Plasson considers social involvement and responsibility in the life of the local community as integral part of its operation. As part of the Plasson Community Ties project the factory undertakes: to be actively involved in and influence the local community with the help of long-term volunteers, find appropriate volunteer activities according to the employees' wishes, and be attentive to the needs of the community partners and try to meet them, and to involve the community of Kibbutz Maagan Michael in the activities.

Plasson Community Ties – Summary for 2007

The Plasson Community Ties program is now 5 years old.
The program's goals are involvement in and contribution to the community by a long-term commitment of volunteers and factory resources for creating a healthy and egalitarian society in Israel. Most of the activities take place in Pardes Hanna-Karkur.

What did we do this year?

• 3 clubs for children at risk (45 children, about 40 permanent volunteers):
  Activities with the help of volunteers and factory resources: mentoring, a birthday party for every child, varied activities on holidays and vacations, summer camp, help in maintenance and renovations during the year.

• 2 neighborhood clubs for children (about 70 children, about 10 permanent volunteers):
  Activities with the help of volunteers and factory resources: mentoring, a birthday party for every child, varied activities on holidays and vacations, summer camp, help in maintenance and renovations during the year.

• Personal mentoring (10 children, 5 volunteers):
  Help in homework and enrichment activities for the children at their homes.
  Helping a group of elderly Ethiopian immigrants (about 25 people, 3-4 volunteers)
  Once a month we take the group to trips in the nearby vicinity with a team from the Fusion department (including interpreters).

• Renovation Projects:
  This year we renovated the Kennedy neighborhood club and the Pardes Hanna club at an investment of 40,000 NIS with the help of about 100 volunteers.

• What else?
  Study and living scholarships for excellent students who study subjects connected to industry.

• Recreation Day for Volunteers:
  A trip to "Utopia", activities and lunch at a hotel in Zichron Ya'akov together with the Pardes Hanna teams.

• What's new this year?
  Beginning of activities at the club for children at risk at the Neve Michael boarding school, where the children from the two Ethan clubs come and we keep a long-term contact with them.
  Beginning of activities at the Kennedy neighborhood club.

Volunteers from Maagan Michael's youth (grades 7-12) have joined the program and conduct activities at the neighborhood clubs.

Plasson Community Ties – Summary for 2006

Clubs for children at risk – two clubs – in Pardes Hanna and Karkur – receive constant help from volunteering mentors who come twice a week. Birthdays are celebrated for every child, on holidays and vacations varied activities are offered, and Plasson provides help in maintenance and renovations during the year.

Involvement with and Contribution to the Community in Pardes Hanna-Karkur

As part of the vision of the Plasson Community Ties project we decided to hold long-term projects. Today we sum up three and a half years of activity (it should be mentioned that a considerably large number of permanent volunteers continue to volunteer since the project started!).
Is it still just the beginning or can we see some results, measure achievements and draw conclusions for the future?
These are the questions the steering team and factory are faced with.

Activity Summary for 2007:
Clubs for children at risk – two clubs – in Pardes Hanna and Karkur – receive constant help from volunteering mentors who come twice a week. Birthdays are celebrated for every child, on holidays and vacations varied activities are offered and Plasson provides help in maintenance and renovations during the year.

Partnership in Community Projects:

• Gamla Project – volunteers from the factory and the kibbutz go every week to mentor school age children and provide help in studies and personal enrichment.
  
  
• Woman to Woman Project – women volunteers meet every week with women who need support and friendship in situations of long-term crisis.
  
  
• Neighborhood Club Tsameret - a weekly football class, activities on holidays and vacations, beginning of involvement of youths from Maagan Michael with the club children.
  
  
• Young Children Club at Kennedy neighborhood – help in maintenance and providing equipment at this stage.
  
  
• Senior Citizen Club in Pardes Hanna – a group the kibbutz veterans goes every week to a meeting at the Pardes Hanna senior citizen club for social activity, gymnastics, Hebrew lessons and more.
  
  
• Helping a Group of Elderly Ethiopian immigrants – Once a month we take the group to trips in the nearby vicinity with a team from the Fusion department (including interpreters).
  
  
• Renovation Projects – this year the neighborhood clubs for children Tsameret and Kennedy were renovated, at the Karkur club we built a basketball field, and we planted grass and painted the walls in both clubs.
  
  
• Atidim for Industry Project – study and living scholarships for two students from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology who work part time in the factory.

During the year there were about 60 permanent volunteers and about 100 volunteer in occasional projects.

We wish all the staff of our large and successful factory that the team spirit, dedication and commitment will continue to prevail and lead us to new horizons with social involvement and contribution to the community as our guiding principle!

Community Ties Team: Yael Azulay – coordinator, Iris Talbi, Bibi Moati, Iris Bracha, Noa Regev, Rotem Yitzhak, Maor Shimon, Rotem Braun.

Plasson Community Ties – Social Involvement and Responsibility

Summary of a year of joint activity with Pardes Hanna – Karkur residents

Vision:

Plasson factory considers social involvement and responsibility in the life of the local community as integral part of its operation. As part of the Plasson Community Ties project the factory undertakes: to be actively involved in and influence the local community with the help of long-term volunteers, find appropriate volunteer activities according to the employees' wishes, and be attentive to the needs of the community partners and try to meet them, and to involve the community of kibbutz Maagan Michael in the activities.

Activity:
Adopting a club for children at risk in Pardes Hanna:
Since summer 2003 we hold various activities at the club with the help of a large group of permanent volunteers and other who joint us:

• Permanent volunteers work with the children at the club twice a week for two hours in the afternoons.
• Weekly classes – cooking and storytelling
• Birthday team – a birthday party for every child
• Holidays and events team – Jewish holidays, trips in the nearby vicinity and more.
• Summer camp in Maagan Michael

Atidim for Industry Project:
We adopted two mechanical engineering students from the Technion who receive scholarships from Plasson and Atidim of Industry Association, which is a joint military-civilian organization. The students are committed to work half a day a week and during the summer vacation and take part in the production operations (and in the future in the engineering operations as well) at the factory.

Woman to Woman Project:
The project is managed by the Pardes Hanna welfare department (with local volunteers). Women from Plasson and the kibbutz meet with women from Pardes Hanna who need help and support in daily and family life. The meetings are personal with the help of a social worker from the welfare department. (5 volunteers).

Gamla Project:
Personal mentoring for school age children: help in homework and much more. The volunteers meet with the children at their homes once a week with the help of a project coordinator from the World Joint Organization as part of a national project (10 volunteers).

Individual Volunteering:
In addition to all the joint projects, there are a number of volunteers who use their knowledge and skills to help the elderly, parents and people with disabilities and doing home repairs.

Renovation Projects:
To meet the needs of the Pardes Hanna welfare department and involve more volunteers in one-time projects we also:

• Renovated the club in Pardes Hanna.
• Renovated a new club for children at risk in Karkur.
• Renovated and landscaped the homes of elderly and people with disabilities towards the Jewish New Year.

Visit of the Pardes Hanna/Karkur welfare and education department.
The purpose of the meetings was to get to know each other better and improve the communication with our strategic partners – a recreation day at Maagan Michael and an "Indian Spirit" workshop at Neta Aloni's Tankita.

Some figures:

• Permanent volunteers in projects: about 40.
• Additional volunteers involved during the year and in various special projects: about 70
• Annual budget for 2004 – 50,000 NIS (except for Atidim for Industry project and without the contribution of working days!)

And also…this came by mail:

Pardes Hanna-Karkur Local Council – Welfare Department
To:
Ms. Yael Azulay, Community Ties Department – Plasson

Re: Letter of Appreciation
On behalf of the families who participate the Gamla project and the children who attend the clubs of the Pardes Hanna-Karkur welfare department, we would like to thank you, Plasson factory, kibbutz Maagan Michael and all the wonderful volunteers who organized for us a great activity day on Hanukkah. It is heartwarming to know that we can consider you as loyal partners in social activism in the community who join many activities and meet many of its needs at all times.
Nowadays, as our budgets are frequently cut, your involvement enables us to carry out important activities for a population that needs them the most.
A special thanks to all the many volunteers who joined to prepare the refreshment, organized creative activities, the sing along and of course "Mayrav's Show" which just fascinated the children.

With our sincerest appreciation,
Tami Bar-Sheshet
Welfare Department Manager

And what are we doing?

• During the Passover vacation we hosted the club's children on a visit to the kibbutz and introduced them to its various industries and the animal corner. The children and staff enjoyed it very much.
  After the holiday, 4 of the club's children will get a didactic diagnosis by Nitzan, the Israeli Association for Children with Learning Disabilities, in order to provide the instructor at the club and the schoolteachers with better tools for coping with their difficulties. The diagnosis is funded by Plasson.
  
  
• During the Passover vacation the Karkur club was renovated, and a new shower was installed for the children's use. This renovation is very important for the staff and children. Plasson has approved the renovation funding (about 17,000 NIS), and Amos Aram supervises the project.
  
  
• For the "Spring Renovations" projects we chose one kindergarten in the west of Pardes Hanna, and we also examine a landscaping project near the Pardes Hanna club. Before the project starts we will call upon volunteers to join. Be ready!
  
  
• The Na'am project has started – Youths from Pardes Hanna are accepted to work at the kibbutz and Plasson. Every youth will have a mentor from the kibbutz industry or factory department to which he is placed. Iris Bracha, the project coordinator, visited the different workplaces with the staff of the Pardes Hanna Education Department and they work now on the placement of the youths and the various bureaucratic procedures related to their employment.
  
  
• An of course – the permanent volunteers continue to operate the clubs, Gamla project, Woman to Woman project and more.

Plasson Community Ties – Summary for 2005

Yael Azolay
Involvement with and Contribution to the Community with the Pardes Hanna-Karkur municipality:

2005 was the second year of full activity in the new, fascinating and important field of community ties in Plasson.

This year we consolidated and expanded our activity in Pardes Hanna-Karkur with the help of volunteers from the factory and kibbutz Maagan Michael.

This is just the beginning and your help and contribution is most important for every project we are involved with.

The Israeli and international business world becomes more and more aware of the importance of social responsibility. Social responsibility relates to all the social aspects connected to the operation of a factory or a company: work environment (safety, responsibility and respect for employees), fairness in employment and human rights; fair marketing and publicity; protecting the environment, ethics in business; contribution to and influence on the community and more. Plasson's management team attended a lecture on this subject of the CEO of Maala – Business for Social Responsibility Association last summer. Plasson has always complied with part of the "social code" which more and more companies now try to implement. We hope that after Ofek project starts, we too will be able to allocate to this subject the time required for learning, assimilation and implementation.

So what did we do this year?

Continuing projects since 2004:

• Adopting clubs for children at risk – we continued this year with our beneficial activity at the Pardes Hanna club with the help of our constant and devoted volunteers and started with the adoption of the Karkur club.
  
  
• Continued partnership in projects at Pardes Hanna:
  
  
• Gamla Project – volunteers from the factory and kibbutz go every week to mentor school age children, help them with their studies and provide personal enrichment.
• Woman to Woman Project – women volunteers meet every week with women who need support and friendship in continuous crisis situations.
• Individual Volunteering – volunteers who use their knowledge and skills according to residents' needs.
  
  
• Renovation projects – this year the club and a kindergarten in Karkur were renovated by craftsmen, and we launched a project with many volunteers for the painting of two structures at schools in the neighborhood in which we operate.
  
  
• Atidim for Industry project – study and living scholarships for two students from the Technion who work part time at the factory.

New projects for 2005:

• Adopting a senior citizen club in Pardes Hanna – a group the kibbutz veterans goes every week to a meeting at the Pardes Hanna senior citizen club for social activity, gymnastics, Hebrew lessons and more.
  
  
• Na'am project (youth working at Maagan Michael) – accepting a group of youths to work at the kibbutz industries and Plasson. The youths are fully committed to continue their education with the support of the youth advancement department of Pardes Hanna-Karkur.

Total number of volunteers:
Permanent – about 50; volunteer in occasional projects – about 100.

For 2006 the Community Ties project staff was increased and includes now:
Yael Azulay – coordinator, Noa Regev – publicity, Iris Talbi, Iris Bracha, Bibi Moati, Rotem Yitzhak, Maor Shimon, Zvi Shachar, Gigi Batzir.

Goals for 2006: continuing and expanding our involvement in the projects in which we participate, full adoption of the Karkur club, finding additional suitable projects for Plasson employees, continuing to study the field of social responsibility.

• We set ourselves as a goal to double the number of permanent volunteers from Plasson. As of the end of 2005, there are about 30 permanent volunteers.
• Convenient volunteering hours (2-3 hours, usually in the afternoons) and everybody can do it!
• We call upon all employees to be partners, to contribute and get a lot in return!

Plasson Community Ties – Summary for 2004

Adopting a club for children at risk in Pardes Hanna.
Since summer 2003 we hold various activities at the club with the help of a large group of permanent volunteers and other who joint us:

• Permanent volunteers work with the children at the club twice a week for two hours in the afternoons.
• Weekly classes – cooking and storytelling.
• Birthday team – a birthday party for every child.
• Holidays and events team – Jewish holidays, trips and more.
• Summer camp in Maagan Michael.

Woman to Woman project
The project is managed by the Pardes Hanna welfare department (with local volunteers). Women from Plasson and the kibbutz meet with women from Pardes Hanna who need help and support in daily and family life. The meetings are personal with the help of a social worker from the welfare department.

Gamla project
Personal mentoring for school age children: help in homework and much more. The volunteers meet with the children at their homes once a week with the help of a project coordinator from the World Joint organization as part of a national project.

Individual volunteering
A number of volunteers use their knowledge and skills to help the elderly, parents and people with disabilities and doing home repairs.

Renovation Projects:
To meet the needs of the Pardes Hanna welfare department and to involve more volunteers in one-time projects we also:

• Renovated the club in Pardes Hanna.
• Renovated a new club for children at risk in Karkur.
• Renovated and landscaped the homes of elderly and people with disabilities towards the Jewish New Year.

Visit of the Pardes Hanna/Karkur welfare and education department.
Two meetings were held so that we can get to know each other better and improve the communication with out strategic partners – a recreation day at Maagan Michael and an "Indian Spirit" workshop at Neta Aloni's Tankita.

Hotline for sexual assault victims in the kibbutzim movement
Plasson supports the hotline which has been operating for about two years. The hotline is operated by women volunteers from Maagan Michael, some of them work at Plasson.

Atidim for Industry Project
We adopted two mechanical engineering students from the Technion who receive scholarships from Plasson and Atidim of Industry Association, which is a joint military-civilian organization. The students are committed to work half a day a week and during the summer vacation and take part in the production operations (and in the future in the engineering operations as well) at the factory.