Company: Western Union, Englewood, Colorado
Company Description: A leader in global money transfer services, Western Union connects the world through its 335,000 Agent locations in more than 200 countries. The company expresses its corporate citizenship commitment through its core business and aligned social programs. In 2007, the company introduced an innovative new signature cause program: Our World, Our Family.
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year in Asia (Subcontinent, Australia and New Zealand)

Nomination Title: Our World, Our Family in Asia

Tell the story about what this nominated company achieved (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Migrants and their families compose ten percent of the global population and
fuel a growing demand for Western Union’s money transfer and payment services.
Migrants provide an economic lifeline to the developing world, sending home an
estimated $369 billion in recorded remittances in 2007, more than twice all
sources of international aid, combined. Yet, despite their numbers and impact,
migrants are too-often overlooked by companies and philanthropists alike.
A five-year, $50 million initiative, Western Union’s Our World, Our Family®
program aims to equip migrants and the communities they leave behind with
skills, knowledge and resources to break the cycle of poverty – which too-
often makes migration a necessity not a choice. Western Union piloted the
program in two major migration corridors, with a focus on the Philippines and
Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates. 

The 150 year-old company has operated in Asia for 19 years, demonstrating a
strong commitment to facilitating economic opportunity for communities in this
dynamic region. In 2008, Western Union provided $741,793 in grant funding to
support Asian community development and disaster relief efforts; employees
actively gave back to the region, volunteering 1,180 hours and donating
$35,780.

Our World, Our Family is harnessing the power of the Asian diaspora for impact
back-home, reaching significant regional milestones:
Our World Gives fosters joint grantmaking by Western Union employees, Agents
and consumers,  multiplying the impact of individual contributions. In fall
2008, Western Union launched an India Giving Circle, bringing together the
company, its Foundation, employees and independently-owned Agents to raised
$92,000 to promote education and empowerment of women and families.
Our World Learns addresses the educational needs of migrants and their
families by providing tangible resources. Responding to a needs assessment
conducted by Mercy Corps in the Philippines, Western Union distributed more
than 110,000 Pinoy Care Handbooks, an educational tool providing language and
community resources for Filipino migrants, empowering them to succeed and, in
turn, offer greater support to their families back home. Recognizing that
migrant families succeed or fail together, in 2008, Western Union also awarded
the world’s first family scholarships, providing $5,000 to help two Filipina
sisters, Carla Mae and Carmela Mae Ubalde, secure degrees in nursing and
computer science.
 
Our World Strives supports financial literacy, helping Asian families use
remittances wisely and entrepreneurs get ahead. In Singapore, a $20,000 grant
to the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics facilitated skills-
building and financial literacy workshops for nearly 600 Asian migrants.
Our World Speaks engages leaders in fact-based dialogue about the issues
affecting migrants and the communities they leave behind. In July 2008,
Western Union sponsored a study into the collective impact of remittances sent
by Asian overseas workers on the creation of economically and socially
productive projects in their home communities. Carried out by the Economist
Intelligence Unit, the study served as the basis of the Western Union
Conversation in Manila, which brought together 50 global decision-makers to
create new ways to magnify the impact of remittances to benefit entire
communities in Asia.

List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

Below are links to relevant press releases that detail Western Union’s
philanthropic support of the region through Our World, Our Family as well as
through other Foundation and corporate initiatives:
http://ir.westernunion.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=364859
http://ir.westernunion.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=361732
http://ir.westernunion.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=336976
http://ir.westernunion.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=336553
http://ir.westernunion.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=303021
http://ir.westernunion.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=292683
Below are two links regarding “Building a future back home: Leveraging migrant
worker remittances for development in Asia,” the Asian remittances study that
was sponsored by Western Union in July 2008. The first link leads to a page on
Western Union’s corporate site that provides more information on the study;
the second leads to the study itself:
http://corporate.westernunion.com/wu_conversation.html    
http://graphics.eiu.com/upload/WesternUnion_main_Jul10.pdf  
Below are links to press releases surrounding the expansion of Western Union
services in Asia:
http://ir.westernunion.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=318955
http://ir.westernunion.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=318797
http://ir.westernunion.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=290683
http://ir.westernunion.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=285183
Below is the link to the Western Union Foundation Web site, where more
information can be found regarding Western Union’s Our World, Our Family
program:
http://foundation.westernunion.com  

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated company:

Biography: Christina Gold, President & CEO, Western Union
As president and CEO, Christina Gold is responsible for the financial and
operational performance of Western Union, overseeing more than 379,000 Agent
locations and 5,600 employees in 200 countries.

Prior to joining Western Union in 2002, Gold served as president and CEO of
Excel Communications and as president of Avon North America. Gold was named by
Fortune in 2003, 2006 and 2008 as one of America's 50 Most Powerful Women in
Business and by Forbes’s in 2007 and 2008 as one of the 100 Most Powerful
Women. Gold also is a member of the Committee Encouraging Corporate
Philanthropy.