CSL Behring and CSL Plasma Employees Open Their Hearts to Those in Need

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Feb. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- You can tell a lot about a company and its employees by the way they give back to the community. CSL Behring, its subsidiary, CSL Plasma and their employees do just that, year-round, supporting a wide range of organizations that provide services to people in need.

The annual United Way campaign is the company's single largest charitable initiative. Together, CSL Behring, CSL Plasma and their employees raised more than $700,000 for United Way in 2013:

• CSL Behring, King of Prussia, PA: $180,396 to United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
• CSL Plasma, Boca Raton, Fla.: $370,588 to various United Way chapters
• CSL Behring, Kankakee, Ill.: $162,000 to United Way of Kankakee County

"Our employees give back to their communities by contributing their time and talent as well as their financial support to a number of charitable organizations throughout the year," said Karen Etchberger, CSL Behring's Executive Vice President, Quality & Business Services. "They are the heart and soul of our business and our corporate culture of giving. We're proud of the ways in which they get involved and show they care."

Denim/Jeans Days an employee favorite
A full slate of charitable programs is well underway this year. Employees in CSL Behring's King of Prussia, Pa. location are currently in the midst of a Denim Days fundraising event that benefits the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. The foundation serves youngsters in Philadelphia, Pa. and Camden, N.J. In fact, employees in other CSL Behring locations participate in Denim/Jeans Days throughout the year. By contributing to a designated charity, employees can wear jeans to work on Fridays.

Meanwhile, CSL Behring employees in Kankakee, Ill. wrapped up a fundraiser in January that benefitted Gigi's Playhouse, a Down syndrome family support center. Not to be outdone, employees at CSL Plasma, which has locations in Boca Raton, Fla., Knoxville, Tenn., Indianapolis, Ind., Mesquite, Texas, and plasma collection centers throughout the United States, are busy supporting organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Hands-on efforts
Employees also take part in hands-on initiatives. In King of Prussia (KOP), they rolled up their sleeves last spring and helped pack 60,000 meals for needy people in the Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey region though the United2Feed program. During the 2013 holiday season, KOP employees achieved a 61% increase over the 2012 holiday season in toy donations to Toys for Tots.

CSL Plasma employees serve food at local community centers, stock city food pantries, hand out warm coats at area coat drives, and collect school supplies and back packs for school children. They also support the work of groups including the Juvenile Diabetes Research, Alzheimer's, Susan G Komen Breast Cancer, and Leukemia and Lymphoma foundations, Wounded Warrior Project, Salvation Army and March of Dimes.

CSL Behring employees in Kankakee do their part by supporting groups and charities such as the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign, Options Center for Independent Living, Hospice of Kankakee Valley, 4-H Club, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, American Cancer Society, and Illinois Tornado Victims Disaster Relief, among other charities. 

Patient advocacy
Employees at both CSL Behring and CSL Plasma support advocacy groups that represent the health care interests of patients with rare medical disorders. These include the Immune Deficiency Foundation, Hemophilia Federation of America, Alpha-1 Foundation, Hereditary Angioedema Association, and local patient group chapters.

For information about CSL's global performance in priority areas of its Corporate Responsibility program visit http://www.csl.com.au/.

About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a leader in the plasma protein therapeutics industry. Committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for people with rare and serious diseases, the company manufactures and markets a range of plasma-derived and recombinant therapies worldwide.

CSL Behring therapies are used around the world to treat coagulation disorders including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema and inherited respiratory disease, and neurological disorders in certain markets. The company's products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic diseases in the newborn.

CSL Behring operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. CSL Behring is a global biopharmaceutical company and a member of the CSL Group of companies. The parent company, CSL Limited (ASX:CSL), is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit http://www.cslbehring.com/.

Contact:

Chris Florentz, CSL Behring
610-878-4316
[email protected]    

Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100914/PH63692LOGO

SOURCE CSL Behring