Giving back to the community is something we all should do even if its the smallest contribution, but when a company is as successful as the ones we use in everyday life is we expect them to contribute to social change amongst other philanthropic efforts. A company that I interact with daily is Citadel.
As the office manager I am able to see first hand the amount of contributions the Owner and CEO Kenneth Griffin Jr makes to different foundations and projects that benefits people across the world. His contriubutions in terms of philanthropy and community service is second to none.
“The Citadel founder, who for years was Illinois’s richest man, has given more than $600 million to organizations in the Windy City since arriving in 1989 (Gordon)”. “The billionaire and his team approached Chicago organizations and asked about their most pressing needs, which informed the giving, Ahmed said. The 40 latest recipients represent “the fabric of Chicago,” he said, among them Northwestern Medicine, the Field Museum and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Gordon)”.
As a hedge fund the goals of Citadel are different than a non profit but the contributions they make from the money they generate are substantial to Chicago, New York, Florida and every area Citadel has a office including Australia and Hong Kong.
Contributions personally I would like to always see will always lean towards people of underprivileged and underdeveloped neighborhoods and public education. I think that would be the most beneficial to areas like this because it gives kids and the people hope and different avenues to take to become successful besides sports or entertainment. The disadvantages these neighborhoods have are devastating towards the growth of the community and will continue to be without help.
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