is;that;taking;care;of;your;team;and;looking;out;for;each;other?”
Klaassen;poses.;“Sometimes;I;don’t;like;the;term;because;it;makes
it;seem;like;a;program;rather;than;as;way;of;thinking;of;your;busi-
ness;as;a;contribution;to;society.”
The;fund;also;helps;compensate;for;not;providing;higher;sala-
ries;or;benefits,;which;often;results;from;keeping;services;afford-
able;for;seniors,;Klaassen;says.;This;is;one;of;the;more;difficult
quandaries;faced;by;any;corporate;leader;who;wants;to;“balance
mission;and;margin,”;he;adds.
“If;you;fall;too;far;to;one;side;or;the;other,;the;company;fails,
so;CSR;is;about;walking;that;balance;between;the;two,”;Klaassen
notes.;“I’m;always;mindful;of;our;mission;of;responsibility;to
the;community;and;to;our;team,;but;at;the;same;time,;we;have;a
responsibility;to;be;there;for;tomorrow;and;continue;to;provide
45,000;jobs;and;open;new;communities.”
Volunteerism;and;Going;Green
Another;thing;that;many;assisted;living;residences;already;do;but
may;not;label;as;CSR;is;to;offer;volunteer;opportunities;for;resi-dents,;Leader;says.;On;one;hand,;the;community;benefits;from;the
volunteerism,;but;it’s;also;a;way;of;giving;back;to;seniors;some-thing;that;was;important;to;them;throughout;their;lives.
“I;do;healthy;living;lectures;with;residents;in;which;I;talk;about
all;the;things;they;were;involved;in;from;a;volunteer;perspective
when;they;were;raising;their;families;such;as;Boy;Scout;and;Girl
Scout;leaders,;room;mothers,;PTA,;religious;organizations;that
serve;the;community,”;Leader;adds.;“Many;dropped;out;of;those
activities;because;they;retired;and;slowed;down,;but;those;activities
are;what;give;meaning;to;our;lives;and;our;self-esteem.”
Examples;of;volunteer;projects;at;Country;Meadows;residences
include;residents;helping;teachers;at;local;schools,;knitting;af-
ghans;for;the;homeless,;and;making;sandwiches;for;after-school
meals.;The;corporate;office;also;sponsored;an;art;show;of;resi-
dents’;works;that;raised;more;than;$2,000;for;the;Alzheimer’s
Association.
On;the;other;hand,;the;environment;is;one;area;of;CSR;that;has
gained;substantial;attention;in;the;community;at;large;but;less;in
senior;living.;One;reason;is;that;new;construction;was;rare;during
the;year;when;green;certifications;such;as;Leadership;in;Energy
and;Environmental;Design;(LEED);began;to;gain;momentum,
Bernier;says.
Another;reason;is;that;residents;have;not;demanded;sustain-ability;and;green;practices,;Leader;says.;However,;he;thinks;that
will;change;as;the;baby;boomers;move;into;the;decision-making
arena;as;family;members;and;ultimately;residents;themselves.
“It’s;just;not;going;to;be;an;option;in;the;future;but;standard
practice;for;all;businesses,;and;then;we’re;going;to;compete;with
each;other;to;prove;who’s;more;green,”;he;adds.
So;far,;efforts;to;go;green;at;Country;Meadows;have;been;pre-dominately;driven;by;leadership;and;staff.;The;company;has;en-gaged;in;recycling;at;the;corporate;level;for;many;years;and;now
is;working;with;a;consulting;company;to;find;a;cost-effective;way
to;separate;recyclables;from;ordinary;trash.;In;some;communities,
heat;wheels;have;been;installed;to;recover;and;reuse;heated;air
instead;of;venting;it;into;the;outside.;It;is;researching;buying;at
least;a;portion;of;its;energy;from;renewable;sources;such;as;solar,
wind;or;thermal;power.;And;it;even;recently;purchased;its;first
hybrid;corporate;car,;a;Prius,;to;see;how;employees;like;it.
Benchmark;also;is;gradually;going;green.;From;now;on,;any
new;construction;must;meet;green;standards,;such;as;LEED;or
20;ASSISTED;LIVING;ExECu TIVE | NovembeR/DecembeR 2007 | www.AlFA.oRg
keePINg TAbS oN cSR
The following resources report on those companies that track
corporate Social Responsibility:
❯ Center;for;Corporate;Citizenship at boston college,
www.bcccc.net
❯ hands;on;Network,;co-sponsored the 2005 study, “can
corporate volunteering Support the bottom line?” with
the case Foundation, www.handsonnetwork.org
❯ Walker;Information, conducted the study, Measuring the
Business Value of Corporate Philanthropy,
www.measuringphilanthropy.com/us_studies/
❯ Golin;harris, performed “Doing good by Doing well”
study which documents links between how customers
feel about a company and its influence on their behavior,
www.golinharris.com
NAHB,;Grape;says.;A;problem;with;LEED;is;that;it;currently
doesn’t;easily;fit;assisted;living,;he;adds.
The;key;when;considering;sustainability;is;to;balance;it;with
the;mission;to;provide;quality;of;life;for;seniors,;Klaassen;says.
For;example,;Sunrise;has;shifted;some;incandescent;ceiling
lighting;to;compact;fluorescent;bulbs;but;will;not;ever;switch
totally;to;fluorescent;bulbs;despite;the;possible;energy-saving
benefits;because;of;their;institutional;quality.;However,;building
an;energy-efficient;residence;or;using;long-lasting;roof;shingles
not;only;helps;protect;the;environment;and;ensure;longevity
for;the;world’s;supply;of;natural;resources;but;also;makes;good
business;sense.
Reputable;Initiatives
CSR;can;be;a;real;boon;to;the;bottom;line,;but;companies;should
also;be;aware;of;a;few;pitfalls,;Sibilia;says.;Companies;that;talk;the
talk;but;don’t;walk;the;walk;in;all;areas;are;vulnerable;to;losing
investors,;customers,;and;employees;as;well;as;being;negatively
targeted;by;activists;and;regulators.;For;example,;Ben;&;Jerry’s
experienced;a;public;relations;setback;when;it;blocked;employee
unionization;efforts;and;was;hit;with;fines;for;violating;sewage
disposal;standards.
Sibilia;advises;companies;to;“develop;a;CSR;strategy;that;is;au-thentic;and;transparent.;If;you’re;doing;something;wrong,;expose
what;you’re;doing;and;try;to;correct;it.;The;Gap;last;year;closed
operations;in;59;factories.;That’s;significant;not;to;do;business
