Companies can and do make a positive difference in the community and one excellent example, right here in Hacienda, is Shaklee Cares, a non-profit organization of people who are part of the Shaklee Corporation family. Shaklee Cares has been reaching out to help others in need for almost a decade.

Shaklee Cares began in the fall of 1992 in response to requests for assistance to help victims of Hurricane Andrew. The idea grew out of the philosophy of Shaklee company founder, Dr. Forrest Shaklee, who had dedicated himself during his lifetime to improving the world we live in.

The organization is supported completely by donations from independent Shaklee distributors, Shaklee employees, and individuals throughout the country. It operates independently of Shaklee Corporation, a manufacturer of household, nutritional and personal care products, and home water treatment systems.

Shaklee Cares distributed 4,000 personal care packets to victims of the Houston floods recently, says Karen Topping, speaking on behalf of the organization. "Shaklee Cares was set up to aid individuals and communities after natural disasters working through Shaklee independent business people, whether it's products or cash that are distributed. For instance, in Maine, Shaklee Cares bought generators for people hit by an ice storm and in Southern California purchased neonatal care equipment to replace that destroyed in an earthquake."

Their list of contributions is long. Shaklee Cares stepped in to help by building a home for tornado victims in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. In May 2000, Shaklee Cares donated $20,000 to the Edgecombe County Schools in North Carolina to help rebuild two elementary schools destroyed by Hurricane Floyd. In the same month, approximately 30 local Shaklee volunteers teamed up with the American Red Cross to assemble the relief packages for families and individuals in Los Alamos, New Mexico after the terrible fire that burned the town.

In December, the Northern New Mexico Interfaith Recovery Network held a holiday celebration for the families and individuals of the fires. Shaklee Cares donated a gift of $10,000 which enabled Interfaith to put a holiday gift bag together for those families whose homes were destroyed by the blaze. Shaklee Cares has been in Union, Missouri, after a flood; Camilla, Georgia, after the Valentine's Day tornadoes; and Owensboro, Kentucky, after an unseasonable winter tornado in January 2000.

Since it was founded, Shaklee Cares has donated over $2.2 million in cash and products. Contributions go directly to people in need and to grassroots organizations doing the most good for the most people. Consolidated Freightways provides free shipping of disaster recovery packages.

Locally, the Shaklee Corporation supplied product packets for all participants in this year's Spirit Run. Last year, Shaklee, Community Television, and the Tri-Valley Community Fund teamed up to honor some of the area's community members. The Tri-Valley Community Champions Awards will be held again this year and nominations for awards are now being accepted. For information, contact Jenifer Thompson at (925) 924-2004.

For more information on Shaklee Cares visit www.shakleecares.org. If you would like to know more about how individuals or companies can participate in Shaklee Cares, call Karen Topping at (925) 924-2007.

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