The Western Union Foundation will Make Initial $100,000 Grant to Save
the Children and Match Qualifying Donations to NGOs Serving Impacted
Region
No-Fee* Money Transfer Transactions to the Philippines will be
Available from Participating Retail Agent Locations and WesternUnion.com
in Select Countries
ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The
Western Union Company today announced a multi-faceted response
program that will provide support for disaster relief efforts that
target the families and communities most affected by Typhoon
Haiyan in the Philippines. The program includes grant funding from
The Western Union Foundation and a consumer no-fee* activation
initiative, as well as Western Union® employee and retail
Agent giving elements.
Western Union Foundation Grant Activity
The Western Union Foundation is making a grant of US$100,000 to Save
the Children to support the organization’s immediate response
activities in the Philippines, which include providing emergency
materials, meals and water to disaster victims.
International Consumer Activation
Over the course of this week, and for the benefit of consumers sending
money to family and loved ones in the Philippines, The Western Union
Company will activate a no-fee* money transfer transaction program from
participating Agent locations in the Caribbean, Cyprus, Greece,
Italy, Malaysia, Portugal, Singapore, the
United Kingdom and the United States, through November
30, 2013. Consumers in the United States will need to include promotion
code HAIYANRELIEF with their transaction at retail Agent locations to
utilize the no-fee offer. Additional countries for no-fee retail
activations will be announced via social media in the coming days.
No-fee transactions to the Philippines will also be enabled for the same
time period at WesternUnion.com
in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Online consumers in the United States will need to use the promotion
code HAIYANRELIEF, while consumers in Australia and the United Kingdom
need to use promotion code HAIYANRELIEF2013.
Furthermore, in the United States, Western Union has set up a no-fee
Payments contribution account benefitting the American
Red Cross, to support international relief efforts in the
Philippines. Donors in the United States can contribute by making a
no-fee* Payments transaction at participating Western Union Agent
locations, directed to the account, up to US$5,000.
Donors will need to complete the blue section on the Western Union form
at retail locations, using the company name “American Red Cross” and the
code city, “REDCROSS DC.” Please write in, “Disaster Relief” as the
account number.
Employee and Agent Activation
To encourage and support additional philanthropy, through November 30,
2013, The Western Union Company will match two-for-one employee
donations to the Western Union Foundation for disaster relief efforts in
the Philippines.
Western Union is also encouraging its Agents to join together in
supporting relief efforts. Under the Western Union Foundation Business
Partner Giving program, the Foundation will provide a dollar-for-dollar
match of qualifying contributions to NGOs providing disaster relief
support in the impacted region.
“Typhoon Haiyan was unprecedented in its scale and impact across the
Philippines, with reports indicating widespread devastation and loss of
life. Western Union is responding with support for relief efforts in the
immediate aftermath of the storm, including programs that provide meals,
water and emergency materials to the families and children most affected
by the disaster,” said
Patrick Gaston
, president of The Western Union
Foundation.
“We are committed to helping the communities we serve, and our thoughts
are with the people of the Philippines, and the Filipino diaspora
community around the world, during this time of need. In addition to
immediate response, we will be working with Western Union Agents,
employees and nonprofit relief agencies to provide support for
initiatives that will help the area recover and rebuild,” concluded
Gaston.
*Western Union makes money on the exchange of currencies. No-fee
activations may not be immediately available.
Due to the severity of Typhoon Haiyan, some Western Union Agent
locations in the Philippines may not be immediately operational or
possess sufficient funds.
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment
services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western
Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union
provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient
ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to
purchase money orders. As of September 30, 2013, the Western Union, Vigo
and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined
network of approximately 515,000 agent locations in 200 countries and
territories and approximately 115,000 ATMs. In 2012, The Western Union
Company completed 231 million consumer-to-consumer transactions
worldwide, moving $79 billion of principal between consumers, and 432
million business payments. For more information, visit www.WesternUnion.com.
About The Western Union Foundation
The Western Union Foundation is dedicated to creating a better world,
where the ability to realize dreams through economic opportunity is not
just a privilege for the few but a right for all. Through its signature
program, Education
for Better, and with the support of The Western Union Company, its
employees, Agents, and business partners, The Western Union Foundation
works to realize this vision by supporting education and disaster relief
efforts as pathways toward a better future. Our combined social ventures
efforts make life better for individuals, families and communities
around the world. Since its inception, The Western Union Foundation has
committed more than $91.2 million in grants and other giving to more
than 2,682 nongovernmental organizations in more than 133 countries and
territories. The Western Union Foundation is a separate §501(c)(3)
recognized United States charity. To learn more, visit www.westernunionfoundation.org.
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Source: Western Union Company