Eight San Francisco Community Organizations to Benefit from 1,000 Hours of Volunteer Service in a Single Day

Business Wire, May 29, 2002

News Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 29, 2002

Gap Inc. and Hands On San Francisco Create Unique Corporate

Volunteer Event

Eight community-based organizations in San Francisco will reap the benefits of a unique volunteer effort Friday, May 31, as more than 300 employees from the Old Navy division of Gap Inc. volunteer more than 1,000 hours of community service in a single day.

Sponsored by Gap Inc. and coordinated by Hands On San Francisco (Hands On), a non-profit volunteer organization, the "Day in Action" event is the largest one-day volunteer effort ever held by a single company through Hands On San Francisco's "Hands@Work" corporate volunteer program.

"Volunteerism is critical to sustaining community organizations in the Bay Area right now and many local companies are leading the effort in introducing their employees to the benefits of volunteering," said Jessica Russell, executive director, Hands On San Francisco. "Gap Inc.'s Day in Action will complete important projects for local agencies that would have most likely gone undone. In addition, Gap Inc.'s event will help support our year-round volunteer programs, which coordinate 60 community service projects each month and engage more than 4,500 volunteers throughout the year."

On Friday, Old Navy employees will be working with children on art projects at the Family Connections Afterschool Program; painting and cleaning school yards at Golden Gate Elementary, Visitacion Valley Middle School and Florence Crittenton Center; supporting food programs at the San Francisco Food Bank and St. Anthony's Foundation; and gardening at Lloyd Lake and Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park.

"The kids in our program are so excited to meet the Old Navy employees," said Maryann Fleming, executive director, Family Connections Afterschool Program. "We're thrilled to work with Hands On and Gap Inc. and this partnership provides us with the volunteer resources that we rely on to keep our organization running."

Three additional Gap Inc. Days in Action will take place later this year for employees of Gap Inc.'s corporate headquarters, including the Banana Republic and Gap divisions.

"One of the most important ways Gap Inc. gives back to the community is by supporting employee volunteerism," said Dotti Hatcher, senior director, Gap Foundation. "Partnering with Hands On has made it easy to introduce our employees to volunteering with several different organizations. Sixty percent of Old Navy's corporate employees are participating on Friday and we expect that many of them will continue to volunteer throughout the year."

Gap Inc. and other San Francisco companies including CT Corporation, Deutsche Bank Securities, Digitas, Fleishman-Hillard, Macy's and Starbucks have worked with Hands On to create meaningful volunteer opportunities for their employees. According to a survey done by the Points of Light Foundation, at least 50 percent of Fortune 500 Companies now have a workplace volunteer program and 81 percent of companies surveyed in 1999 connect volunteering to their overall business strategies, compared to only 31 percent who did so in 1992.

Promoting employee volunteerism in communities across the United States is a major initiative for Gap Inc. this year. The company offers several programs to support employees who want to volunteer.

"We encourage corporate employees to take up to five hours of paid time off work each month to volunteer at their favorite organization," said Hatcher. "And through our Money for Time program, for every 15 hours an employee volunteers, Gap Foundation will donate $150 to that organization. Through Community Corps, the company recognizes outstanding employee volunteers by taking them on trips to build houses in underserved communities around the world."

Photo and interview opportunity
-------------------------------

      When: Friday, May 31, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

      Where: Family Connections Afterschool Program, 2565 San Bruno Ave,
    San Francisco, 415-715-6746

      Who/What: Nearly 15 Old Navy employees will be helping kids with
    art projects. Dotti Hatcher, senior director, Gap Foundation and
    an Old Navy volunteer participant will be available for
    interviews, in addition to Jessica Russell, executive director of
    Hands On San Francisco and Maryann Fleming, executive director of
    Family Connections Afterschool Program.

      Contact: Michele McMahon-Cost, Hands On San Francisco,
    415-533-9951

About the Hands@Work Corporate Volunteer Program

Hands On San Francisco is committed to guiding the corporate community through the often unfamiliar territory of volunteer service and community service project planning. The Hands@Work program is a fee-based service that provides planning and coordination support to businesses interested in sponsoring a volunteer service project in San Francisco. Hands On will identify and recruit agencies in San Francisco that can utilize a company's volunteer support and then coordinate all project logistics including volunteer recruitment and orientation. All funds generated by the Hands@Work program support the ongoing Hands On volunteer programs.