Doing Good While Staying Well: How Zebra is Giving Back to Local Communities During the COVID-19 Outbreak
In March, I mentioned that Zebra is donating $25,000 to the Red Cross to support its COVID-19 relief efforts and inviting others to join us to raise even more money in the coming weeks.
We have also been working since the start of the year to support local communities around the world in their fight against this virus, beginning with an in-kind donation of barcode printers and supplies to two hospitals in China so that they could produce and scan patient ID wristbands, patient records and specimen labels. This was quickly followed by cash donations from Zebra employees across the Greater China region to the Wuhan Charity Foundation.
In March, COVID-19 was starting to reach new regions around the world, prompting an unprecedented call for assistance from government leaders and non-profits alike. Zebra stepped into action to:
- Purchase and donate 10,000 protective face masks to an Italian parcel delivery company for use by the company’s front-line workers.
- Share Zebra’s in-house call center technology and training with a hospital in Penang, Malaysia, to help it keep up with increasing daily call volumes as a result of COVID-19 inquiries.
- Partner with ScanSource to donate 1 Euro to the Red Cross for every single Zebra printer or scanner sold and 2 Euros for Zebra Healthcare Scanners.
- Donate barcode printers and supplies to a California university that transformed its innovative genomics diagnostic testing lab into a fast-turnaround, high-quality COVID-19 testing lab.
Several Zebras have also been donating their personal time to help those most in need. For example:
- In Brno, employees started sewing cloth face masks and donating them to a local nursing home and two other nonprofit organizations.
- Zebra employees in London volunteered their time to help configure and connect printers at a temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients.
- Employees in France helped the local Red Cross deliver food to vulnerable people, service accommodations for the homeless and support the solidarity telephone concierge system for those in social isolation.
Even as you’re reading this, Zebras are:
- Donating their personal home computer processing power to become part of a massively parallel computer network used by researchers and scientists all over the world to synthesize proteins and consequentially develop cures and vaccines for COVID-19.
- Creating 3D-printed face shields for front-line workers and healthcare professionals.
The human impact of the COVID-19 outbreak has been significant, and we remain committed as a company and as individuals to do everything we can to uplift the heroes on the front lines and bring a renewed strength and spirit to the communities in which we live and work.
Stay tuned into Your Edge for more updates on how we are “doing good while staying well,” and feel free to reach out if you would like to contribute your time and talents to any of our ongoing charitable activities.
Therese Van Ryne
Therese Van Ryne is Senior Director of External Communications for Zebra Technologies. She joined Zebra as part of the acquisition of Motorola Solutions Enterprise business in October 2014. She and her team are laser focused on growing the company’s brand awareness globally aligned with business objectives. Her accomplishments include leading Zebra events with Harvard University and TED as well as the creation of the annual Intelligent Enterprise Index, resulting in positive media coverage, customer engagement and revenue growth.
Prior to Motorola Solutions, Van Ryne worked at SC Johnson where she led corporate communication strategies and drove PR and branding efforts for leading consumer products. One of her top achievements was leading the Windex® placement in the film, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” resulting in a 25% sales increase for the brand.
One of PR News’ 2019 Top Women in PR and Crain's Chicago's 2021 Most Notable Executives in Marketing, Therese also has experience as a journalist, editor and producer, reporting nightly from Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Van Ryne holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Journalism from Marquette University and an Executive Leadership Master’s Certificate from Cornell University.
