Nigeria is a country blessed with abundant human and material resources. It is the most populated African country with more than 150 million people.

They are also blessed not to have the serious natural disasters common around the world. Typhoons, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc…

The country has also known relative peace and tranquility over time. But, in recent years the political divides and ethnic differences has lead to militants in the south, terrorist in the north, religious upheavals in the middle belts resulting in thousands of deaths.

Certain parts of the country now also suffer from extreme poverty and underdevelopment. Add to that, the country now suffers from droughts in the north, heavy downpour resulting in flooded cities, hunger and deprivation, serious ethnic and religious strife.

Since 2007, the Logistics Emergency Team (LET) has been responding to disasters and there are now more than 100 people trained. Working with partners from UPS, Agility, TNT and Maersk, the UN World Food Programme has developed an exploratory program called the Logistics Capacity Assessment (LCA).  The compiled LCA would enable the humanitarian community and emergency responders to build scenarios and make accurate logistics plans in case massive assistance may be required for any part of the country.

This program is designed to prepare Nigeria, in the case of disaster humanitarian aids becomes inevitable. During our recent planning/training we developed contingency plans for the movement of goods and supplies into and throughout the country.

As someone who lives here and watches these events unfolds on a daily basis, I believe this LCA is long overdue.

On Monday, millions of Americans and people across the world will honor Dr. King’s legacy through community volunteering. UPS is proud to be based in Dr. King’s hometown of Atlanta.

UPS’s founder, Jim Casey, shared Dr. King’s commitment for community service. Jim and his siblings founded the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) in 1948 to honor their mother, who struggled to raise the family as a young widow. Financed by Jim’s personal fortune, AECF serves as an advocate for at-risk children and families.

Every day, UPSers are out in our communities serving others. Whether it’s delivering packages, providing logistics support to disaster relief efforts or volunteering at a local school … being a part of a community means being involved in the community. In 2010, UPSers and their family members contributed more than 1.2 million hours of volunteer time. Dr. King’s legacy is not simply limited to one day of service … every day is an opportunity to serve.

How will you serve?

The following video profiles UPS manager Terry Brown, who was recognized for his volunteerism with the 2011 UPS Casey Award.

For years, I’ve worked behind the scenes on behalf of The UPS Foundation to coordinate the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) National Wheelchair Games.  Coordination for this event has always been a delight.  However, nothing truly compares to attending the Games with UPS volunteers, athletes, caregivers, family and friends of athletes, coaches and healthcare team members.  The excitement and energy from a host of supporters, the spirit of courage and determination from over 600 athletes and confidence that emanates from coaches are all too much to contain in one city! 

PVA was founded in 1946 to assist with a wide variety of issues involving the special needs of armed forces veterans who have experienced spinal cord injury or dysfunction.  Since 1988 UPS has provided more than $800,000 in funding as well as our logistical expertise to support the annual Wheelchair Games and PVA programs that benefit veterans with spinal cord injuries. 

The National Veterans Wheelchair Games is a multi-event sports and rehabilitation program for military service veterans who use wheelchairs for sports competition due to spinal cord injuries, amputation or certain neurological programs.  Each year, over 600 novice and experienced athletes along with their caregivers, family, friends and corporate sponsors convene for a week of competition in more than 15 events.  Many participants are inspired by their participation in the Games and go on to compete at higher levels.  Others find a new confidence and self-esteem that eventually leads to employment and success in other facets of their lives.

UPS employees stepped up and showed how much they cared for our nation’s injured veterans, with 122 UPS employees, family and friends investing more than 1,400 volunteer hours this year to stage the games.

Undoubtedly, the games inspired participating athletes to face and overcome fear with courage, demonstrate unbelievable strength versus succumbing to weaknesses and to persevere when faced with great obstacles.  The athletes were there to win!  In watching their pursuit of victory, I matured in knowledge of our support for injured veterans.  Additionally, after spending one week at the Games I recognized that I had been in the presence of authentic courage, strength and determination.  No words can ever express how grateful I am to work for a company that deeply cares about our communities.

This December marks the 60^th anniversary of The UPS Foundation. Our founder, Jim Casey, a visionary in so many ways, was practicing the concepts of “Corporate Citizenship” and “Corporate Social Responsibility” in 1951 long before those words even existed. I’m thankful that I work for a company with a heart. After all, we do love logistics.

I came to The UPS Foundation just over one year ago after eleven years in corporate marketing. The desire to work in the foundation and have a job that allows me to give back started back in 2005. I was selected to attend the UPS Community Internship in McAllen,Texas.  For one month, I was relieved of my daily office responsibilities and asked to do service work in this extremely challenged community. Those thirty days changed my perspective on life. I became thankful for the things I had, and less wishful for those I didn’t.

In my current role as corporate relations manager, I see the real impact of all UPS giving. UPS and its employees give nearly $100 million a year back to our communities. We fund programs that make the dream of attaining a higher education possible. We provide support for emerging entrepreneurs to ensure they are positioned for success and self-sustenance. We are dedicated to ensuring that young girls grow up to be strong, determined, capable women. We provide the use of our transportation assets to make sure the children who are starving in the Horn of Africa are getting food supplies. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our competitors in the logistics space when disaster strikes to lend a hand and speed the distribution of emergency relief supplies. We leverage the skills of our drivers and our knowledge of road safety to teach teens how to be better drivers with our UPS Road Code program. I’m thankful that we are able to continue to do this in a time when so many companies have cut back on funding.

With all of our personal commitments and work obligations, our people find it in their capacity to give more than 1.2 million hours of their time to help others each year. I’m thankful that this is a part of our DNA and our people truly believe this is our obligation. The following video illustrates the continued commitment  to communities of UPS employees around the world during UPS Global Volunteer Month…

Happy Birthday to The UPS Foundation!

You might have read there was a race on November 6 up in New York City. Gathered a lot of media attention. Some guy ran 26.2 miles in just over two hours. Along with about 47,000 of his closest friends. Pretty impressive.

What you may not know is some 300 UPS volunteers managed to move 46,795 bags of personal gear—sweats, shirts, hats, keys, cell phones—from the start of the race on Staten Island all the way to Central Park on race day. All in the span of a few hours.

The runners get the glory, and they deserve it, but here’s to the UPSers who gave up their weekends to pull off their own remarkable feat.

Saturday, November 5, 8 a.m. Pre-race Day

Volunteers are out in force to move delivery trucks through the streets of Manhattan to Staten Island. UPS employees; husbands and wives, sons and daughters, all make this possible. It really is a family affair.

I ride with Antonio from New Jerseyon the lead vehicle in the Big Brown Truck Parade through the city. He’s been here all 15 years of UPS’s involvement, happy to come back every year.

On Staten Island, it’s all about staging. We have 74 trucks scattered across three areas. Each is numbered for easy identification and will carry the personal belongings for up to 1,000 runners to the finish line in Central Park on Sunday.

Sunday, November 6, 4 a.m. Race Day

The first of the volunteers arrive at in Manhattan. Buses will take us toStaten Island beginning at 5:30. Bagels and coffee are set up on tables. You can feel the excitement in the air; and the day is just beginning.

Sunday, 6:30 a.m.

At the staging area on Staten Island, Industrial Engineer Niall Kelleher is the go-to person for any and everything UPS-related at this event. He’s been doing this for nine years.

Each area accommodates 16,000 runners, who trust their personal belongings, neatly bagged, to a UPS volunteer who will then load the bags into a truck to be picked up at the end of the race. Trust is the key here; cell phones, car keys, warm-ups all go in the bags.

If you’re not wearing running gear, you become, by default, someone who knows what’s going on. People of all nationalities are asking you questions. Somehow we manage to communicate and get them to the right place.

Sunday, 10 a.m.

Trucks are sealed and we’re ready to go back through the streets of New York and into Central Park. Now 74 delivery trucks strong, with police escort, it’s quite a sight. Do we stop for traffic lights? Fuhgetaboutit!

By the time we arrive at Central Park, the winners are already in. The rest will finish throughout the day, hours after we are set up and ready with their gear.

No one appreciates this effort more than the runners. We greet them with smiles and congratulations, hand them their gear, and send them on their way. We’ll do this 47,000 times today.

Exhausted, barely able to stand, but they still have the energy to say, “Thanks.”

Some go further. “You guys are rock stars,” one says; another, “Thank God for UPS.”

Sunday, 3 p.m.

A mass of runners works its way through the gauntlet of Central Park. Tens of thousands trudge past the line of trucks, looking for the vehicle that carries their goods. Amazingly, they all walk away, bags in hand, out of the park.

Sunday, 5 p.m.

It’s getting dark and the runners are still coming in. It’ll be hours before the last UPS volunteers pack up to leave. Tired, we make the trip back toManhattanwhere we’ll pack up our gear, say our good-byes, and go home to rest for the few hours left in our weekends.

We love logistics. Every mile of the way.

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In the seven years I spent in the U.S. Marine Corps, I met countless remarkable men and women who day in and day out committed themselves to serving our country and helping keep its citizens safe. Many of my fellow Marines stayed in the service and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of them will be soon coming home.

Over the next several months, tens of thousands of men and women will return from deployment in Iraq, Afghanistan and Southeast Asia. Opportunities in the private sector are needed to provide these individuals a smooth transition into civilian life. Veteran unemployment rates are 11.7% and 22% for veterans under 25 years. These are staggering and undeserved numbers among the men and women who have honorably served to help keep our nation free.

Since 2003, The UPS Store has participated in the International Franchise Association (IFA) VetFran Initiative, a voluntary effort of IFA member-companies that is designed to encourage franchise ownership by offering financial incentives to honorably discharged veterans.  In that time, approximately 150 The UPS Store locations have opened under this program, providing more than $700,000 in discounts to these men and women.

Now it’s time to do more …

Yesterday, Stuart Mathis, president of MBE, franchisor of The UPS Store network joined First Lady Michelle Obama, the IFA and other business leaders at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for the announcement of “Operation Enduring Opportunity,” an initiative of the franchising sector to recruit and/or hire as many as 75,000 military veterans and their family members by the end of 2014, as well as 5,000 wounded veterans.

To support “Operation Enduring Opportunity,” The UPS Store announced an increased financial incentive for up to 10 qualified U.S. military veterans to open their own locations – valued at approximately $300,000. Those who are interested can visit the Veteran Discounts section of theupsstore.com.

We hope that we can help make a small difference for these returning men and women. And, we hope that if you have a business, whether large or small, you will consider hiring a veteran.

Happy Veterans Day and thank you to all who have served.

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Have you ever wondered how runners in the ING New York City Marathon this Sunday will get their coats, sweats, street shoes and keys from the start to the finish? One thing’s for sure: you won’t see them lugging backpacks through the streets of New York City!

They do what a lot of us do when we need something important delivered – they rely on UPS.

For the 15^th consecutive year, UPS will be trusted to deliver runners’ personal effects to Central Park where they will pick them up at the end of the race.

Long before most of us are even awake on Sunday morning, more than 300 UPS volunteers will collect specially designed tote bags containing gear for as many as 45,000 marathon runners. A parade of 75 UPS package cars, with police escort, will then make a massive same-day delivery of all of the runners’ belongings to the finish line.

Now, that’s logistics!

Did you know?

• UPS volunteers (including family) will contribute over 3,500 hours for the entire marathon.
• Each package car carries the personal belongings of up to 850 individual runners. It takes 75 package cars to complete this massive project.
• Cost in tolls just to transport personal belongings is $4,160.
• Before the race, each runner knows which package car his or her belongings will be on—and exactly where it will be located in Central Park.
• 1996 was the first year that UPS moved the runners’ belongings. Only 40 cars and a little over 80 volunteers were needed to support the race back then.

Check out some of the photos from last year’s event:

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Global Volunteer Month is held each October to encourage volunteerism and to honor the contributions of UPS employees and their families who provide more than one million hours of volunteer service annually with local community-based non-profit organizations.

I and other West Region UPS employees recently volunteered at Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter (OCIS) in Costa Mesa, CA. OCIS focuses on changing the lives of homeless families by providing them tools for achieving self-sufficiency.

The Automotive, Transportation, and Human Resources departments teamed up to restore a room which will be used as a computer lab for children. Completed in three days, the project involved hauling junk and old furniture, painting walls, and installing a new floor.

I look for volunteer projects where I can help raise awareness for a cause that’s meaningful to me. It makes me feel good to know that I’ve helped others in need.

The volunteer hours will help OCIS to qualify for a $10,000 Community Investment Grant from The UPS Foundation.  I’m happy to think that my time could make a difference in the lives of others.

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As a small business owner of a The UPS Store location in Lyle, Ill., I try to connect with my community as much as I can. Whether it’s in the store, at a local event, or even in church, I do what I can to give back. Two years ago, when I went to Sunday service and offered a kid a job, I never knew how much he would end up giving back to me and all of those around us.

Nathan Weimer is no average 21-year-old. Born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes mucus to build up and infect internal organs, Nathan has undergone a double lung transplant and kidney transplant, all by the time he was 16.

You would think this kind of adversity would get him down, but not Nathan. He has the kind of zest for life that can only come from someone who has faced the most challenging of situations. And he has done amazing things with his young life, like recently bringing home a bronze medal in bowling from the World Transplant Games in Sweden. He told me being able to stand on that podium waving America’s flag and receiving his medal is a moment he’ll never forget.

Nathan grew up bowling with his grandfather, later realizing his true passion to play professionally. He bowls on multiple leagues during the spring and fall, and competes in amateur tours with his team. When his surgeon at the Loyola University Medical Center mentioned an opportunity to play at the 2011 World Transplant Games, he was immediately interested. He and his doctor contacted the organization and it was decided: Nathan was going to Sweden. Travel expenses were high, however, so he had to find a way to raise enough money.

Seeing as we love logistics so much, our The UPS Store location, along with the Grace Point Church and Connie’s Pizza, pulled together to raise enough money to send Nathan to the Games. We felt so honored to have been able to help make this a reality for Nathan. He later said how meaningful it was that the community rallied together to support him.

Not only did he get to compete in the sport he loves, but he also was able to meet others from all over the world who received life-saving transplants. He said the most enjoyable part of being at the games was meeting and hearing other people’s experiences, reinforcing his belief that you shouldn’t take anything for granted.

I look at Nathan and see someone who is truly inspiring; someone with a unique sense of courage that is evident everyday in our store. I am so proud to work with him and looking forward to supporting him at the U.S. National Games in Grand Rapids, Mich., next summer.

For the ninth October, UPS employees around the world have joined with their friends and family to take part in volunteer projects in local communities.  At UPS, we call it Global Volunteer Month. 

This October, UPS expects our volunteers to complete 275,000 hours of service by painting, landscaping, and building in places like Brazil, Hong Kong, and Louisville, Kentucky.  And, we’re well on our way to reaching that goal.

This year’s Global Volunteer Month has started with some pretty inspiring projects. For example:

• In South Africa, UPS volunteers worked at the Mpumelelo Day Care Centre, a part of the Kempton Park HIV Care Centre, to paint and repair classrooms and playgrounds. 
• While in Brazil, a UPS team built assistive technology items, like cardboard walkers, for disabled children at Rua Pedro Taques.

Here are photos taken during those two events.  We look forward to even more inspiring projects…

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