Tyson LULAC Ambassador Contest. The winning entry.

Why is Community Involvement Important?

Community involvement is important because it gives the company credibility amongst the leaders of the community and its people. Being involved in the community is not just a matter of credibility, but a matter of integrity of us being the agent of the company in communicating our core values. The Tyson logo that we wear in our communities is representative of the deeds that we do and how we do them within our community. We can be a symbol of job security, trust, faith-friendly, integrity, credibility, or a symbol of all the opposite if we choose not to be involved in the community. The community and Tyson are two entities that depend on each other to succeed. In 1952 when Cesar Chavez became part of the Community Service Organization (CSO) formed by Saul Alinsky, he reaffirmed the fact that the community and company are two entities whose survival depend on each other "We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community...Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.  You are never strong enough that you don't need help." 

For me, community service has been an integral part of my job as well as my personal commitment to live up to the core values and give back to our community. I have served as Chamber of Commerce President, Lion’s Club Vice-President, Resource Advisory Vice-Chairman, and many other organizations whose sole purpose is to better the lives of its citizens. As Martin Luther King Jr. said “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”.

by Joseph Diaz

Complex HR Manager

Tyson Foods, Waldron Arkansas