For the fourth consecutive year, State Street was the principal sponsor of Oxfam Trailwalker UK, an endurance event held July 18-19 across the South Downs of England. Teams of four compete to finish the 100 kilometer race in less than 30 hours and to raise £1 million for the Gurkha Welfare Trust and Oxfam Great Britain.

This year, 480 teams set off from the starting line at the Queen Elizabeth County Park near Petersfield.  Nearly 80 percent of all participants completed the course.  The teams were halfway toward the pledged goal of £1 million at the end of the race, setting up the next leg of the competition: fundraising.

The Queen's Gurkha Engineer’s Team 2 finished first in a time of 10 hours, 44 minutes. State Street had 22 teams in the race, of which 16 completed the course.  State Street’s fastest team was the combined effort of members from Sons of Zeus and Cash Credit and Chris who finished in a time of 19 hours, 17 minutes.

Throughout the event, walkers were supported by a team of 40 State Street volunteers, comprised of employees as well as a few friends and family members. The support team manned the checkpoints along the route and ensured that each walker received refreshments, drinks and words of encouragement as they arrived at each checkpoint. Several supporters also acted as drivers and navigators, transporting kitbags, supporters and supplies from one checkpoint to another.

Oxfam GB is a development, relief, and campaigning organization that works with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering around the world. To achieve the greatest impact, Oxfam works on three inter-linking fronts: saving lives by responding swiftly to provide aid, support and protection during emergencies; developing programs and solutions that empower people to work their way out of poverty; and campaigning to achieve lasting change. Oxfam focuses its support on several health, human rights and social justice causes, including climate change, gender equality, education and hunger relief. 

Since 1993, State Street has annually recognized the outstanding volunteer efforts of individual employees.  The Chairman’s Awards for Exceptional Volunteerism are presented to employees who make significant and sustained volunteer contributions to nonprofit charitable organizations in their communities.  The 2008 awards were presented by State Street President and Chief Operating Officer Jay Hooley to Ken Bergeron, Adarsh Nagmoti and Qiwei Zhu at a recognition event at the Boston Opera House on June 2, 2009.

The Chairman’s Awards for Exceptional Volunteerism emphasize the company’s commitment to corporate citizenship and positive change in the communities where it conducts business. Considered among State Street’s most prestigious employee honors, the awards provide a $10,000 grant to the charitable organizations of the winners’ choice. 

• Kenneth Bergeron was recognized for his work with the American Cancer Society (ACS), a national, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem in the United States. Ken has been an active volunteer with ACS for the past eight years, and has successfully engaged his State Street colleagues in various projects along the way. At the Kansas City Hope Lodge, a facility for cancer patients and their caregivers, Ken and volunteers from State Street’s employee volunteer program, Global Outreach, painted movie and game rooms, decorated a children’s playroom, and built an outdoor gazebo, among many other projects. Ken takes a leadership role with ACS by serving on its Community Advisory Board and Chairman’s Circle. Through his efforts, more than 20 new people volunteer with ACS every year.
• Adarsh Nagmoti was recognized for his commitment to the charities FareShare and CRISIS. Adarsh originally discovered FareShare, a surplus food donation organization, through his participation on a Global Outreach project. He was so inspired by the charity’s work that he decided to continue volunteering with them outside of work. Adarsh was instrumental in promoting the work of FareShare to State Street’s UK community support program committee — personally presenting the charity’s funding application to the group — which ultimately secured a £30,000 grant to Fare- Share last year. Adarsh is also a regular volunteer at CRISIS, the UK national charity dedicated to addressing homelessness, helping to ensure that homeless people have a safe place to sleep.
• Qiwei Zhu was recognized for his involvement with several local organizations and initiatives in Hangzhou, including the Yunnan Donation Program. Serving as mentor to two middle-school students from the less advantaged region of Yunnan Province, Qiwei provides much-needed encouragement and academic advice, as well as financial support. As part of the Global Outreach program, Qiwei attended an all-day “Special Olympics and Me” event at a special needs school in Shanghai. He is also active in the Hangzhou Volunteer Association, serving on the Translation Team and on the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. 

For the first time ever, State Street was the principal sponsor of Oxfam Trailwalker Belgium held August 30-31 across the High Fens region to benefit Oxfam Solidarity. State Street's inaugural sponsorship is an extension of its long-standing support for Oxfam's fundraising events worldwide. For 10 consecutive years, State Street has been the principal sponsor of Oxfam Trailwalker in Hong Kong, and for the past seven years the principal sponsor of Trailwalker events in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. State Street is also the principal sponsor of Trailwalker UK.

Six hundred people or 150 teams of four participated in Trailwalker Belgium this year and pledged to raise at least €1,500 per team. Team Fura was the fastest team this year, finishing first in a time of 12 hours, 14 minutes—30 minutes faster than the second place team. State Street’s own Erwin Ramaekers led Team Fura and its team members Geert Camerlinckx, Martin Thoré and Koen Van Roey to victory.

Eight State Street teams, made up of employees from State Street’s Brussels, Amsterdam and Luxembourg offices, participated in the race. The Boston Clipper won the prize for largest fundraising and was led by State Street employee Junaed Kabir. Employees also volunteered along the course to cheer on their co-workers and other participants.

Oxfam Solidarity envisions a world where everyone has a place, regardless of their belief, skin color or sex. For more than 40 years, Oxfam Solidarity has worked to ensure that everyone's basic rights are respected and to find long-lasting solutions for poverty, injustice and exclusion. Oxfam Solidarity is a member of Oxfam International.