—Limpiemos Nuestro México United 7.5 million of Volunteers to Collect 38,000 Tons of Garbage—
—Esperanza Azteca Creates a Network of 58 Orchestras for More Than 13,000 Underprivileged Children—
—Juguetón Toy Drive Distributes More Than 16 Million Toys to Low-Income Children—
—Plantel Azteca Provides Free Technical Education to More Than 2,400 Low-Income Youth With High Academic Performance—
MEXICO CITY, Jan. 2, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grupo Salinas (www.gruposalinas.com), a group of dynamic, fast-growing and technologically advanced companies, deeply committed to the modernization of the countries in which they operate and founded by entrepreneur Ricardo Salinas (www.ricardosalinas.com), celebrated 2013 as a year of important advances in its social programs, in addition to the strong operating results of the its companies. Grupo Salinas companies created revenue that added about 1% to Mexico´s GDP, in addition to employment of over 100,000 people.
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Grupo Salinas created value through products and services for the base of the pyramid in the nine countries in which it operates. The group also continues to support important projects such as: its non-profit arm Fundacion Azteca; its leadership program Kybernus, the La Ciudad de las Ideas thinkers' forum and the Caminos de la Libertad freedom project, while focusing on the responsible use of natural resources in its value chain.
Fundación Azteca (www.fundacionazteca.org) celebrates 16 years of improving lives. Important projects include: Limpiemos Nuestros México (www.limpiemosnuestromexico.org), which united in its fifth edition 7.5 million volunteers to collect more than 38,000 tons of garbage throughout Mexico, creating awareness of the need to live in a better environment. Meanwhile, Esperanza Azteca (www.esperanzaazteca.com.mx) has built a network over the past four years of 58 youth orchestras and choirs for more than 13,000 underprivileged youth that actively promotes values like discipline, effort and teamwork to develop better citizens through music. This year, the youth orchestra project was recognized by former U.S. President Bill Clinton at the closing ceremony of the Clinton Global Initiative. Esperanza Azteca has the goal of benefiting more than half a million children over the next decade.
The Juguetón (www.azteca.com/jugueton) —the largest toy drive in the world—collected and distributed more than 16 million toys this year to generate smiles in underprivileged children. The 18 annual Juguetón toy drives have collected over 139 million toys to date that have been distributed to low-income children. In 2013 there were six Movimientos Azteca awareness and fundraising campaigns to foster social and environmental responsibility that collected over 154 million pesos for victims of hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel, cystic fibrosis patients, homeless girls, and Red Cross ambulances, among other initiatives. Meanwhile, Plantel Azteca provided free middle and high school technical education to more than 2,400 low-income youth with high academic performance.
Fundación Azteca's efforts not only improved the welfare of families in Mexico, but also extended benefits to the U.S., Peru, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Similarly, Grupo Salinas promoted the activities of Kybernus (www.kybernus.org) to promote political and social leadership, values and commitment. It currently has 500 participants and presence in 12 states of Mexico.
It also sponsored Ciudad de la Ideas (www.ciudaddelasideas.com), which brought dozens of brilliant minds to the city of Puebla to present cutting edge ideas to thousands of attendees. It also supported Caminos de la Libertad (www.caminosdelalibertad.com), which through essay contests and other activities promotes the value of freedom. In addition to awarding top essays on the topic, it presented the Una Vida por la Libertad award to Václav Klaus, former president of the Czech Republic, for his contribution to the democratic transformation of his country.
Grupo Salinas also supported Fomento Cultural Grupo Salinas (www.fcgs.com.mx), which promotes art and culture through books, exhibitions and design contests. Important activities for 2013 included the exhibit Prodigios de la Luz: Sorolla y sus Contemporáneos and México a través de la Fotografía, the publishing of the anthology of Caminos de la Libertad essays, and the cleanup of the Ruta de la Amistad, part of the cultural heritage of Mexico.
Grupo Salinas companies are committed to environmentally-sound development through the efficient use of resources. Grupo Salinas achieved energy savings of 216,000 MWh or 15% of electricity consumption, the electricity consumed by 125,800 homes, foregoing the emission of 115,000 tons of CO2 –which would need a forest of 575,000 trees to be absorbed. The energy savings is equivalent to 221,000 barrels of oil.
In June 2012, the project of electric self-sufficiency through wind energy was launched. To date, 590 properties of Grupo Salinas entered this scheme, with a capacity of 48,000 MWh.
Grupo Salinas believes that companies are vehicles of social change that promote better standards of living in addition to generating wealth. Grupo Salinas has over 100 years of adding value to the communities in which it operates, and is well-positioned to continue with outstanding performance in 2014.
