Soaringwords Case Studies

SOARINGWORDS’
CORPORATE CASE STUDIES

Since 2005, Soaringwords has led initiatives with several divisions:
JOHNSON & JOHNSON DIVISIONS
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• Global Services Organization: We Innovate Initiative. Lisa Buksbaum led a Soaringwords Innovation Summit
for 5,000 Global Services employees in seven countries. This ninety-minute workshop used immersive learning
techniques to share the latest scientific findings in Growth Mindset and other innovative strategies. The
Summit culminated in a hands-on team-building project of creating SoaringBeds® messages and artwork to
donate to ill children in the local communities.
• Global Services Organization: We Care Initiative. Soaringwords led hands-on employee-engagement
initiatives in three global markets: Suzhou, China; Manila, Philippines; and Bogota, Colombia where hundreds
of employees decorated SoaringQuilts® & SoaringPillows® with inspirational messages and artwork to
donate to children in local hospitals.
• Global IT Organization: Soaringwords led hands-on leadership engagement initiatives for Global IT Town Halls
over two years. In between quarterly Town Hall gatherings, Soaringwords organized monthly hands-on
employee-engagement initiatives, giving individual divisional teams the opportunity to mentor groups of
students in local schools. At each event, employees and students made a different project:
SoaringSuperheroes® and Crowns; SoaringDream Catchers®; SoaringNutrition projects®; and
SoaringGardens® and SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® among others.
• Pharmaceutical Research and Development: Lisa was the inspirational keynote speaker followed by hands-
on Soaringwords pro-social programs (SoaringQuilts® & SoaringPillows®) at the Annual Meeting for 250
professionals in the U.K., Belgium, N.J. and P.A.
• Global Business Service Procurement Organization: Soaringwords led employee engagement program with
several Soaringwords’ team-building activities to ensure interaction between all global team members.
Soaringwords in Bogota

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Johnson & Johnson Program
Annual Meeting for J&J Pharmaceutical Research and Development team.
Lisa’s keynote, hospital visit, Soaringwords immersive activities are highlight in a long day of PowerPoint presentations

Soaringwords employee-
engagement activities
are top-rated part of
Town Halls, national
meetings and global
summits.
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Strategic Challenges:
• Provide resources for parents of ill and special needs children.
• Reinforce Johnson & Johnson’s brand equity.
Soaringwords’ Collaborations:
• Soaringwords’ Workshops and Webinars for worldwide employees provided concrete strategies and
pointers to support parents and co-workers with ill children and children with disabilities. Webinars
included: Caring for the Caregiver; and What to Say to Support Parents with Ill Children and Children with
Special Needs.
Outcomes:
• Employee-engagement programs generated strong and
enthusiastic participation.
• 100% employee participants rated workshops and webinars
valuable with extremely useful content they could implement immediately.
• 100% children and employee volunteers rated program highly successful.
JOHNSON & JOHNSON CORPORATE INITIATIVES:
WORKSHOPS & WEBINARS AND
TAKE YOUR CHILD TO WORK DAY
.
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Soaringwords’ Take Your Child
to Work Day
• Take Your Child to Work Day - Soaringwords led hands-on pro-social
community service programs for hundreds of children and employees
at corporate headquarters for Take Your Child to Work Day.

Soaringwords hands on team-building activity at
Take Your Child to Work Day
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Gabby, 12 year old cancer survivor, was an
inspirational speaker
Johnson & Johnson team at St. Peters University
Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ
Creating SoaringGardens at global conference
JOHNSON & JOHNSON

JOHNSON & JOHNSON TESTIMONIALS
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2017 Soaringwords WeCare J&J Global Initiative:
“I am proud and happy to be a part of the Soaringwords WeCare initiative. It was the best way to celebrate the
2017 year end with all the Global Services employees in Brazil! It’s amazing how a simple activity with a noble
purpose can transform our day and make us feel so good. We felt happy and honored to help the children by
decorating SoaringQuilts®, SoaringPillows®, and SoaringSuperhero® messages and artwork. Employees were
laughing, having fun, and the Soaringwords video was very inspiring! - Laudiane Souza, Champion, Global
Services, Brazil, South America Team Lead
“We are absolutely excited after the event, we had a great afternoon, the best comments and congratulations for
this Soaringwords WeCare initiative - and all the effort we as a pillar have done. All the teams from A2R I2C,
Compliance, Tax, HR, PMO, and other Global Services teams participated actively in the activity. It was a great
moment to share in the new space, with different people in a genuine activity which involves our heart and all the
love from our people in Global Services. The best feeling so far! - Diana Cruz Parra, Champion, Global Services,
Colombia, South America Team Lead
“ A big THANKS to our Global Services employees in Suzhou, China for participating in this afternoon Soaringwords
We Care activity. All of you are awesome. You are the SUPERHERO. This is a really very interesting and lovely moment.
Bringing your love to life. - Zongqin (Daisy) Guan, Champion, Global Services, Suzhou, China Team Lead
Soaringwords’ in China

“250 colleagues together with the help of the Soaringwords team created 150 quilts and 150 pillows
working together at four sites globally (Raritan, NJ, Spring House, PA, Beerse, Belgium and High Wycombe,
UK). We have since made hospital visits to deliver these to the children, which as a mother both broke
and touched my heart. My colleagues and I have enormously benefitted from this experience and one
which I will continue to treasure.” -Andrea Rose-Legatt, MBA, PMP, Sr. Director, Business Solutions,
Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, LLC
“The Soaringwords’ webinar was a big success with 100% of participants giving it the highest ratings.
Soaringwords provided practice insights that will help employees support co-workers, friends, and their
own families. I’m personally aware of the first-hand impact that Lisa and Soaringwords had on my
colleague and her child. Subsequently, I encouraged Lisa to create a webinar to share her message
broadly with Johnson & Johnson employees to assist them in grappling with illness in their lives.
I was privileged to introduce Lisa to colleagues at other leading companies and they have shared
webinars and employee-engagement programs with thousands of employees. Soaringwords has
received outstanding testimonials for initiatives with leading companies including Johnson & Johnson.” -
Wendy Breiterman, Director, Global Work/Life Strategies, Office of Global Diversity & Inclusion, Johnson &
Johnson
“I absolutely enjoyed creating these projects! It was a very rewarding exercise, knowing the destination of
where our SoaringQuilts and Pillows and the SoaringGardens were going. It was also very calming. My
favorite part of the hospital experience was seeing the child smile when we shared the gifts and
connecting with the patient’s mom. I think the kids felt very grateful! It makes me want to do more for
them. They are delightful. I loved Soaringwords’ presentation and watching the video. I applaud the great
work.” -Theresa Ragozine, Manager, Johnson & Johnson Services Procurement Team
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JOHNSON & JOHNSON TESTIMONIALS

JPMORGAN CHASE
Since 2008, Soaringwords has led employee-engagement
volunteer opportunities to teams in markets nationwide.
• Provide on-going turn-key experiences to Volunteer Leadership Group teams (VLG’S).
• Implement successful volunteer experiences in Operation Centers and Call Centers, reaching employees who
have never been invited or able to participate in a service project.
• Share employee-engagement experiences in retail branches.
• For the past several years, Soaringwords was the culminating activity for North American MBA student interns
Training Week before they were sent to their summer jobs.
• Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) members came together to embrace children and families at Shiners Hospital
for Children, Chicago.
• VLG leaders in ten markets requested Soaringwords programs.
• Soaringwords worked with market leaders to provide volunteer experiences in cafeterias and conference
rooms. This gave thousands of employees the opportunities to decorate SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows®
with inspirational messages and artwork to donate to hospitalized children in all of the local markets.
• Soaringwords gives employees the opportunity to mentor inner-city school children in Dallas, Chicago, and
NYC through Soaringwords’ Educational Outreach programs.
• Soaringwords programs were shared with thousands of employees in Operations Centers in Texas and Call
Centers in Indiana.
Outcomes:
• Thousands of employees participated in Soaringwords volunteer experiences, decorating 1,067 quilts and
pillows to donate to hospitalized children and their families.
• Hundreds of employees in 112 branches in Northern New Jersey decorate 560 quilts to donate to patients and
families in local hospitals.
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Employee-engagement Event with MBA interns in NYC

Summer Associate program at PS152 benefits
children at Montefiore Med. Center
Educational Outreach at Young Women’s
Leadership School, Queens, NY
Holiday Festival at MetroTech Center in Brooklyn for 2,000 employees and family members
JPMORGAN CHASE

VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP GROUPS IN 10 JPMORGAN
CHASE MARKETS ENJOY SOARINGWORDS PROJECTS
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JPMorgan Chase Women’s Initiative
Network came together to embrace
children at Shriners Hospital for Children,
Chicago.
“Hundreds of employees in dozens of
markets love participating in Soaringwords.
As I think about Soaringwords’ volunteer
projects, the word that comes to my mind
is “family”. A family is young and old, fit
and fragile, big and small, near and far,
loved & complicated. EVERYONE can
place their feelings and thoughts on the
quilts and pillows.” -Lianne Flynn,
JPMorgan Chase, Dallas
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JPMorgan summer associates
mentored 100 students at Millennial
High School, NYC.
“It made me feel that I was making
a tangible difference to those who
need help. There are people who
care about hospitalized children and
truly want them to enjoy the beauty
of life and hope. It’s nice knowing
that someone’s day will be better,
happier because of what we did.”
—Leo Chung
JPMorgan Summer Associates
JPMORGAN CHASE

“This project is “soaring” here in the Louisville Market. Our Retail Banking centers are totally plugged into
this project due to the flexibility it offers to our employees during their work day. We LOVE this project!!! No
doubt this is a keeper. “--Karen M. Hodge, Executive Assistant to Carl Harler, CTO Acquisition Services,
Louisville, KY
“It was an on-site event and the employees who participated took time out of their day and shift to spend
two hours for the event- most stayed the whole time, which is really unusual in the call center. I have
heard such nice things from them- the giving back option to volunteer while still in the center during the
work day, the chance to give something to kids who need it and the good quality of the pillows, quilts,
and markers that we had to work with. This has been great- my center’s employees would love to have
the opportunities for something like this again in the future. “--Sue Niles, Team Leader, AVP, JPMorgan
Chase Bank, Elgin, IL
“I would like to tell you that your program was embraced, appreciated, and so impactful for both the 400
employees who participated and the children who benefited. Its amazing to watch teams of timid adults
who at first seem scared of markers turn into huddles of engaged, caring people, imagining and creating
wonderful messages to share with Children. This program brought out the best in our people, encouraged
teams to come together for ideas in creation, and provided a much needed break from business and
reality check. This went a long way in reminding everyone about the true importance of serving others. The
children we gave the quilts and pillows to seemed so happy and excited and hopefully they could feel the
love poured into them with each mark. Thank you!”--Erica Bauer, Sr. Community Development Analyst,
Community Relations, JPMorgan Chase, Springfield, M
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JPMORGAN CHASE TESTIMONIALS

JPMORGAN CHASE TESTIMONIALS
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“On behalf of the Chase family, thank you for inviting us to share time with Wishard Health Services staff to bring a
smile to a child’s face during our recent delivery of Soaringwords SoaringQuilts and SoaringPillows. Over 130
Chase employees from all over Central Indiana joined together to decorate quilts and pillows. During our visit with
the patients, seven Chase employees shared a special moment with the children completing coloring activities
and helped the children select their very own Soaringwords quilt or pillow. We truly enjoyed seeing the smiles on
the faces of these young children. The attached pictures captured these smiles. We look forward to offering
another Soaringwords activity this fall with Wishard Health Services. Thank you.” --Stacy Britt-Hart, VP Sales &
Marketing, Central Indiana Volunteer Leadership Co-Chair
“I just wanted you to know what a truly amazing experience we had last night at Holy Name Hospital in
Teaneck! We colored, drew pictures and wrote encouraging messages on pillows and quilts to children that were
in the Pediatric Ward. We got to meet and draw with a few of the patients and it was so great to interact with
them and brighten their night! It was so rewarding to bring the pillows and quilts to the children and parents when
we were done, they were all so thankful and receptive. It is a really great feeling when you hand a quilt to parents
who are holding their ill child and tell them that employees from JP Morgan Chase came to make these for
them. It is great to work for a company that engages in these activities and makes such a difference in the lives of
others, I have never been so proud to work for a company! The representative who met us at the hospital from
Soaringwords was great and they did a great overall job organizing and coordinating the event! I wanted to say
thank you to all of you for giving us this opportunity and I truly hope more of the Volunteer Leadership Groups will
take advantage of this! “ --Shannon K. Lazare, Vice President Relationship Manager at JPMorgan Chase, NJ
“There was a great outpouring of compassion from fellow employees towards the children who would be getting
the pillows and quilts. This was a fun experience to share not only time drawing but the stories being told around
the tables. Wonderful support from everyone towards those of us who are not as creative as others but still have a
lot of heart to give. Everyone felt they could give a little something of themselves, be it pictures or words of
support, to someone in need. I liked the hands-on feeling.” -Barbara Jones, JPMorgan Chase employee at
Chatsworth, CA

WEWORK
• Global Creator Awards Celebration: Soaringwords was selected to be the hands-on pro-social activity at the
Global Creator Awards Ceremony at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Prior to the Awards Ceremony,
thousands of WeWork employees were invited to decorate SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® to donate to
hospitalized children in several local hospitals.
• New York City Creator Awards Celebration: Soaringwords was selected to present at the pre-show Vendor Fair. Prior
to the Awards Ceremony, hundreds of WeWork employees were invited to decorate SoaringQuilts® and
SoaringPillows® to donate to hospitalized children at Lincoln Medical Center in the South Bronx, NY.
• WeWork Bryant Park: Soaringwords led a community team-building event on Valentine’s Day where employees
were invited to decorate SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® and to create SoaringSuperhero® messages and
artwork to donate to hospitalized children.
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ACCENTURE
• Find a way for Accenture employees a tangible way to interact in a
meaningful way with the firm’s Skills to Succeed initiative, specifically
getting youth ready for college and the professional workforce.
• Programs have to fit into the fast-paced schedules of management
consultants who spend all of their time at client sites or in airport lounges
while traveling for business.
• Provide turn-key employee-engagement programs that are replicable in global markets.
Soaringwords Collaborations:
• Accenture Federal Services, Washington D.C. From 2012 to the present, Soaringwords has led the largest
employee-engagement program for National Day of Service. Each year, 200-300 employee volunteers mentor
students from inner-city high schools and community colleges. From the opening keynote to the hands-on
service project decorating hundreds of SoaringQuilts® & SoaringPillows® with inspirational messages and
artwork, to the Soaringwords + Zumba Dance Celebration, Accenture employees consistently rated this
program with top marks.
• Accenture Global Leadership Management Development meeting in St. Charles, IL Hundreds of newly-minted
Accenture partners and 75 high school students from the local Boys & Girls Club loved spending three hours with
Soaringwords after a 10-day training program.
• Accenture Skills to Succeed Initiative in Philadelphia. Lisa Buksbaum led an inspirational keynote talk: Follow
Your Passion and Change the World. Accenture employee-volunteers and their families mentored dozens of 11th
and 12th graders from the KIPP DuBois Collegiate Academy. Together, everyone decorated SoaringQuilts® and
SoaringPillows® to donate to children at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.
Outcomes:
• Employee-engagement was high and managers are expanding the collaboration.
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Soaringwords’ Employee-Engagement Event
with Accenture in St. Charles, IL

ACCENTURE LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT
MEETING: ELGIN, IL
131 Accenture professionals & 75
high school students from the local
Boys & Girls Club in Elgin decorated
100 SoaringQuilts® and 100
SoaringPillows® with inspirational
messages and artwork to donate to
patients and families at St. Alexis
Children’s Hospital and the Ronald
McDonald House
This was a great way of helping the
ill children. I have kids myself and
have had experience with illness so I
appreciate these initiatives. The kids
on my team spoke Spanish, like I do.
It was a great activity to do with the
kids. Our team worked really well,
we all did parts of the drawings
together. I think the hospitalized
children will feel fantastic, some
time to not be thinking about their
bad situations. Today changed the
way I think about myself as I was
able to take a step back from the
high speed we live in and be part of
a great initiative. - Hendrik J. Van
Vliet, Senior Manager, Madrid
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150 Accenture employees mentored
students from KIPP, Montgomery
Community College, and On-Ramps,
decorating SoaringQuilts® and
SoaringPillows® for neo-natal patients
and families at Howard University
Hospital.
Today made me realize that I can do
anything for change and whatever I did
today makes a person feel loved and
special. I enjoyed decorating the quilt
and pillow because I got to work with
people of different experiences and I
enjoyed working with every team
member. I think the kids in the hospital
will feel great and loved when they get
our quilts and pillows. I had fun and
enjoyed the Zumba dance. – Priscah,
Montgomery Community College
Student
ACCENTURE DAY OF SERVICE: WASHINGTON, DC
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Accenture employees mentored
students from KIPP DuBois Collegiate
Academy in Philadelphia,
decorating SoaringQuilts® and
SoaringPillows® for patients at St.
Christopher's Hospital for Children.
The volunteers participated in the
high-energy Soarignwords + Zumba®
dance to celebrate health and
wellness.
I truly enjoyed this opportunity
because it’s not only changing my
life but also someone else’s. The best
part is knowing that hospitalized kids
will see that people actually do
care. I really enjoyed working with
Sam because he had so much to
talk about. I think the kids in the
hospital will feel thankful and happy
just knowing that they inspired
people to send them quilts and
pillows. The best part was performing
our team dance. Today changed
the way I think about myself
because I now know that I can
make a change in someone’s life.
Today was inspiring and a one-of-a-
kind opportunity! I loved it! -
Ishonae, KIPP Student
ACCENTURE SKILLS TO SUCCEED INITIATIVE: PHILADELPHIA
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GOLDMAN SACHS
Take Your Child to Work Day programs: From 2012 to 2016, Soaringwords led Goldman
Sachs Community TeamWorks initiatives in five cities for hundreds of children.
“Soaringwords programs are easy to layer into our existing relationships with Boys & Girls Clubs, Big
Brothers, Big Sisters and many local schools and community groups. When we shared Soaringwords
programs with hundreds of children in multiple offices at the Goldman Sachs “Take Our Children to Work”
day experience there was total silence in the room. Imagine the energy and excitement as hundreds of
children applauded after the Soaringwords DVD finished and they knew that they could spend the next
hour being a healing agent for a hospitalized child.” Marilyn Duffy Grande, Community TeamWorks
Program Manager

VERIZON NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
Verizon wanted to bring together 150 engineers from around the country at a NATIONAL LEADERSHIP conference
in Sarasota, FL with a memorable keynote and team-building activity that reinforced the theme.
• Soaringwords brought in 200 children from the Sarasota Boys & Girls Club to share a three-hour service project
with the Verizon leaders.
• Lisa Buksbaum was the inspirational keynote speaker.
• After the conference, employee delegations in four lead markets donated hundreds of SoaringQuilts® &
SoaringPillows® to hospitalized children at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, FL, Children’s Medical Center in Dallas,
and Columbia Presbyterian Children’s Hospital in New York City.
Outcomes:
Soaringwords was rated the high-point of the conference. Verizon was featured in local TV and newspaper
media in Florida, Texas and New York.
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VERIZON NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
“Our exposure to Soaringwords was inspirational and for many, the highlight of our conference. On behalf of our
150 Network Engineering management employees, I wanted to thank you for the outstanding keynote speech
you gave at the Verizon Leadership Conferences. Our team was greatly impacted by your personal story of
heroism, success and dedication. You are both an excellent speaker and role model. Your facilitation of the
conference community service activity of decorating pillows and quilts, with hundreds of children from the Boys
and Girls Clubs, allowed our managers to experience leadership at a new level. (In our telecommunications
engineering work, we typically don't receive such immediate or tangible feedback!) Our Verizon employees were
very rewarded by the kids' smiles and to know that our handiwork will bring comfort and joy to hospitalized
children. The employees loved seeing the Soaringwords Verizon Program on TV and in the full page article in the
Herald Tribune. It was wonderful to allow smaller delegations to bring the conference back home with visits to
hospitals in their markets.” Anne Cortissoz, Director of Network Engineering, Verizon

VIACOM
• Strengthen employee engagement and morale
• Boost company profile in the community
Viacommunity Day: Since 2008, Soaringwords has been a well-loved partner for Viacom’s national day of
service. In addition to employees who are able to take time away from their desks to participate in service
days, Soaringwords flexible employee-engagement activities enabled hundreds of employees who are
typically unable to get away from their desks to participate in “Micro-volunteer” experiences. Feedback
from these senior executives and administrative personnel was unanimously positive and grateful as it was
the first time these employees were able to participate in a Global Day of Service. Over the years,
delegations of hundreds of employees have mentored children at the West Side YMCA utilizing the
SoaringSuperheroes® program, PS 152, and Millennium High School.
The Content Management Group Conference included 102 employees who decorated SoaringQuilts® and
SoaringPillows® that were then donated to local hospitals.
Valentine’s Day initiative: Soaringwords was the pro-social community service activity for Valentine’s Day.
Outcomes:
Soaringwords initiatives are consistently rated as “best ever” by Viacom staffers including many who had
never been able to volunteer before.
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Soaringwords rocks Viacommunity Day 2017

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Viacommunity Day Dance Jam at PS 152 Content Management Group team-building event
Viacom employees at Metropolitan Hospital (left), PS 152 (middle, right).
VIACOM

VIACOM TESTIMONIALS
Viacommunity Day with PS152
“It was a great honor to be a part of a team today. I truly enjoyed the day.
I think the kids at the hospital will love the smiles and the tokens of affection
coming their way. I loved working with the kids and it was a great pleasure in helping out these kids for a great
cause. I would love to be part of your organization on a more active level. Keep up the outstanding work.” - Sarah
Khan
“I loved spending time with the third graders and helping them with drawing and messages. They are so loving,
fun and creative. They made me feel very welcome. I would love to spend more time with class 323!”
-Laura Uyeda
“It was wonderful working with the children and seeing how they wanted to make the kids in the hospital feel
better. Soaringwords video made me aware of what an impact we can have. My favorite part was meeting each
of the children individually and seeing how each of them reacted. It was a wonderful experience and would love
to do it again.” -Vanessa Scrivenen
“It was very rewarding getting to know the children. It made me feel useful and happy to know that the kids
looked up to me and I could be a good role model. My favorite part was interacting with the 3rd graders and
learning about their world. We worked very well together as a team. This was a great experience. Thank you for
this opportunity!” -Alicia Colbella
“I enjoyed the entire experience. The kids really understood the scope of the project and the importance of
helping hospitalized children, which made me very excited to work with them. I loved seeing how creative the kids
were. I didn’t know how much my input would be needed. As it turns out I think I was made to think more
creatively by being inspired by the kids. They were excited to show me their work, This is a great program.
Thank you so much!” -Jeff Chapp
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VIACOM TESTIMONIALS
Viacommunity Day 2009 employees mentor 125 children at the Westside YMCA:
“I had the best time helping hospitalized children. I feel proud. I would love to do it again! I had a great
time making superheroes, I made Professor Bird Man. The hospitalized children will know that we care
about them and love them. I like team work. At first I was shy but then I had the best time of my life. I
enjoyed jamming and dancing! The best part of the day was when we did everything because it brought
out the best of me.” -Gabby
“The kids will know that we care about them when they get our gifts and I feel good about it. I created
Heal Girl superhero; she heals people. The video was cool because it gave us instructions. I like how the
Viacom volunteers listened to everything we said and understood us. Dancing was a load of fun and it
was cool when we made our own dances and shared them with the audience.” -Cheyenne
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Viacommunity Day 2018Viacommunity Day 2009

BNY MELLON
BNY Mellon’s HEART Employee Affinity Network (Helping Each Ability by Respecting
and Teaching) wanted to share a company-wide initiative to benefit hospitalized
children so they collaborated with Soaringwords. This program grew as many
additional Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) joined the collaboration.
• Need to motivate more employees to join the HEART employee network.
• Encourage senior management to support employees giving a day of service.
Soaringwords’ Outcomes:
• For several years, from 2011-2014, Soaringwords + HEART collaboration thrived and expanded to eight
markets.
• Soaringwords won the Chairman’s Award for the best community-service program in 2010.
• Hundreds of hospitalized children benefitted from the customized SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® and
visits from the BNYMellon employee delegations.
“ I think this is a great program for both children and adults to do together. I absolutely enjoyed the project
and hearing the students make comments like “I hope it makes the sick kids smile”. The really understood
what they were doing and why. The hospitalized children will definitely enjoyed getting these gifts made
especially for them. The best part of dance jam was watching the kids have fun.” -Kathy Watt, Everett, MA
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Soaringwords at Make A Difference
Day NYC at P.S.1

NYC Jacksonville, FL
Syracuse, NYEverett, MA
BNY MELLON / SOARINGWORDS PROGRAM FOR
NATIONAL MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY

“I felt great participating
in the Soaringwords
program. Our team
worked really well
together and we had a
great time volunteering
for a great cause. I think
the hospitalized children
will be happy and it will
cheer them up to
receive all of the quilts,
pillows and messages.
The school that
participated was a great
school with great kids
who were really happy
to participate in the
cause.” -Chris Boyd,
Jacksonville, FL
BNY MELLON EMPLOYEE AFFINITY NETWORK
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BNY MELLON TESTIMONIALS
“It was a very rewarding experience and I hope it produces results that are tenfold within the recipients. The
best part was watching the creativity and caring nature of the students. The Soaringwords program made me
feel very humble and respectful of all that we have in our lives and this subsequently produced a feeling of
interest and compassion in helping those individuals who are not as fortunate. I hope they feel as though
people who they have never met care about them and the critical situations in which they live every day. It was
also nice to get up, move around and see the kids enjoy the dance jam. I think the best part was seeing the
kids level of skill dancing and their expressions. Also, I thought it was awesome that some individuals higher up in
the school’s administration participated with such enthusiasm. This was an excellent experience and I am glad
to just be part of it and make a difference in someone’s life.”- Steve Jones, Syracuse
“I loved decorating and the program made me feel great! Because it teaches children it is sometimes better to
give than to receive. My team worked excellently together in order to deliver a universal message of love and
care. The dance jam was GREAT! And exposed the children to experience which I strongly feel is a key point in
child’s growth development and healthy living. This was such an awesome experience and I would love to do
this again in the future and hope that many others would be able to experience the joys I have today.” -
Adrienne Booker, Pittsburgh
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CITIGROUP
120 Citigroup
associates mentored
100 children from the
Grace Church
School, NYC.
Together, they
decorated
SoaringQuits® and
SoaringPillows® to
donate to
hospitalized children
at Bellevue Medical
Center.
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ELI LILLY AND COMPANY
Strategic Challenge:
Lilly executives consolidate Corporate Social Responsibility portfolio to align
philanthropy behind Lilly’s corporate mission “to improve individual patient outcomes.”
Soaringwords’ Solution:
• Soaringwords’ mission, to inspire ill children and families to take active roles in self-healing, is aligned with Lilly’s
mission so Lilly Foundation co-creates a company-wide initiative at Corporate Headquarters with Soaringwords.
• Lilly layers Soaringwords’ programs into United Way’s READ UP! program, Lilly’s largest volunteer initiative in
Indianapolis.
• Each quarter a Soaringwords’ program module motivated 500 Lilly employee volunteers to mentor 1,500 fourth
and fifth graders, a 150% increase in volunteer participation.
• Prior to each event, Soaringwords provided virtual Train the Trainer phone sessions with Lilly employee volunteer
leads, individual volunteers, and School Administrators.
Outcomes:
• Thousands of patients and families in Wishard Health Services were grateful to receive SoaringFables®,
SoaringHaikus®, SoaringQuilts® & SoaringPillows®, and SoaringSuperheroes® created by the children and
employee volunteers.
• Soaringwords initiatives motivated tremendous press coverage and community engagement with a coalition of
leading community partners: Lilly, Wishard Health Services, Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), United Way of
Central Indiana, and The Central Library of Marion County.
• Television appearances on FOX, ABC, and NBC. Feature article in The Indianapolis Star, feature radio interview.
• Unanimous employee ranking of Soaringwords as a superior experience.
• 100% Principals, teachers and students rated Soaringwords’ programs “best ever.” 32

• Incorporated community service experiences into Company celebrations and Community events.
• Shared Soaringwords at the Annual Lilly Holiday Party for thousands of employees and their families.
• Shared Soaringwords at Penrod Arts Festival at Indianapolis Museum of Art, the largest cultural event in
town.
33
Penrod Arts Festival Holiday Party Indianapolis Children’s Museum

34
500 Eli Lilly volunteers mentor 1,500 fourth and fifth graders in 4 Soaringwords events through the year.
Thousands of SoaringFables®, SoaringHaikus®, and SoaringSuperheroes® were donated to patients at
Wishard Health Services in Indianapolis.
34

TESTIMIONIALS FROM ELI LILLY AND COMPANY
READUP PROGRAM
“It is a blessing to help other people. If you help someone else, you will also feel good. Our team was awesome
and the best part was that we all smiled and worked well together. Our tutor was Mrs. Annette and she was the
best; I really liked her. The best part of the day is that we helped kids feel better. I believe in my heart that
hospitalized children will really like our fables.” -Kristopher, Age 10, 5th Grade, School 106
“By writing our SoaringFable we told the children in the hospital that we love them. The children are going to be
very surprised by how many people love them. Our fable was about friends that care.” -Kyiesha, Age 10, 4th
Grade, School 52
”The program made me feel that I am opening up to people in a different way; something that I have never done
before. I think children in the hospital will be amazed that a person their age could do something like that and
they will say “I can too.” -Mya, Age 9, 4th Grade, School 106
“I feel glad that I wrote a fable and helped a child. I think when a hospitalized child gets our fable they will say
“Now I know that even strangers want us to feel better.” Everyone in our group worked really well together. We
each wrote two sentences and the story came together. The best part was when we found out that we were not
just having fun but also helping sick children.”-Shayna, Age 11, 5th Grade, School 49
“The program yesterday was wonderful. The children enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. It was especially
meaningful to my students because one of their classmates is in the hospital. Demarcus has just recently been
diagnosed with diabetes. He had to leave school Friday by ambulance and is still in the hospital. He has missed a
lot of school and my students aren't sure what to say or do to help. I think that this experience has given them a
way to encourage Demarcus and feel like they are doing something too. Thank you so much for making sure that
Demarcus got a copy of the students’ fables. It is evident that you are dedicated to helping children in need.” -
Amy Chan, Teacher, School 49
35

NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE
New York Life Insurance is a leader in employee volunteer
programs that support bereaved children and families.
The company wanted turn-key solutions for Volunteer for
Good initiatives and large meetings.
• Give New York Life employees and agents a hands-on activity to interact with children and families grappling
with illness and loss.
• Provide turn-key employee-engagement programs that can be shared in multiple markets for New York Life
Month of Service and also for New York Life Take Your Child to Work Day events.
• Since 2004, Soaringwords has shared well-loved service programs that employees love. Monthly employee-
engagement activities have benefited ill children and families and bereaved children over the years.
• Soaringwords was the pro-social activity for Agents and their families at the New York Life President’s Council in
Phoenix, AZ.
Outcomes:
• Employee-engagement is high and monthly Soaringwords programs fill the room with energized volunteers.
36
NYL Team members making
SoaringSuperhero messages and capes

37
NEW YORK LIFE: SOARING SUPERHEROES
“I loved everyone’s
teamwork! The children will
love the thoughts everyone
put into their crowns.”
- Nina Deal, Project co-lead
“I loved this event with
Soaringwords because this
will help keep children’ spirits
up while they are in the
hospital. I hope they feel
excited when they receive
these gifts from us.”
-Arnyse Black,
Project co-lead

38
NEW YORK LIFE: SOARING GARDENS
“I greatly enjoyed creating
SoaringGardens for the
hospitalized children, because it
was truly an inspirational
experience. I am actually a
summer intern with New York
Life, and this has truly been one
of the most rewarding things
that I’ve been a part of. I hope
that the hospitalized children
will feel comforted by the fact
that there are people outside of
their friends and family that
care about their well-being.”
–Thomas
“I really enjoyed making
SoaringGardens for the
hospitalized children, because it
was a great and peaceful
activity. The best part was
having the chance to be
creative! I think that the
hospitalized children will
definitely appreciate our
SoaringGardens with its vivid
colors and inspirational
messages.”
– Jessica

39
“On behalf of my family, we would like to thank you for the SoaringGarden. We look forward to continuing to work
with you, as my newborn son Nicholas requires multiple surgeries. My wife and I have been through a lot throughout
the pregnancy, and we have a long journey ahead. The only regret I have it, I wish I knew these services were
available upon Nicholas’s arrival. As a New York Life employee, I want to help other children from the kindness of my
heart. I can relate to where the children and their parent’s come from.
My wife Tara and I have been married for ten years. In the past we had two miscarriages after my doctor
appointments and many years later got pregnant. We were excited about being pregnant and concerned.
Needless to say, it was a rough pregnancy until the end but the result was the best. Nicholas was born six weeks
prematurely. He was born 3 pounds and 9 ounces, he was in the hospital for almost a month. His glucose was very
low and we had to check his glucose levels four times a day. It has improved and we are now checking it once a
day. He needs multiple surgeries, the first is scheduled on August 5 at Westchester Medical Center. The second
surgery will be February.
Last week I had the opportunity to meet you and your team from Soaringwords at the Volunteers for Good event. I
am encouraged how much this organization helps people and you have helped me and my family so much. This
was all possible because of New York Life. I look to forward helping other families by volunteering with your
organization. I appreciate Soaringwords’ continual support of my family, especially when we will be in the hospital.”
- Stephen
EMBRACING EMPLOYEES GRAPPLING WITH SERIOUS ILLNESS

40
SOARINGWORDS + NEW YORK LIFE
TAKE YOUR CHILD TO WORK DAY, 2013
Employees led hundreds of
children at nine New York Life
locations: New York City,
Austin, Westchester, Tampa,
Westwood, Reno, Alpharetta,
Parsippany and Leawood.
Together, participants
decorated 241 SoaringQuilts®
with inspirational messages
and artwork to donate to
hospitalized children in all of
these local markets.

41
NEW YORK LIFE COLLABORATION 2004-2018

CISCO SYSTEMS
• Gain share in middle markets.
• Capture share in high-growth healthcare
and education sectors.
• Motivate employees to log volunteer hours as part of the Cisco Civic Council Networks in offices nationwide
(San Jose-corporate headquarters; New York City; St. Louis)
• Cisco launched a national Growing with Technology Award to promote middle market business in three core
sectors: technology, commerce and non-profit. Soaringwords was chosen as a national winner in 2005 and
2006. Note-the 1st place winner was a $100 million NGO, Soaringwords was first runner-up.
• Soaringwords was invited to be the hands-on Community Service/employee engagement program for Cisco’s
Take Your Child to Work Day. Lisa Buksbaum gave a keynote for 2,000 employees and children as the
“opening act” for Cisco CEO, John Chambers. 750 Cisco employees chose to participate in Soaringwords
projects.
Outcomes:
• The program was featured on Cisco.com which received over 1 million hits
• As part of Civic Council programs, thousands of patients at UCSF ( San Francisco), Lucille Packard Children’s
Hospital (Palo Alto), Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and Metropolitan Hospital (NYC) were thrilled to
receive hundreds of SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® and visits from Cisco employee volunteers.
• Soaringwords selected by Cisco managers as community partner for national leadership conference in St.
Louis, where employees mentored children in the local Boys and Girls Club.
42

Cisco Growing with Technology Awards Lisa Buksbaum presenting keynote speech
at the awards dinner
Soaringwords Case Study: Cisco
Cisco’s Take Your Child to Work Day John Chambers CEO and Lisa Buksbaum
present to 2,000 employees
CISCO SYSTEMS
43

Cisco employees mentor kids at IS528 Soaringwords event at Cisco Headquarters
Leadership Conference in St. Louis Cisco employees at UCSF Medical Center
44
CISCO SYSTEMS

CISCO TESTIMONIALS
“Cisco NYC Civic Council sponsored Soaringwords initiatives for
our management employees on site and also invited employees to
mentor inner-city children as part of the Soaringwords Educational Outreach programs. During the past year, I
have had the pleasure of getting to know Lisa Buksbaum, Soaringwords’ CEO and supporting Soaringwords
during this time of significant growth. Often it seems as if it is virtually impossible to get our team of Cisco
professionals to pull themselves away from their cell phones and meetings to do something for the community or
for themselves. We tend to work a lot at Cisco. Soaringwords events were truly remarkable in that the
professionals who came were able to focus on the Soaringwords team-building programs and really connect
with co-workers when the events were internal and able to mentor inner-city children and share with employees
when we went to local schools. As the Civic Council liaison, I truly appreciate Soaringwords gave us all of the
tools to recruit employees to sign up and run the entire event, providing all of the logistics. Soaringwords provides
the entire program-in-a-box so you can have a great program and not spend hours putting it together.”
-Lynley Noviello, Regional Manager and Soaringwords NYC Civic, Council team co-captain
“Your Soaringwords presentation and hands-on team-building activity made this year’s Take Your Child to Work
Day soar. Your inspirational keynote was incredible, you could hear the silence in the giant tent as 2,000 kids and
employees listened to your every word. I was thrilled to see over 600 participants come together in the
community to decorate the quilts and pillows during the Soaringwords activity. It was beautiful to see such
camaraderie and enthusiasm.”
-Jennifer Mitchell, Corporate Events Manager, Cisco Systems
45

JETBLUE AIRWAYS
• Build awareness of JetBlue’s new flagship Terminal 5 at JFK Airport.
• Increase frequency and word-of-mouth referrals from customers.
• Boost employee morale and volunteerism throughout the company. Motivate more
Crewmembers to participate.
• Secure positive press coverage to counter the negative impact of the Valentine’s Day Blizzard.
• JetBlue is named the “official airline of Soaringwords” in 2008.
• JetBlue sponsored Soaringwords Healing Mission to New Orleans in 2008.
• Soaringwords selected as the sole national charity partner for Light Up a Life end-of-year holiday promotion, 2008.
JetBlue employee volunteer initiatives held in NY, Florida, Louisiana and other key markets. Soaringwords again
selected as national Light Up a Life charity partner in 2009. Crewmembers in 60 cities decorated 1,670
SoaringQuilts® to donate to hospitalized children nationwide.
• In 2010, Soaringwords JetBlue Light Up a Life collaboration expanded to 65 markets, including ten countries in the
Caribbean. Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, “Big Papi” is Soaringwords ambassador brightening up the day for
hundreds of hospitalized children in the Dr. Robert Reid Cabral Hospital in the Dominican Republic.
Outcomes:
• Soaringwords initiative rated as “best ever” on three key measurements; first time in JetBlue’s ten-year history that
each city participated in an initiative; Soaringwords motivates highest number of employee participation;
Regional Managers say that Crewmember participants reported greatest level of engagement and enthusiasm for
any volunteer program.
• Soaringwords’ on-site hands-on activities engaged Call Center and Distribution Center employees in volunteer
programs. Often these employees have never been invited to volunteer.
• JetBlue receives positive press coverage for hospital programs in local media
46

JetBlue delegation at Joe DiMaggio Hospital Hospitalized kids love being surrounded by love
Patients loved meeting the pilots and crewOrlando Crewmembers at Florida Hospital
JETBLUE AIRWAYS
47

Employee visits at Jamaica Hospital, Queens,
NY
Boston Crewmembers at Children’s Hospital
David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox, Dominican Rep. Miller Children’s Hospital, Long Beach, CA
JETBLUE AIRWAYS
48

JETBLUE LIGHT UP A LIFE CAMPAIGN
TESTIMONIALS
St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa
“The Tampa crew had a great time decorating the Soaringwords quilts.
Some "adopted" quilts and took them home to personalize. One crewmember
sent his quilt to his child's kindergarten class to be colored. It was awesome! A delegation went to St. Joseph's
Children's Hospital in Tampa to deliver quilts to patients. They all enjoyed our visit and a few families shared with
us that they love us and they fly JetBlue "all the time."
The child that made the biggest impact on us was a young girl who said "thank you" after we gave her a quilt
and sat with her for awhile. Bonnie, the head of Child Life services, informed us, upon leaving the room, that the
girl had not spoken or made eye contact with anyone since being at St. Joe's. Wow! Bonnie had tears in her
eyes and we all had goose bumps! We were honored and humbled by the opportunity to meet these kids, and
we all felt thankful for our families and our health. The crew was so psyched over our visit, they want to do it
every month.” Wendy Noble, Corporate Social Responsibility, JetBlue Airways
Stanford Children’s Hospital Lucile Packard in Palo Alto, CA
“We received a Soaringwords quilt for our 4-year-old daughter after her fourth open heart surgery two weeks
ago. Even though she is not off sedation and up and about to see it, I know she will love it as her "Blankies" are
her security and favorite items in the world. It will mean a lot to her. The smiles it brought and still brings to my
face will surely be on hers shortly too. One of the sweetest gifts ever, and once she out grows it, I plan to hang it
on her bedroom wall. Thank you for what you have done.” -Kellee Ash, Mommy to Liberty Ash
49

Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland, ME
“My son, Spencer has been going to Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in
Portland, Maine for treatments for a rare genetic disease. On his recent visit,
he was presented with one of your beautiful SoaringQuilts by some JetBlue staff. Spencer has really been
treasuring this quilt and hugs it close whenever he doesn’t feel well or is resting from these treatments. Thank you
very much for creating this wonderful gift to support children in the hospital. I have certainly benefited as a
parent to see how much joy it has brought to Spencer.” -Jill Williams
West Jefferson Medical Center, New Orleans
“Hello Airport Communications, MSY delivered our Light Up A Life Quilts to West Jefferson Medical Center in New
Orleans, Louisiana on Tuesday January 19. We were able to meet several of the patients in the pediatric
emergency room and on the pediatric floor. All of the patients were under the age of six and loved the quilts.
They were all so excited and honored to be receiving these special quilts and praised us and expressed many
thanks to our JetBlue team both here in New Orleans and Worldwide.. This was truly a rewarding experience and
MSY hopes to be able to participate in this activity again next year.” -Ashleigh Deist
Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC
“I would like to thank all of you at Soaringwords for sharing your quilts with our patients. The representatives that
came from JetBlue were awesome. The patients and families love the quilts and I am certain they will be
cherished for a long time to come. It means so much to our patients, families and staff to have the community
come in and bring them joy! “-Carrie S. Keuten, Child Life Department, Levine Children’s Hospital
JETBLUE LIGHT UP A LIFE CAMPAIGN
TESTIMONIALS
50

CIGNA: RECRUITMENT AND
AWARENESS-BUILDING
• Jump-start recruitment events and motivate employees to refer potential candidates to CIGNA
jobs events in high-growth markets.
• Soaringwords provides a best-in-class engagement model that motivates current employees to
bring several prospective hires to jobs events to learn about careers at CIGNA.
• Team leaders are enthusiastic about sharing Soaringwords hands-on team-building experiences
to leverage the CIGNA culture and harness the enthusiasm of current employees among
prospective hires.
Outcomes:
• Program was a cost-effective way to screen new high-potential hires and provide an
employee-engagement program at the same time.
51

SOARINGWORDS CIGNA ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN
ST. LOUIS, PITTSBURGH, PLANO AND PHOENIX
52

CIGNA: EMPLOYEE-ENGAGEMENT IN U.S. + EUROPE
Cigna wanted to share team-building projects that reinforce the company’s mission to improve
the health and well-being of the customers it serves.
• Find a way to bring hundreds of employee team members together at large national or international meetings.
• Provide turn-key employee-engagement programs that can be shared in multiple markets.
• Global IT Leadership Conference: Lisa Buksbaum, Soaringwords’ CEO & Founder, was the inspirational keynote
speaker at the company Headquarters in Hartford, CT. where Cigna employees were thrilled to mentor
hundreds of children from local schools in order to decorate SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® to benefit
hospitalized children in the three local communities.
• Managers Meeting, Global Employee Segment Europe: Eighty top managers mentored children at a local
school in the Soaringwords hands-on service program. Then the Cigna delegation visited children and families
at the Queen Paola Children’s Hospital in Antwerp to deliver the gifts.
Outcomes:
• Event managers loved this turn-key program that received unanimously positive reviews from employees and
the school children.
53

CIGNA GLOBAL IT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
In January, 2013 110 Cigna leaders
mentored 68 middle school students
from Burns Latino Studies Academy.
Together, they decorated 100
SoaringQuilts® and 100
SoaringPillows® with inspirational
messages and artwork to donate to
patients at Connecticut Children's
Medical Center. After working in
teams, they hit the dance floor for
Zumba® Fitness fun.
“The Soaringwords experience was
incredible and moving. Not only for
providing children at Connecticut
Children's Medical Center with
tokens of warmth, but also the
chance to engage students in
Hartford directly in creating
something great together. Wel look
forward to continuing our
partnership. The words I left with -
Gratitude and Goodwill. Gratitude
for what we have and what we can
give, Goodwill in what came out as
we met together.”
-Mark Boxer, Executive Vice
President, Global Chief Information
Officer, Cigna
54

CIGNA MANAGERS MEETING, GLOBAL EMPLOYEE SEGMENT
EUROPE: ANTWERP
In April, 2013
80 management professionals
mentored 42 students from
Plantijntje school. Together
they decorated 50
SoaringQuilts® and 50
SoaringPillows® for
hospitalized children at the
Queen Paola Children's
Hospital Antwerp.
“The staff found the charity
event extremely enriching, as
they were able to personally
contribute with their hearts
and minds.”
-Tim May, Human Resources
Director, Cigna Global Health
Benefits Europe
55

AMERICAN EXPRESS: INDIVIDUAL
DIVISIONS + CORPORATE INITIATIVES
56
• Global Chief Diversity OfficGlobal Diversity and Inclusion team hire
Soaringwords to strengthen employee engagement within Employee
Networks in key markets. Soaringwords leads Phoenix ERG members in
half-day pro-social community service experience where they mentor 201
inner-city middle school children while decorating SoaringQuilts® and
SoaringPillows® to donate to patients at Phoenix Children's Hospital.
One of the highlights of the day was a high-energy Soaringwords Dance Jam.
• SALT (the Christian Network) New York City chapter shares a Soaringwords “Lunch and Learn” in December,
2009 and hospital visit in January, 2010.
Individual Divisions and Department initiatives:
• Advanced Payment Enterprise Development: Employees mentored hundreds of students at Independent School
528 in Washington Heights, NYC decorating Soaring T-shirts and SoaringHats to donate to ill children in New
Orleans Childrens Hospital, who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina.
• Merchant Implementation: The entire department mentored children at PS 152 in New York City and then
delivered the SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® to children and families at Metropolitan Hospital.
Outcomes:
• Highest-rated employee engagement experience.
Corporate engagement: AMEX team
at IS 528 in 2008

Dance Jam/team-build competition is often is
the highlight of pro-social service days
AMEX Network Group and 201 fifth graders at
Andalucia Middle School in Phoenix
Phoenix Children’s Hospital Dialysis UnitDance Jam = energized employees 57
AMERICAN EXPRESS

CVS CAREMARK:
DIVISIONAL EVENTS AND CORPORATE INITIATIVES
Corporate Initiatives: CVS Caremark Foundation wanted to support organizations that help children with
disabilities and hired Soaringwords to create and lead a Webinar to share with organizations that support
these children and their families. Soaringwords partnered with Dr. Catherine Lord a leading expert in
autism and the Director of the Center for the Developing Mind. Together Lisa and Dr. Lord presented a
webinar, Caring for Yourself as a Caregiver of a Special Needs Child. The workshop was lived streamed
from the 92nd Street Y in New York City.
CVS Employee teams in Philadelphia came together for a pro-social employee-engagement program
where they mentored local school children. Together they decorated SoaringQuilts® and
SoaringPillows® to donate to kids at the Ronald McDonald House.
58
Photo left: Fretta Reitzes, Director, Goldman Center for
Youth and Family, 92nd Street Y; Dr. Catherine Lord,
Director of the Center for Autism and the Developing
Brain; Lisa Honig Buksbaum, Soaringwords CEO &
Founder leading the Caring for the Caregiver Webinar.

59
80 CVS employees mentor Philadelphia students to benefit 100 kids at Ronald McDonald
House of Philadelphia.
CVS CAREMARK:
DIVISIONAL EVENTS AND CORPORATE INITIATIVES

CVS CAREMARK TESTIMONIALS
“This was a great experience! I liked working with the kids. They all seemed to really enjoy helping other kids.
Our team worked great together. The kids’ imagination was the best part. I think the children at the Ronald
McDonald House will really enjoy the gifts and trying to figure out what some of the drawing are!” - Troy
Dobson
“It was a fabulous time working with the 4th and 8th graders. I loved decorating the SoaringQuilts especially
because I work at the CVS location at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and see the children all
the time. My team was great. We all brainstormed and came up with great ideas. The families at the Ronald
McDonald House have children who are being treated at CHOP. The pillows and quilts brightened my day
and I am sure it will bring a smile to theirs. The dancing competition was the best part.” - Linda Grize
“I really enjoyed this program: helping the school children, giving back to the community, and giving some
hope for special and infirmed children. Everyone pitched in and offered ideas and suggestions, even for
colors on the patches. I think the children at the Ronald McDonald House will definitely be overcome with
emotion when they get our quilts and pillows. Everyone should get a chance to do something this
worthwhile.” -Thom Kavanagh
“ I enjoyed it very much, especially the interaction with the kids. I’m glad that we all got to contribute to
such a good cause. It was great that everyone was involved in the process. Our team worked great
together. Separating the kids by age with the adults mentoring them and sitting next to them was a great
idea. It was run very smoothly. I think the ill children will feel important, happy and thankful. Please bring
Soaringwords back again! “ -Dan Kohler
“I enjoyed the Soaringwords program and the best part was seeing the end results and working with kids.
Being part of a great experience like this was fun. We had a blast!!! The kids had fun and enjoyed doing it.
They had great ideas. The ill kids and special needs kids will be very happy!! I hope this helps to make them
feel better and healthier faster. That’s what love and hugs do. This experience was one of a kind, I would do
it again!!!” - Sherri Goldberg
60

GOOGLE DAY OF SERVICE
Soaringwords was delighted to share two employee engagement projects for Google Serve.
• Provide turn-key employee-engagement programs that fit into busy Googler’s schedules.
• Employee teams mentored students at PS 1 in Chinatown, NYC and at Chelsea Prep, PS 33 in midtown
Manhattan.
Outcomes:
• Employee volunteers and students bonded and decorated hundreds of SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows®
for children at Lincoln Medical Center and Harlem Hospital.
• Google employee volunteers were invited to deepen their commitment to Soaringwords with skills-based
volunteer projects.
61

FACEBOOK
Palo Alto Corporate Headquarters: Facebook management wanted to do
something meaningful for employees at the Palo Alto campus after they heard
the devastating news that their beloved Executive Chef (who ran the cafeteria
for thousands of employees) had died in a motorcycle accident. Soaringwords
led a campus-wide service project on 9-11 in the company cafeteria in Palo Alto. Employee teams mentored
students from Belle Haven Elementary School. Together everyone decorated SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows®
with inspirational messages and artwork that were donated to patients at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital.
The program culminated in everyone enjoying a Soaringwords + Zumba dance experience to celebrate health
and movement.
NYC Headquarters: During the holidays Soaringwords set up shop in the cafeteria with a turn-key employee-
engagement program that support Facebook’s culture of community and creative expression. Soaringwords
invited employees to decorate SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® to donate to patients at Beth Israel Medical
Center in NYC.
63

• Create stronger brand awareness in competitive cable markets.
• Provide highly visible value-added programs to its cable partners (Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications).
• Promote the “Lives that Make a Difference” national contest.
• Do something meaningful to embrace children and families affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Soaringwords Solution:
• Soaringwords led highly visible Educational Outreach Programs for A&E & its affiliates in NYC, Houston, New
Orleans.
• February, 2006 -- 400 elementary school children in Houston decorated SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® to
donate to hundreds of children at Texas Children’s Hospital.
• May, 2006 -- 800 students at St. Bernard Parish School in New Orleans participated in a full-day program.
Employees from A&E and Cox Communications mentored the students and delivered 200 SoaringQuilts® and
SoaringPillows® to patients at Children’s Hospital of New Orleans.
Outcomes:
• A&E, Time Warner and Cox Communications ran extensive TV coverage in Houston and New Orleans.
• Soaringwords initiative was featured on the company websites reaching millions of consumers and profiled in the
three company employee Intranets.
• Lisa Buksbaum/Soaringwords won a national Lives that Make a Difference award which was profiled on AE.com.
64
Soaringwords Healing Mission to
New Orleans reached 2,500 kids
A&E TV NETWORK

Patient in Texas Children’s Hospital A&E Network shares Soaringwords with hundreds of
students in New Orleans
A&E employees cheer-up patients Educational Outreach Program in Texas
A&E TV NETWORK

NORTHROP GRUMMAN
• Support employees and their families who are dealing with serious illnesses.
• Train managers to support employees who are experiencing illness in their lives or the lives of
family members.
• Provide turn-key employee-engagement programs in lead markets nationwide.
• Soaringwords’ webinars: Caring for the Caregiver and What to Say and Do to Support Parents of
Seriously Ill and Special Needs Children were shared with hundreds of employees.
• Hundreds of employees in five markets enjoyed team-building programs during Disability
Awareness Fairs in 2009 and 2010.
Outcomes:
• Webinars and employee volunteer experiences were featured in internal newsletters which
motivated managers in additional markets to underwrite Soaringwords volunteer programs in
their markets.
66
Northrop Grumman employees visiting
children at Northridge Hospital,
Los Angeles, CA.

67
Northrop Grumman employees around the country visit patients and families in local hospitals.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN

NORTHROP GRUMMAN TESTIMONIALS
“On behalf of the hundreds of employees who attended the Soaringwords webinar, please accept our sincere
thanks for an outstanding learning experience for all participants. I have received many positive comments
about the webinar from attendees and the relevance of the content to both their professional and personal
lives. It has been heartwarming to hear how employees have been able to apply some of the perspectives
provided during the session. This enhanced the level of interaction with co-workers fostering a greater sense of
community here at Northrop Grumman. We take pride in the strong level of camaraderie that exists within our
organization. The “What to Say/Do to Support Co-Workers and Family Members with Serious Illness” webinar
delivered suggestions for actions and behaviors that are closely aligned with our core values. Additionally, the
content had strong carryover to the work that we are doing in our communities and provided practical advice
for us to provide support within our own families. Based on the positive and unanimous response from
employees, we want to invite you to share Soaringwords initiatives with our leadership team during the next
national Corporate Citizenship Council meeting. We continue to receive positive feedback about the webinar
and employees who were on the call continue to share the information with co-workers not on the call—a real
tribute to the high caliber of the content, your delivery and importance of the topic. The lead for our national
employee resource group for new employees (a group that includes thousands of members across the
country) said it was the “best” lunchtime seminar he has attended. Thanks again to you and Cisco for the
delivery of a high impact webinar that has enabled our employees to enhance our connections at work, at
home and in our communities.” –Debbie Edwards Veihdeffer, Director, Work-Life Integration, Human Resources
Strategic Initiatives, Northrop Grumman
Thank you, the kids of Northrop Grumman employees really enjoyed decorating the quilts and pillows with us
and my little 2 year old grandson was so proud of his “fingers” on the one quilt. He was showing it to me last
night and he kept saying “grandma look at my fingers”. They traced his hand on it and then he did all the
squiggly’s in one of the blocks too. He was so proud. My daughter had one of her friends and her kids come
over and they did an awesome job with it, I was so impressed it was a powerful team-building experience for
our office. -Wendi Dubach, Employee Resource Group team lead in Salt Lake City, Northrop Grumman
68

BECTON DICKINSON
• Provide department-wide volunteer experiences for meaningful days of service in the office and
local communities.
• Pharmaceutical Systems Self-Administration Injection Team enjoyed volunteering with
Soaringwords at BD Headquarters. Working together, employees and their children decorated
SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® to donate to hospitalized children at Holy Name Hospital in
Teaneck, N.J.
• BD Medical Surgical Team led a full-day volunteer experience in the community at School 5 in
Paterson, New Jersey. Employees mentored 98 fourth and fifth grade students and personally
delivered quilts and pillows to patients and families at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson, N.J.
Outcomes:
• Highest ratings from employees. Events received prominent press coverage in local newspapers.
69

70
National team-building event with Pharmaceutical Systems Self-Administration Injection Team
All day off-site with Medical Surgical Team at School 5 in Paterson, NJ
BECTON DICKINSON

BECTON DICKINSON TESTIMONIALS
“Interacting with the kids and coming up with ideas to decorate the quilts and pillows was the best part. The team
aspect was fun, good laughs all around! Engaging with the kids and choreographing moves was the best part of the
dance jam.” -Noel Titus
“It felt great to be part of a bigger picture. I enjoyed the fun with the kids in decorating the quilts and pillows.
Soaringwords made me feel great, I love to help others. The hospitalized children will feel very happy to get the quilts
and pillows. The dance jam was excellent. Keep up the good work.“ -Darina Karoyan
“It was a great experience. I enjoyed decorating the quilts and pillows – making the artwork was the best part. It
made me feel proud and worthy, there was great team work. I think the hospitalized kids will feel great to get the gifts.
The dance jam was great and the entire day was a very good experience.” -Sathya Kaliyamoorthy
“We had a great team and I enjoyed meeting great students from School 5. Soaringwords makes me feel positive.
The kids in the hospital will know we were thinking of them. The dance jam was fun and hot. Thanks for a great
opportunity.” -Suzanne Ferreri
“I think the kids will feel cared for and it was great to actually change someone’s life. I enjoyed everything especially
the dance jam.” - Tasmin
I loved helping because I was making a difference in the world. Soaringwords program is a cool fun helping program.
I loved working with BD team. I think the children will feel like they are special and it will cheer them up to receive our
quilts and pillows. I felt great releasing all the energy during the dance jam. –Mohammed
I enjoyed helping children in need. I loved the part when we decorated the quilt. It made me feel like I was making a
big difference. We all worked together in sharing and being helpful. I think the children will feel special and they will
know that we care about them. The dance jam was fun and I liked when Yusuf was teaching us moves. -Nazifa

WILLIAM MORRIS ENDEAVOR
• Host large-scale volunteer experiences for the company’s nationwide Walk the Walk Day
of Service.
• Select successful volunteer partners that can replicate programs in key markets to create
a synergistic relationship with colleagues in all other markets.
• NYC employees mentor 30 inner-city fifth graders at PS 64 in a full-day event.
72

73
WME employee volunteers enjoy an all day mentoring
experience with Soaringwords.
“The best part was that we got to decorate pillows and quilts.
The reason why it was the best is because we are helping kids
in need and also giving them hope. My team did work well
together. The best part is that we did a great dance in the
dance party and we did a really good job by helping out kids
in the hospital. I think they will feel very happy that they got the
quilts and pillows. Well this experience was really great and
we all learned something while doing this activity.” Jada Santos
“I loved to do this because it’s not fair that we get to play
and the ill kids don’t. The best part is when we went dancing.
My team worked together to make the quilts and pillows for
some children.” Jeyda P.
“I liked making quilts and pillows for the children because some people are very sick and they need
someone to make them happy because if you don’t they will feel like they are a nothing. The best part
was when I signed my name on the quilts. My teamwork was good because when we were working
together we didn’t mess up and what I like about my team is that they are so nice.
I think the hospitalized kids will feel really grateful because somebody that they don’t even know is
making quilts and pillows just for them. “ Kemoni
WILLIAM MORRIS ENDEAVOR TESTIMONIALS

UNITEDHEALTHCARE
After the merger of two leading health insurance companies,
Oxford and UnitedHealthcare, Regional Presidents were looking
for ways to bring employees together for team-building service
experiences that support ill children and families in local communities.
• Give all employees the opportunity to do something tangible to improve lives of patients.
• Invite Call Center employees to participate in community service activities.
• Hundreds of employees in multiple locations were able to experience the company’s mission
by providing a tangible service for ill children with on-site programs and hospital visits.
• Soaringwords was a powerful way for employees to harness support for one of their executives
who was grappling with lung cancer. The entire office and this man’s family volunteered,
decorating quilts and pillows in his honor to donate to hospitalized children in the community.
Outcomes:
• Hundreds of patients, including many UnitedHealthcare patients were delighted to receive
the gifts from UHC employees.
• This initiative received the highest ratings from all participants.
74

75
UnitedHealthcare employees volunteer in several markets to share quilts and pillows with children in
local hospitals, as well as UnitedHealthcare patients in need.
UNITEDHEALTHCARE

PRESIDIO SPONSORS SOARINGWORDS PRO-SOCIAL EVENT
76
Presidio was an official
sponsor of Soaringwords’
pro-social event at the
International Positive
Psychology Association
World Congress. The event
drew 300 attendees in
Orlando in June 2015.
Attendees enjoyed a 90-
minute Zumba Master Class
and team-building
community service activity.
Volunteers created197
SoaringSuperhero puppets
for patients at Florida
Hospital for Children.
Top left: Positive Psychology leaders Barbara Fredrickson and Tal Ben-Shahar with Lisa.
Bottom left: Marin Seligman, Founder of the field of positive psychology, University of Pennsylvania.
Bottom right: Kim Cameron, Chair, IPPA World Congress, Ross School of Business at University of
Michigan.

NETCRAFTSMEN’S DAY OF SERVICE
Led by NetCraftsmen's CEO Paul Mauritz,
24 employee volunteers mentored
hospitalized children and their families at
The Children’s National Health Service in
DC. The patients and families were
delighted to receive and decorate quilts
and pillows for other patients in the
hospital.
I enjoyed decorating the quilts and
pillows, it was good to help people
forget about their medical challenges.
I think our teams worked well together.
I am proud of the entire NetCraftsmen
team. Today made me realize a little
good can help mask the bad. It was a
good day for all involved. -Paul Mauritz,
CEO, NetCraftsmen
The common theme at lunch afterwards
was what a unique, wonderful
experience it was. In our jobs we
typically keep things organized, working
within “best practices” to fill specific
requirements. This was a total
change! You provided guidance,
assistance, and inspiration. You’ve
touched the lives of half my company,
plus all those parents and children! -
Denise Donohue, Business Architect,
NetCraftsmen

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