Bayer Hosts "Take Your Child to Work Day"

WHIPPANY, N.J., April 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer Corporation hosted its annual "Take Your Child to Work Day" on Thursday, April 23 at the Bayer HealthCare US headquarters.  This is Bayer's second "Take Your Child To Work Day" since relocating to the Whippany campus, and Thursday's event welcomed 230 children ready to see what Mom and Dad do every day at work.

Fortunately, for the kids, this was not just another day at the office.  As a company whose mission is "Science For A Better Life," Bayer made sure that "Take Your Child to Work Day" was filled with interactive activities involving fitness, exploration, and experiments, all centered around science and innovation.   

Beginning at 9:00 a.m., the children and their parents gathered in the Bayer cafeteria as Raymond F. Kerins, Jr., senior vice president and head of Communications, Government Relations and Policy for Bayer Corporation, welcomed them.  "'Take Your Child To Work Day' is a wonderful opportunity for our employees to take a few hours out of their busy work schedules to have fun and make lasting memories with their children right here in the office. Yes, the kids get to run around and play and do cool science experiments; but I can tell you, as a parent, I get just as much joy out of this experience as they do." 

One of the day's first stops was at the Bayer B Well Center—the company's on-site, state-of-the-art fitness center.  Normally, Bayer employees can access the center's machines, yoga studio and indoor basketball court Mondays through Fridays free of charge.  But on "Take Your Child to Work Day," the B Well Center training staff dedicated the facility solely to the children as they learned about the importance of fitness, diet, and a healthy lifestyle through various games and group activities.

Of course, as a Life Sciences company, Bayer's "Take Your Child To Work Day" also featured a number of interactive science experiments like "Alka-Rockets" and "Elephant Toothpaste"—both of which are features of Bayer's science-literacy program, Making Science Make Sense.  The Making Science Make Sense program is Bayer's companywide initiative that advances science literacy across the United States through hands-on, inquiry-based science learning, employee volunteerism and a public education campaign led by Dr. Mae Jemison – America's first African-American female astronaut.  

In the afternoon, Bayer children watched a demonstration by members of the MLS New York Red Bulls Street Team.  The New York Red Bulls, whose training facility is also located in Whippany, spent nearly an hour performing soccer tricks and taking pictures with the children.

"Getting to host the New York Red Bulls was a real treat," said Belinda Camp-Ladomirak, who was the lead employee—along with more than 70 volunteers—in charge of "Take Your Child to Work Day."  "Their soccer skills and tricks were amazing.  Many of the kids and their parents looked mesmerized."

Aside from hosting the Red Bulls, Bayer also highlighted members of one of its employee groups, Bayer Resource for Armed Forces Veterans (BRAVE).  Members of BRAVE helped each of the children write letters to Armed Forces soldiers deployed overseas and even brought in Retired Gunnery Sargent Mario Monaco to speak to the group.

"As the executive sponsor of BRAVE I am proud to welcome Gunnery Sargent Mario Monaco here to Bayer and honor him for his service.  Even in the midst of all of the fun and excitement surrounding today's activities, it is important to remind our children how fortunate we are to live in this great country and to always thank our brave servicemen and women for their commitment to America," said Ray Kerins.

By the end of the day, many of the children not only had fun with their parents, but also learned new and exciting things about Bayer.  "I knew my Dad worked at a pretty cool company,  but I didn't experience it until today," said Grace Loder, 10, of Westfield, N.J. "I never knew work was so much fun. I learned a lot about Bayer and how it helps people every day."

About Bayer Corporation
Bayer Corporation is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials.  As an innovation company, Bayer sets trends in research-intensive areas.  Bayer's products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their  quality of life.  At the same time, Bayer aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power.  Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2014, Bayer employed 118,900 people at year-end and had sales of EUR42.2 billion.  In North America, Bayer had 2014 net sales of EUR10,248 million (USD13,630 million) and employed 16,300 people at year-end.  For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

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Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports, which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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SOURCE Bayer Corporation