Airbus Group, Inc. receives 2016 Town of Herndon - Distinguished Corporate Service Award

As a leading supplier and industrial partner in defense and homeland security, commercial aviation, helicopters, telecommunications and services, Airbus Group, Inc. – together with its Airbus Group parent – contribute more than $14 billion to the U.S. economy annually, supporting over 225,000 American jobs.

Airbus Group, Inc. is the American operating company of Airbus Group, the world’s second largest aerospace and Defense Company. They are predicated on being a responsible local citizen – contributing to the associations and institutions where its employees live and work. The local Herndon and Ashburn offices are comprised of employees who absolutely care about the community in which they reside. These people do everything with a smile and a cheer that is contagious. Airbus volunteers make you feel like family when you arrive to pick up donations and are always the first business to reach out each year to determine what they can do to assist. They are a wonderful, generous and genuine collection of employees.

Herndon helped volunteers feel the appreciation during the 32nd annual Mayor’s Volunteer Appreciation Night at the Herndon Community Center on April 10. The Distinguished Corporate Service Award honors a business or corporation that has contributed to the Town through outstanding commitment to, or promotion of, the Town for the greater good of Herndon. This year, the award was given to Airbus Group, Inc. which has been a community partner with nonprofit LINK for the past six years. LINK, Inc. is a non-profit, 501c3 charity that exists to provide emergency food to needy people in the Herndon, Sterling, and Ashburn, Virginia communities. The all-volunteer staff members at LINK believe in the power of selfless service and the importance of providing people in crisis with unconditional love.

LINK has been serving the community for 44 years and provides emergency support to thousands of individuals each year. The relationship between Airbus and LINK began as an easy way to give back to the community through a simple food collection effort, however it has evolved into multiple events throughout the year with results that touch the lives of many families living in need.

Employee Support – Airbus reached out through one of its employees, Christine Cozza, who found creative ways for all of the various divisions (Airbus, Airbus Defense, Airbus Group, Airbus Spares/Satair) to get involved in our community. Volunteers held food drives and collected hundreds and hundreds of pounds of food in support of LINK programs. Teams crammed entire vehicles full of gently used coats and winter clothing. During their Breakfast with Santa event, the organization packed more vehicles with brand new toys for needy children. The group also collected gift cards this year allowing LINK to make much needed purchases for additional toys.

Purses for Women – One of the employees at the Herndon location, Rita, read on Facebook about donating used purses chockfull of products for women. So, she quickly contacted her fellow employees and together stuffed more than 30 purses with feminine products, tissues, note pads, pens, etc. and these were donated to Artemis House, Fairfax County’s domestic abuse shelter. The employees are already envisioning ways to do another event around Mother’s Day, 2016.

Airbus’ volunteerism and compassion for neighbors and community has propelled LINK to succeed and expand into a volunteer organization that served over 4,000 families in Herndon, Sterling, and Ashburn during 2015, through their weekly direct to home grocery deliveries, Holiday Program events and Mobile Food Pantry distributions. Their impact on the Town of Herndon and both Loudoun and Fairfax Counties is unsurpassed. We are all blessed to have their energy, selflessness and love for neighbors in our Town!

For more information regarding the Airbus Group volunteer efforts, please contact Christine Cozza at christine.cozza@airbus.com.