Franklin Templeton Recognizes Employees for Community Service in Poland, Canada and USA

Every year since 2007, Franklin Templeton has recognized employees who make extraordinary contributions to their communities with the Harmon E. Burns Award. This year’s winner has made a deep impact on his community in Poznan, Poland. The company also honored finalists in Canada and the U.S. for their community service efforts.

The award is named after long-time employee Harmon Burns, who worked for the company from 1973 to 2006, holding a number of positions at its Northern California headquarters, including head of legal and compliance, chief operating officer, vice chairman and member of the Board of Directors. He was a generous contributor to his local community, constantly giving to those in need. For example, he anonymously donated bulletproof vests to his local police station, gave away unused tickets to San Francisco Giants’ baseball games to children waiting outside the stadium, and sponsored employees in walk-a-thons and fundraising efforts.

Maciej Mroz, a senior software engineer in Franklin Templeton’s office in Poznan, has won the 2020 award for his dedication and commitment to helping marginalized members of his city. In 2016, Maciej, his wife and cousin established the Poznan chapter of Sant’Egidio, a social service organization that originated in Rome, Italy that’s present in more than 70 countries. Sant’Egidio supports people who are often socially excluded, including the homeless, the poor, the elderly, disabled persons, migrants and prisoners.

Maciej dedicates a few hours every day to community service, helping those in need overcome the challenges they face in everyday life and giving them hope for a better future. Every Thursday, he meets with local homeless people and makes food for them. Every year on Christmas Day, Maciej and other volunteers organize dinner for around 200 homeless people. His community service also involves supporting older people in a local assisted-living home.

In August, Maciej spent eight days on the Greek island of Lesbos to volunteer in the Moria refugee camp as a Sant’Egidio representative. Maciej met refugees, listened to their stories and cooked for them in the camp’s eatery.

To honor Maciej and his tremendous efforts, Franklin Templeton will make a donation to Sant’Egidio in Poznan to support the local activities of this organization that benefit so many members of the community.

Alongside Maciej, Franklin Templeton honored two other employees in a virtual awards ceremony earlier this month.

Patty Lattin, senior vice president of human resources, has been recognized for her service through board leadership and hands-on volunteering for more than 15 years in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. In her honor, Franklin Templeton will make a donation to Paul’s Place, which operates a soup kitchen and provides a wide array of services to those in need.

Juli-Anne James, senior human resources communications consultant, has been recognized for her innovation and dedication to improving the lives of youths in Shelburne, Ontario, Canada. Juli-Anne co-envisioned and co-founded the Streams Community Hub, an arts-centered, youth-focused, federally incorporated charity. In her honor, Franklin Templeton will make a donation to Streams Community Hub.

About Franklin Templeton
Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 165 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the Company brings extensive capabilities in equity, fixed income, multi-asset solutions and alternatives. With offices in more than 30 countries and approximately 1,300 investment professionals, the California-based company has over 70 years of investment experience and approximately $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of November 30, 2020. For more information, please visit franklinresources.com.