MilliporeSigma Employees Volunteer More Than 21,800 Hours in 2023
2023 proved to be an impactful year for SPARK™, the large-scale employee volunteer program that unites employees of MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, to make a difference across the globe. Through skills-based and non-skills-based programming, more than 3,000 employees across 22 countries volunteered more than 21,800 hours, to spark curiosity in more than 82,000 students and support local nonprofit and community organizations.
Curiosity Labs™, the SPARK™ program that takes MilliporeSigma employees directly into classrooms, expanded its offerings. In 2023, two new lessons were added to the curriculum, bringing the total number of lessons to eight. “Our new lessons focus on germ detection and biologic therapies, two topics that young learners may be familiar with, but they may not realize the science behind each subject,” said Melissa Hackmeier, Head of Employee and Community Engagement, Sustainability Social Business Innovation at MilliporeSigma. “Showing students that science is all around them can often help jumpstart their interest in considering future STEM careers.”
Beyond broadening the scope of Curiosity Labs™, the program’s footprint grew in 2023, as well. Over the year, more than 500 employees in 11 countries stepped out of their day-to-day routines to volunteer over 2,900 hours teaching the hands-on science lessons. Through this work, more than 9,800 students had the opportunity to experience science alongside STEM professionals from their own communities.
Aside from skills-based volunteering through programs like Curiosity Labs™ and the Curiosity Cube™, SPARK™ allows MilliporeSigma employees to give back to their communities in other meaningful ways. For instance, employees at 59 sites across 22 countries came together to participate in the company’s annual global food drive. Through this initiative, MilliporeSigma employees worldwide provided 535,685 meals to those in need.
To learn more about SPARK™ and other employee volunteering programs from MilliporeSigma, visit the company’s sustainability & social business innovation page.
