Tech Citizenship

Kraus

For a company that is so new it didn’t exist six months ago, Covidien Ltd. has a long history of giving back to its community.

Of course, Covidien had a leg up, as it is the entity created when technology giant Tyco Ltd. spun out its health care products division in June — so it isn’t really that much of a new kid on the block.

Naturally, much of Covidien’s charitable works is focused on health, according to company spokesman Eric Kraus. Many in New England know of Covidien’s $500,000 donation to the Red Sox Foundation in early September.

“Our partnership with the Boston Red Sox Foundation allowed us to see first-hand all the great work that the Jimmy Fund does with the Dana Farber Institute,” said Kraus via e-mail.

And Covidien was one of the sponsors for this year’s Pan Mass Challenge fund-raising bike ride.

Covidien is looking to make its giving even more efficient. In early 2007, it created the Covidien Partnership for Neighborhood Wellness. This year, Covidien will donate over $10 million in cash and product globally to support the partnership, Kraus said.

Like other executives, Kraus says there is a tangible corporate benefit to giving back.

’We have found that any Covidien charitable event that serves our local communities produces a positive word-of-mouth communication from employee to employee. It is that communication that allows us to attract and retain exceptional employees, who see first-hand that their company is a dedicated corporate citizen.”

Citizenship Facts

Covidien Ltd.

Total cash contributions in New England in 2006: At least $10 million

Number of volunteer hours in New England in 2006: N/A

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

Principal recipients of charitable activities in 2006: Red Sox Foundation; Jimmy Fund; Pan Mass Challenge; National Association of Community Health Centers Inc.

Interesting philanthropic activities: Covidien is one of the largest providers of donated medical equipment to worldwide disaster-relief agencies. Locally, employee volunteers serve by such activities as running a food pantry in Mansfield — where Covidien is headquartered — and participating in the Walk for Hunger. Covidien also recently sponsored Project HOPE’s humanitarian aid mission aboard the U.S. Naval Ship “Comfort,” which set sail in mid-June to bring medical relief to under-served people throughout Latin America. Covidien is providing both funding and health-care products for the mission.

• 
  Host Sponsor
• 
  Platinum Partner
• 
  Patron Sponsor
• 
  Patron Sponsor

Become a Sponsor »