its corporate social responsibility initiatives, including environmental, social compliance and community improvement achievements, may be found on the Hanes corporate website at www.hanesbrands.com.
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