Alcoa springs into ACTION to support local communities

Dozens of community groups and charity organisations in Western Australia and Victoria are set to benefit from Alcoa’s employee volunteering program this year.

The company has pledged grants across its areas of operation worth $195,000 and its employees have committed to complete more than 2,000 hours of volunteering services for 65 local organisations as part of the Alcoans Coming Together in Our Neighbourhoods (ACTION) program.

The most recent round of ACTION volunteering and grants, announced to coincide with National Volunteer Week from 15-21 May, cover a broad range of organisations and activities. Recipients range from local schools, sporting clubs, community groups and wildlife rescue centres to charities focused on health research and welfare.

The ACTION program allows Alcoa employees to nominate a local project and organisation. They are then required to pull together a team of colleagues to deliver volunteer services, after which Alcoa makes a financial contribution.

Examples of volunteering undertaken over the past year include taking part in busy bees at primary schools and sporting clubs, assisting community and senior citizens centres with general maintenance tasks, and supporting special events such as an Indigenous AFL competition and a junior rodeo.

Alcoa Corporate Affairs Director Jodie Read said the company encouraged all employees to get involved in local volunteering opportunities.

“We have a strong culture of supporting the communities in which we live and work and our employees continue to make impressive contributions to a broad range of community groups,” Ms Read said. 

“The time our employees have committed to our ACTION volunteering program nationally has grown by more than 200 hours over the previous year and the value of grants is nearly $30,000 higher than in 2022.”

Ms Read said the theme of National Volunteer Week 2023, The Change Makers, aligned perfectly with the aims of the ACTION program.

“ACTION is all about supporting local groups to make change and we are proud to be able to provide both in-kind and financial backing for these grassroots organisations,” she said. 

The ACTION program is delivered to grassroots organisations in Western Australia’s Kwinana, Peel and Upper South West regions where Alcoa operates bauxite mines and alumina refineries, as well as in Portland, Victoria where its aluminium smelter is located. 

It is part of Alcoa’s broader annual social investment program, which in 2022 resulted in nearly $5 million contributed to community initiatives in Australia.