Continuing a long-time tradition, VMLY&R closed more than 55 offices across the globe on October 1, so that more than 12,000 employees could support their local communities through volunteer projects.

VMLY&R’s Foundation Day theme, Unite For Good, highlights the collective impact of all employees rolling up their sleeves to give back in meaningful ways over the same 24-hour period – even if physically separated. Considering the ongoing pandemic, employees had the option to volunteer individually, with their families, or opt-in to local small-group volunteer projects.

Here is the good that VMLY&R people in Australia and New Zealand did:

VMLY&R’s Brisbane office partnered with St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland, the organisation behind the iconic Vinnies recycled retail brand that assists millions of Australians in need. The Brisbane team worked with Vinnies team members and volunteers. They worked on the shop floor in retail, assisted the distribution centre team with sorting donations and delivering them to store, lent supported to Vinnies helpline team and Youth support centres.

In Sydney and Melbourne (currently in lockdown), VMLY&R asked their people to Unite for Random Acts of Kindness in their neighbourhoods. These included cleaning up rubbish in the local park or beach, baking a cake for a sick friend, virtually volunteering, picking up groceries for an elderly neighbour, donating blood and providing a marketing consultation call with a non-profit start-up.

The VMLY&R Sydney & Melbourne teams also partnered with The Haymarket Foundation, which works with people experiencing homelessness and other disadvantages. The partnership involved creating initiatives that raised the profile, and potential sources of income, for the grassroots not-for-profit.

VMLY&R’s Auckland and Wellington offices teamed up with Lazy Sneakers, a charity that collects reusable sneakers and distributes them to children, student athletes, families and social services all over New Zealand for free. The team headed out into local areas and collected sneakers, gave them a clean and took photos for the listing of the shoes before handing them over to Lazy Sneakers for distribution.

Thomas Tearle, chief executive officer of VMLY&R Australia and New Zealand, commented, “Worldwide Foundation Day is a signature day for the agency across the globe. We believe it’s essential that we invite our people to give back, and that no matter what they choose to do, or how they decide to spend the day, each of their contributions will add up to make the world a better place.”