Rice to Further Corporations' Roles in Fostering a Culture of Service through Volunteerism

ATLANTA (September 30, 2008) – The Points of Light Institute today announced John Rice, vice chairman of GE and president & CEO of GE Technology Infrastructure, has been named chair of the HandsOn Network Corporate Council. A strong and passionate champion of service, Rice will continue the leadership legacy established by past Council Chairs Bob Nardelli and Mike Eskew, while challenging global corporations to become even more involved in their communities through encouraging and enabling volunteerism.

HandsOn Network’s Corporate Council is comprised of more than 60 CEOs and civic leaders representing the nation’s largest and most successful Fortune 500 companies, such as ChoicePoint, Chrysler, Delta Air Lines, GE, The Home Depot, UPS and more.

“General Electric is a founding member of the Corporate Council and I’ve witnessed first-hand the positive impact corporate workforce volunteerism has on employees and the communities in which they serve,” stated Rice. “Since its establishment in 2005, Corporate Council members have committed to increasing employee volunteerism and we need to continue challenging ourselves in this area.”

Estimates show that more than five million employees volunteer through their companies annually in the United States, investing more than $100 million in volunteer labor into local communities. As part of Rice’s challenge, he is calling for corporations to enhance their efforts on initiatives designed to meet the nation’s most pressing needs to ensure maximum community impact. Many corporations, including Sprint and UBS, are initiating large-scale employee volunteer programs in conjunction with HandsOn Network this fall.

HandsOn Network is focusing on the platforms of education, poverty elimination through community development and the environment to satisfy the immediate needs of effected individuals and communities, while creating a foundation for long-term change that will ultimately transform the nation and the world. And GE, through its business strategy called Ecomagination, it also is focused on the environment - committed to minimizing its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing its global water use by 20 percent by 2012.

Rice represented HandsOn Network, a division of Points of Light Institute, at the inaugural ServiceNation Summit in New York, Sept. 11-12. He discussed the value of corporate social responsibility and the impact of community support through volunteer action along with a panel of corporate leaders.

Also, Rice will drive HandsOn Network’s efforts as part of the ongoing national ServiceNation campaign to increase service opportunities and to create a stronger “culture of service” in America – with a goal of 100 million American citizens making volunteering a routine part of their lives by 2020.

“We welcome John and his proven leadership abilities to take the Corporate Council to the next level,” said Michelle Nunn, founder and CEO of HandsOn Network/Points of Light Institute. “I believe this is a pivotal time in our nation’s history and with a continued, concerted effort by corporations to provide opportunities for employees and customers to take action, we can truly change the world.”

About HandsOn Network Corporate Council
Established in 2005, the Corporate Council is an alliance between HandsOn Network and corporations that enables corporate members to apply their core competencies around process, scale and measurement to the complex logistics of volunteerism and community impact. Nearly 30 corporations and organizations are founding members of the Corporate Council. For a list of current council member companies, visit the “plug in” section of HandsOn Network’s Web site at www.HandsOnNetwork.org.

strong>About HandsOn Network
HandsOn Network inspires, equips and mobilizes people to take action that changes the world – and is the largest volunteer and civic engagement organization in the nation. At the center of the network are 370 affiliates serving 83 percent of the American population and 12 international communities in nine countries. For more information, visit www.HandsOnNetwork.org.

strong>About ServiceNation
ServiceNation is a national campaign to increase service opportunities, solve chronic social problems through service, and promote a culture of service in America. The ultimate vision of ServiceNation is an America in which, by 2020, 100 million citizens will volunteer time in schools, workplaces, and faith-based and community institutions each and every year (up from 61 million today), and that increasing numbers of Americans annually will commit a year of their lives to national service. For more information, go to www.ServiceNation.org.