ASP Cares: Giving Back to Our Communities for 25 Years

As we celebrate our 25^th Anniversary, we take great pride in ASP associates’ long history of giving back to our local and global communities. Ever since the earliest days of our founding as a Johnson & Johnson company, our people have embraced the Johnson & Johnson Credo commitment to making a positive impact—and we continue making a difference today through our associate-driven ASP Cares program.

Our Inspiration: The Johnson & Johnson Credo

The third tenet of Our Credo reads (excerpted): “We are responsible to the communities in which we live and work and to the world community as well. We must be good citizens – support good works and charities ... encourage civic improvements and better health and education ... protecting the environment and natural resources.”

Driven by this Credo responsibility, our associates have always enthusiastically engaged in supporting the annual Johnson & Johnson United Way campaign, giving blood to help save lives at our several blood drives each year, and seeking out many other worthy causes to support both locally and globally.

Cindy Ellis, an engineering team leader at ASP who has been with the company for over 17 years, says, “Our Credo and healthcare mission have always attracted the kind of employees who want to help people and make a difference in the world. ASP and Johnson & Johnson associates are some of the most generous and caring people I’ve worked with at any company.”

The Evolution of a Dynamic Associate-Driven Philanthropy Program

In the early years, ASP focused on supporting Johnson & Johnson’s corporate-wide charity programs, showing a willingness to go above and beyond at times. “One year, we had a United Way fundraising picnic where our executives actually volunteered to get drenched in a dunk-tank and have cream pies thrown in their faces to raise more money for the campaign,” Cindy remembers. “Another year, a group of United Way volunteers and I came up with a creative rap song to sing at an ASP Town Hall meeting, encouraging associates to get involved. We’ve always tried to make it fun.”

Over time, ASP associates started rallying to do more in the local community in addition to supporting Johnson & Johnson’s programs. Associates first formed a group called the “Actions Serving People” committee, which today has evolved into the ASP Cares program—offering associates dozens of opportunities every year to give back. Here are just a few examples of our caring activities:

• Charity walks, runs and bike rides, most recently as a team in the Komen Race for the Cure 5K benefitting breast cancer research.
• Hand-sewing “comfort caps” for hospital patients, and decorating holiday trees at a home for abandoned children.
• Planting trees and cleaning up the Newport Back Bay with the help of ASP families and friends.
• Providing disaster-relief support and donations, such as after the tragedies in Haiti and Japan.
• Teaching an after-school science program at local elementary school.
• Taking up collections at ASP offices for holiday toy drives, food drives, clothing drives and much more in our local community.

ASP associates often do their own charity work outside of the company as well, and Johnson & Johnson not only matches but doubles employee donations to qualifying non-profits, including educational institutions, cultural groups, drug rehab centers and other health-related organizations.

Growing Spirit of Philanthropy through Tough Times

Cindy says, “I think our employees’ perspective on the importance of giving back has broadened even more in recent years because of tough economic times. We’re more aware of people around us who are hurting and need help. It’s nice to work for a company that organizes so many opportunities to get involved through the ASP Cares program. It reminds us what’s going on in the world around us, and to do our part to help as much as we can.”