BASF to donate $30,000 to local Canadian charities

MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 18, 2012 -- BASF Canada employees are donating $30,000 to select Canadian charities as part of Simply Dare!, an employee engagement initiative. Over the past few weeks, BASF has presented The Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS) and Famille à Coeur with cheques valued at $10,000. The final donation will be presented to Community Living Windsor on April 25, 2012. 

BASF encourages its employees to live the company’s core values of entrepreneurship and social responsibility. Through the Simply Dare! program employees are  recognized for their innovative contributions to the company. The donations were made on behalf of three teams of BASF Canada employees who were each awarded $10,000 to donate to the charity of their choice. 

“We are committed to empowering our employees to make a difference at BASF and in our communities,” said Laurent Tainturier, President of BASF Canada. “The Simply Dare initiative is great way to inspire them to be innovative and entrepreneurial, while at the same time making meaningful social contributions where we operate.”

The CDSS will use the money to provide young families, educators, employers, doctors and other Canadians with information to help ensure that Canadians with Down syndrome are valued equally in our society. Cindy Gruber, Manager of Business and Market Development, BASF Canada, presented the $10,000 donation to Kevin Whyte, CDSS Board Chairman and his son Kyle.

A team working in St. Jean, Quebec, chose to make its contribution to Famille à Coeur; a not-for-profit organization that provides educational, recreational and support services for underprivileged children and their families living in the Haut-Richelieu, Quebec area.

The final donation will be made by a team based at BASF Canada’s Windsor, ON, Site, which will donate its $10,000 award to Community Living Windsor, an organization committed to supporting individuals who have an intellectual disability and their families.

For a press photo, please click on the following link: http://www.basf.us/pressphotos/04-18-12_CDDS.jpg.

Suggested caption: Cindy Gruber, Manager of Business and Market Development, BASF Canada, presents Kevin Whyte, Canadian Down Syndrome Society Board Chair, and his son Kyle, with a $10,000 donation.

For a press photo, please click on the following link: http://www.basf.us/pressphotos/04-18-12_FamilleaCoeur.jpg.

Suggested caption: Employees from St. Jean, Quebec present representatives from Famille à Coeur with a $10,000 donation.

BASF - The Chemical Company.

BASF Canada, located in Mississauga, Ontario is a subsidiary of BASF SE, and an affiliate of BASF Corporation. BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $19.9 billion U.S. in 2011. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.   To find out more about BASF’s activities in Canada visit www.basf.ca or follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/basfcanada.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF posted sales of about €73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com or in the Social Media Newsroom at newsroom.basf.com.

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