Greenock, Scotland Community Efforts

National Greenock Volunteers Rise to the Challenge

National Greenock employees take up the challenge to install a driveway for a Quarriers service user

June 10, 2008 - Over the last few months, National Greenock has been working closely with the charity Quarriers, which is one of the largest social care charities in Scotland. Quarriers provides a wide spectrum of services for people with severe physical and/or developmental disabilities. Recently National Greenock presented Quarriers with a National Semiconductor Foundation grant donation of $80,000 over a two-year period to establish a volunteer center that would significantly increase volunteer support for the clients they serve.

Volunteers Week, which took place June 1-7, is the UK’s annual celebration of volunteerism. The event plays a huge part in raising the profile of volunteers and the invaluable work they do in the UK. To kick-start Volunteers Week, Quarriers’ Volunteer Center threw down a gauntlet in the shape of an employee challenge. The challenge was to build a driveway in one day for Ryan McEnaney, one of the people Quarriers serves. Four kind hearted Greenock employees bravely took the challenge.

Ryan, aged 35 and who lives in Greenock, suffers from various disabilities, including noise-related epilepsy. Loud noises, including traffic noise, can cause him to have a seizure. Although Ryan relies on a car for his transportation, he has to park it in the street. At times, the noise from cars and buses can cause Ryan to have a seizure when he is being assisted into his car. In addition, Ryan’s car has been vandalized on numerous occasions. The best solution to these problems was to find a way to park the car away from the street. Building him a driveway was the solution that will make a vast difference in Ryan’s life.

The challenge, which took place on Tuesday, June 3, consisted of labor-intensive work, such as clearing existing lawn and hedging, flattening the ground and laying paving and chip stones to complete the driveway. Congratulations to the following Greenock employees who took part in the challenge and achieved the goal!

Look out for more details of another National Greenock employee volunteer challenge taking place during the summer!

More local efforts...

National Foundation Donates $80K to Scottish Charity

Greenock employees Walk for Local Charity

Regaining Independence through China Bicycle Ride

National Semiconductor supports Safe Kids Initiative

National Foundation Donates $80K to Scottish Charity

Greenock employees from left: Jenna McEwan, Phil Robinson (Director of Quarriers), Billy Jardine, Andrew Burns, Gerry Edwards and Martha Deeney.

May 6, 2008 - One of Scotland’s leading charities has received a welcomed boost from National Greenock in the shape of a donation which will allow it to continue providing support and care to some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Earlier this year, the National Semiconductor Foundation agreed to provide Quarriers, a Scottish charity that provides practical support and care for children, adults and families, with $80,000 over a two year period. This donation has been used to fund a new volunteer centre based at Quarriers Head Office and Gerry Edwards, vice president and managing director of Greenock joined Quarriers chief executive Phil Robinson at the official launch of the centre on Friday, May 2 May.

Quarriers offers support to adults and children with disabilities, young people requiring specialist educational support, young homeless people, carers of all ages and people with epilepsy requiring diagnosis. The new volunteer centre will significantly help deliver the 127 projects Quarriers operates throughout Scotland.

The new centre will be headed by Louise McGinty and will recruit and vet volunteers in the Inverclyde area before matching them to the appropriate Quarriers’ service or department. These projects can include one-to-one befriending, co-coordinating group outings and activities for homeless young people, or children and adults with disabilities, or simply providing transport for individuals or families.

Gerry Edwards said, “Quarriers is a well-respected charity that has helped enrich the lives of so many people and, as a company, we’re delighted to be able to support its work and ensure that it is able to continue to recruit volunteers from within the local community. Our staff has always had a genuine interest and respect for the work carried out by Quarriers and this was one of the main reasons why the National Semiconductor Foundation decided to collaborate with Quarriers to help establish the new volunteer centre.”

Phil Robinson, chief executive of Quarriers, added: "The volunteer centre will add substantial value to the work undertaken by Quarriers. We will support up to 200 additional volunteers during the first two years. Those volunteers will have a major impact on the lives of people supported by Quarriers, allowing them to play a real part in their local communities. Being able to do the ordinary things most of us take for granted can make a huge difference to the lives of the people we support. Additionally the volunteers we recruit will find volunteering a worthwhile activity that enhances their lives and aids personal development. Their employers and communities will benefit in turn from their development as citizens."

In addition to providing financial support, Greenock employees will also be getting involved in future volunteer projects and Quarriers will be hosting volunteer awareness sessions at the Greenock site throughout May and June to help raise awareness on the benefits of volunteering.

National Semiconductor Greenock employees Walk for Local Charity

Jun. 30, 2006 - National Semiconductor's Greenock, Scotland employees who are members of Scotland's Health at Work (SHAW) team set off on a sponsored walk on the Isle of Cumbrae, just 10.5 miles in circumference. The weather was perfect as they caught the short 10 minute ferry from Largs.

Upon arrival at the island, the team stopped off for a quick photo shoot before heading off anticlockwise around the island. Along the way there was a couple of short stops at Fintry Bay and Millport Pier for refreshments before completing the walk in 2.5 hours.

The team enjoyed the day and raised a substantial amount of money for a worthwhile local charity, Quarrier's.

Quarrier's is a Scottish charity providing practical support and care for children, adults and families. They offer the most diverse range of services in Scotland, including but not limited to services to adults and children with a physical or learning disability; children and families facing poverty; homeless young people; and people with epilepsy requiring assessment, diagnosis and support for their condition.

 Regaining Independence through China Bicycle Ride

Oct. 21, 2006- Think about getting up in the morning. Brushing your teeth, getting dressed, making coffee, running for the bus...

Now think about how different that would be if you had no use of your arms and legs.

This is why Stewart Cameron, National Semiconductor employee from its Greenock, Scotland site, took part in the China Bike Ride, a nine-day ride through the Beijing area, over some of China's roughest terrain, in aid of REGAIN. Stewart set off on 14th October 2006 and his fellow cyclists included both able-bodied and tetraplegic hand cyclists.

REGAIN is Britain's only charity dedicated to improving the independence of people who have become tetraplegic as a result of a sporting accident. Without the support provided by REGAIN, many of the people it helps would be literally unable to get up in the morning, or would be forced to rely entirely on overstretched family members.

National Semiconductor Community Care Team has already committed its support to Stewarts fundraising efforts with a generous donation of £250.

Andrew K Burns, head of the Community Care Team at National Semiconductor's Greenock site, said
'We are very proud to be supporting Stewart's efforts and wish him the best of luck in completing this difficult challenge, and with raising as much money as possible for this very deserving charity.'

Each year National Semiconductor donates around £20,000 towards local community groups and charities in the Inverclyde area. The Greenock Community Care Team has been in place for over 10 years, raising much-needed funds for local charities and organizations.

 National Semiconductor supports Safe Kids Initiative

Sept. 5, 2006- Over one thousand pupils from Inverclyde's thirty-one primary schools are being given the message on how to stay safe thanks to an initiative organized by the Community Safety Department at Greenock Police Station and supported by National Semiconductor for the second year running.

Safe Kids Initiative runs from 5th - 22nd September and aims to make the participating children aware about the crimes they are most likely to face and the most effective ways for them to deal with it. They are also encouraged to think about the safety of friends, family and vulnerable members of the community such as elderly people and those with disabilities.

One thousand and fifty school kids from across Greenock will be taking part over the 18-day event and every child will be given a workbook to complete on their return to school to encourage them to continue thinking about safety in a more familiar environment and to learn more about staying safe in their day to day lives.

Each school will choose a winning booklet to be entered in a competition involving all the participating schools, allowing kids a chance to win a prize for their school. The winner will also receive a small prize for themselves to help them keep the safety message in mind. The prizes, sponsored by National Semiconductor, will be awarded at a presentation ceremony later on this year.

Andrew K Burns, head of the Community Care Team at National Semiconductor's Greenock site, said "Teaching kids how to stay safe is incredibly important and National Semiconductor is very pleased to be supporting the Safe Kids Initiative again this year."

Each year National Semiconductor donates around £20,000 towards local community groups and charities in the Inverclyde area. Its Greenock Community Care Team has been in place for over 10 years, raising much-needed funds for local charities and organizations.

To find more information on how to Stay Safe visit www.strathclyde.police.uk/index.asp