OP's gift to 100 years old Finland: 100 years of volunteering
OP is continuing the series of its #Suominousuun initiatives through a major volunteering project in honour of the centenary of Finland's independence. OP will donate one volunteer work day for each of its almost 12,000 employees and build an open network platform open to all to match those in need and volunteers.
OP will participate in the 100th anniversary of Finnish independence through its own project to promote volunteering. The objective of the initiative is to create volunteer work of 100 man-years for the benefit of Finland.
Half of the objective is to be given as a gift from OP's own personnel. Each of OP's 12,000 employees can do voluntary work for one day for a purpose of his/her choice. Moreover, OP will challenge its own administrative staff and owner-customers to do voluntary work.
- OP has made a strong contribution to building Finland throughout its 100 years of independence. OP's progress has been closely linked to the success story of Finland. Honouring the jubilee year of our home country is therefore particularly important to us and we want to give Finland and its citizens something that money cannot buy. The future of Finland will continue to be built through united efforts, says Reijo Karhinen, President and Group Executive Chairman, OP Financial Group.
OP will build a new network platform aimed at making it easier to coordinate small and large volunteering projects in all over Finland. The network platform is an unequalled effort to make use of digital and social networks. Anyone can sign up as volunteer or propose new volunteering projects.
- The initiative of giving volunteer work as a gift came from our personnel. We hope that our initiative will make Finns believe in the power of cooperation again and increase the popularity of volunteering in society in a permanent way. Community spirit and reinforcing it are strongly linked to OP's unequalled cooperative identity. We consider that our social role requires of us action for the benefit of customers and our operating region, says Tuuli Kousa, director in charge of the project.
For more information, please contact:
Tuuli Kousa, Vice President, Public Affairs, Media Relations and CSR, tel. +358(0)50 543 7374, or
OP Communications, viestinta@op.fi / tel. +358(0)50 523 9904
OP Financial Group is Finland's largest financial services group whose mission is to create sustainable prosperity, security and wellbeing for its owner-customers and in its operating region by means of its strong capital base and efficiency. OP Financial Group consists of about 180 member cooperative banks, its central cooperative OP Cooperative, and the latter's subsidiaries and affiliates. The Group has a staff of 12,000 and 1.6 million owner-customers and 4.3 million customers. www.op.fi