Santander Bank Launches "In Someone Else's Shoes" to Highlight the Importance of Respect

BOSTON, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Santander Bank, N.A. is teaming up with Boston-based nonprofit Heading Home to launch "In Someone Else's Shoes," a social impact initiative aimed at reminding us that everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Using cutting-edge augmented reality technology and art installations, Santander is shining a light on some of the challenging realities facing some of the most vulnerable people in our communities – the working homeless. Through this initiative, Santander hopes to highlight the need for more awareness around how respectful we are to others in our society. Santander and Heading Home are shining a light on the issue of the working homeless to help foster the kind of compassion and understanding that only comes from stepping into someone else's shoes.

"At Santander Bank, we're committed to 'walking the walk' by ensuring that respect is at the foundation of everything we do, from how we interact with our colleagues to how we connect with our customers and engage in our communities. This is the first time the Bank has used augmented reality to promote an initiative and we look forward to mobilizing our employees and the public to get involved in support of Heading Home," said Michael Cleary, co-president of Santander Bank and head of Consumer and Business Banking.

Now through October 25, "In Someone Else's Shoes" installations can be found in strategic locations in Boston to inspire involvement and participation. Pedestrians in Boston's Copley Square, The Greenway, and MIT will notice art installations featuring shoes in Santander's signature color, red, in highly visible areas. There, ambassadors will share tablets that allow passersby to engage in an augmented reality experience highlighting the real-life experiences of Boston's working homeless population. Participants will be introduced by video to the plight of the working homeless through the life of "Jen," a full-time employed nurse's assistant living in her car, and then step into her shoes through a series of immersive augmented reality experiences depicting a snapshot of her life.

After viewing Jen's story, participants are invited to download a pedometer app to track their steps taken for the next three days up to October 28, with $10 for each mile walked going to help Heading Home, which has been pioneering programs to end homelessness in Greater Boston for four decades. Santander will donate up to $200,000 raised through participation to Heading Home.

"This program is not just about donating money," continued Cleary. "More importantly, it also is about raising awareness for the lack of respect in today's society, starting a larger conversation, and building greater respect and empathy for one another through understanding."

This initiative aligns with Santander's customer promise to ensure that respect is at the core of everything the Bank does and aligns with a recent study[1], which found a disparity between how people think they behave towards others in comparison to how their behavior is perceived. The data indicated that 94 percent of Americans consider themselves respectful, but only 24 percent believe that other people show respect.

"Heading Home has spent more than four decades working tirelessly to end homelessness in Greater Boston, and we are incredibly thankful to be the beneficiary of Santander Bank's 'In Someone Else's Shoes' local activation," said Danielle M. Ferrier, Chief Executive Officer at Heading Home. "A $200,000 donation to our Client Support Funds will significantly contribute to helping more than 200 individuals and families with rent, security deposits and emergency management funds, which will allow them to successfully move from shelter to housing and remain housed."

How to Participate:

• Visit one of the three red shoe installations in Boston from October 23 to 25 on the following days and times and ambassadors will be onsite to guide people through the interactive augmented reality experience to shine a light on what it is like to step into Jen's shoes:
• Copley Square – Tuesday, October 23 and Wednesday, October 24 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (on the Boylston Street side of Copley Square)
• The Greenway – Thursday, October 25 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (next to the Greenway Carousel on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Mercantile Street)
• MIT Dertouzos Amphitheater – Thursday, October 25 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (at the Ray and Maria Stata Center in Building 32)
• Download the "In Someone Else's Shoes" app on the App Store or Google Play.
• Activate the app from anywhere between October 23 – October 25, which works as a pedometer to track steps. Santander will donate $10 for Every Mile Walked In Someone Else's Shoes to Heading Home, up to $200,000.
• The app will be tracking steps for three days from download, or until Sunday, October 28 at midnight.
• Visit www.insomeoneelsesshoes.com to learn more and participate if you're not able to visit the red shoes installations.
• Follow Santander Bank on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for live updates throughout the initiative at @SantanderBankUS
• Join the conversation on social media and use #respectaddsup

About Santander Bank
Santander Bank, N.A. is one of the country's top retail and commercial banks by deposits and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Banco Santander, S.A. - one of the most respected banking groups in the world. With its corporate offices in Boston, Santander Bank's more than 670 branches and nearly 2,100 ATMs are principally located in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Bank's 9,400 employees are committed to helping its 2.1 million customers make progress toward their financial goals with the support of its call centers, interactive online banking platform and easy-to-use mobile app. Madrid-based Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN), serves more than 117 million customers in the U.K., Europe, Latin America and the U.S. Through its local affiliates, including Santander Bank, Banco Santander is the largest corporate contributor to higher education in the world, investing over $165 million annually in colleges and universities across more than 20 countries, including the U.S. For more information on Santander Bank, please visit www.santanderbank.com.

About Heading Home
For four decades, Heading Home has effectively pioneered housing programs to support its mission to end homelessness in the Greater Boston area, specializing in providing emergency, transitional and permanent housing solutions to low-income homeless and formerly homeless families and individuals. These housing programs provide a supportive pathway to self-sufficiency, beginning with housing and continuing with critical supportive services. Visit www.headinghomeinc.org for more information.

Media Contacts:
Nancy Orlando
Santander Bank
617-757-5765
[email protected]

Jennifer Hunt
Elevate Communications
978-618-2804
[email protected]

Source:
¹Civility in America VII: The State of Civility

SOURCE Santander Bank, N.A.

Related Links

http://www.santanderbank.com