Annual Report 2008 - (Page 38) UNITED WAY AND CORPORATE CHALLENGE Bentley's workplace United Way campaign offers colleagues a direct and leveraged means to engage in support of prioritized community needs. Bentley's campaign continues to lead among regional employers with, by far, the most “leadership givers.” A record number of more than one hundred Bentley colleagues met the Corporate Challenge by pledging at least one percent of their annual compensation to the United Way. To encourage such leadership giving and accordingly allocate its corporate philanthropic wherewithal, the company contributes $600 annually to each challenger’s choice of any charitable cause. BEST AND HOPE WORLDWIDE Ray Roske, a professional services consultant with Bentley living in Denver, seeing the hardships of the homeless people in his community, created a program called Basic Employment Skills Training (BEST). BEST gives Denver’s homeless an opportunity to acquire skills that can help them improve their earning potential. The program is backed by HOPE Worldwide, Bentley-donated CAD software, a United Way grant, support from Volunteers of America, which supplied classroom space at its downtown mission, and Denver’s Road Home. Area engineers donate their time to train the program participants. The companion Work Exchange Program finds corporate partners willing to provide temporary or full-time employment. FROM THE GROUND UP It is Bentley’s belief that sustainability begins with enabling those in desperate need today to realize at least a very basic quality of life. Many charitable organizations are addressing those needs by helping communities to design and construct basic infrastructure for clean water, sanitation, housing, education and healthcare. That’s why Bentley offers the free use of its software, related training and instruction materials to the volunteers engaged in development projects conducted by not-for-profit organizations. Bentley’s offerings span the range of disciplines relevant to these projects with the aim of making their work a little easier and their efforts even more effective. 39
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