Tech Citizenship

Raytheon Co.’s philanthropic efforts are deeply focused on education — on math and science education, specifically.

More than 50 percent of its charitable contributions support educational programs and institutions. Last year, the company gave away more than $4 million locally in cash contributions.

“We want to help, and we think we have a special opportunity to do it,” said Carol Ramsey, director of corporate contributions.

As a defense and aerospace systems supplier, Waltham-based Raytheon deals every day with the lack of employees skilled in math and science, said Ramsey. In response, company executives decided a year ago to take steps to be a leader in helping to change that and launched its MathMovesU program.

MathMovesU is a web-based program with features designed to show students that math can be fun and cool. A variety of celebrities have pitched in with recorded messages of encouragement and real-life examples of how math is important to their careers, and how it helps them in their daily lives. U.S. Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno, WNBA basketball player Lisa Leslie, and NBA football player Willie McGinest are some of the celebrities involved in the program.

The website also offers daily math problems for the students to solve, sudoku (math puzzle) games and tips for parents and teachers about how to make math more interesting to middle school students.

As part of the program, the company also provides help inside the classroom through an annual $1 million grant program for students and teachers.

In addition to the website and the grant money, Raytheon also encourages its employees to volunteer and get involved as mentors.

Another Raytheon charitable program is the Fund in Support of Our Troops. With a total contribution of $100,000, the grant is an effort to respond to the needs of American troops and their families.

The organizations that benefit from this program include Air Force Aid Society, Army Emergency Relief Fund, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance Organization, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

In the field of health care, Raytheon has partnered with the United Way. Through a payroll deduction system, employees can make personal donations to the United Way. Those who donate $1,000 or more are officially bestowed as “leadership givers” by Raytheon.

In an effort to organize and increase the awareness of these programs among its 80,000 employees, the company recently launched an internal charitable-giving information website.

“We want to make certain employees have all the information … and we are hoping they will go after the (volunteer) opportunities,” said Ramsey.

Citizenship Facts

Raytheon Co.

Total cash contributions in New England in 2005: $4.1M

Number of volunteer hours in New England in 2005: N/A

In-kind contributions of equipment and services in New England: N/A

Principal recipients of charitable activities in 2005: Museum of Science Boston; University of Massachusetts Lowell; Mass. State Science Fair, Plymouth

Interesting philanthropic activities: Raytheon launched its MathMovesU program, which aims to promote interest in math among students with activities such as celebrity testimonials and online games. The program also donates up to $1 million in grants for students and teachers.

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