PowerBlog!

Ambassador Entry--Higinio Garza

Why is Community Involement Important?

Excellence is a tradition for Tyson Foods. Playing an active role in the community increases productivity, customer loyalty, and attracts future talent to the Tyson Foods Family. LULAC and Tyson share a common interest in the advancement of the Hispanic community, and a cohesive effort between the two organizations heightens awareness of the Hispanic influence in all areas of the workplace and the community at large. A collaborative effort between Tyson Foods and LULAC strengthens the relationship between Tyson and its customers in showing the humanitarian investment that the company wishes to make. Finally, community involvement attracts future generations strengthening the bond between corporation, community, and the individual.

Higinio Garza

Dakota Dunes

Ambassador Entry--Rolando Pruneda G

¿PORQUÉ ES IMPORTANTE PARTICIPAR EN LA COMUNIDAD?

Como personas que formamos parte de una sociedad tenemos la

Obligación-responsabilidad y el derecho de participar para

Mejorar nuestro estilo de vida laboral-social-familiar

Unidos solamente lograremos los proyectos y las metas

Necesitamos educarnos y educar a las generaciones futuras y no olvidar a los viejos que son la experiencia del presente para ser mejores lideres ciudadanos

Iniciativas de ley que den más oportunidades de liderazgo hispano

Demostrar a nuestro empleador y familia que tenemos la capacidad y calidad para ser buenos líderes hispanos

Apoyar a la mujer que es el pilar y calor de una unidad familiar

Dejemos que nuestros principios morales, costumbres, y educación nos representen.

Su futuro Embajador de los Compañeros de Equipo de Tyson Foods

Rolando Pruneda G

Shelbyville, TN

Ambassador Entry--Linda Sue Meyer

Why is community involvement important?

I have worked for Tyson’s for four years and I have learned that without our community here in Sedalia, Missouri working as a whole that we wouldn’t have a Tyson plant or any kind of a community environment. Each person in a community is a valuable asset. Without their courage to go out every day and work with others through community involvement any town or city would not exist. The community in a small or large town basically becomes the most important part of where we live. It gives you the initiative to learn about new jobs, progress in your company, help other in charitable organizations and get involved in community activities.

I have lived in the United States all my life and I have learned that believing in your self and getting involved in your community is an every day challenge, for example a the Tyson plant here in Sedalia we have a wide range of training programs from learning Spanish to just contributing to a team member through donations for a health reason or tradegy in the family. These matters are small but are part of every day community life.

The center of every town is the community! By working with others through team involvement we can grow through strong business and community partnership and through good solid relationships with others. Sedalia has grown in the last ten years because of the efforts of all the people in our community. That is why community life is so important!

Linda Sue Meyer

Sedalia, MO

Ambassador Entry--Gay Giffin

Why is Community Involvement Important?

All people have individual needs and problems that need to be addressed to insure a fulfilled life. Real help and change comes from the community in which we live. Every community has many diverse issues – there is “always” a need each resident can fill. No one person is totally self-sufficient –we all need to put out the effort to help where we can. Participation enriches our own lives and others.

Community involvement provides the necessary development of programs to protect and serve not only ourselves but also our friends and family. By getting involved in your community you are given the opportunity to change the things you dislike, present your views on the issues of today and the future, and to make a difference in the quality of life for those concerned. Participation also gives the added bonus of helping to build strong relationships with other residents in your community. These relationships are what gives us joy in the good times and what helps carry us through the bad times (like 9-11). The benefits from working with your church, schools, elderly, youth and the many diverse community programs are immeasurable.

Gay Giffin

Emporia, KS

Ambassador Entry--Paula Tejo

"Por qué es importante participar en la comunidad"

Nuestra comunidad complace gran variedad de necesidades para todos los Compañeros de Equipo de Tyson. Ministros religiosos, cristianos y musulmanes, ofrecen servicios para que los trabajadores tengan con la confianza de hablar con libertad de los problemas que tienen ya sea en su trabajo o en sus vidas. Centros especializados en estudios para adultos como Volunteer State Communite College, oferta cursos de inglés en diferentes niveles (ESL) . Good Will Industries of Middle Tennessee, facilita instructores de computación.

Los que trabajamos para Tyson, sentimos como nuestro deber, cooperar con distinguidas instituciones de ayuda a personas necesitadas, entre otras, la United Way para la que anualmente ratificamos nuestro aporte monetario. Second Harvest también cuenta con nuestras sistematicas donaciones de alimentos.

Por la calidad de lo que producimos y por el respeto con que lo hacemos obtenemos, además, la admiración y el agradecimiento de nuestros vecinos, velar por su seguridad y por la protección del ambiente en la comunidad…es nuestra prioridad.

Paula Tejo

Ambassador Entry--Charlie Brown

Why is community involvement important?

Cities and towns would not be able to survive without community involvement. Community involvement is an essential tool for all communities to fulfill their goals.

I live in a small town of about 260 people. I have served on the town council, both as a councilman and as Mayor, as the president of the Community Housing Development Corporation, and have been on the Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department for over 20 years.

Community involvement is what gives a town its identity. Whether a company is sponsoring a Little League baseball team, or an individual is coaching that team, the goal is the same. We all want to make that community a better place to live, work and play. It requires volunteers at each level. Some can give monetary support, some can give their time. Both are essential for survival.

Charlie Brown

Cherokee Plant

Ambassador Entry--Teresa Rodriguez

Why is it important to help in the community?

Ever since I can remember I always watched my Dad as we were growing up. He would work all day and even after his full time job he did part time work and still managed to get involved in the community. He was my example that even the littlest things help out. He would say it makes the world of difference, especially when you accomplish something you feel better about it. You have to look into the future. He helped start building a park we are now all enjoying. They have a lot of different activities going on all the time.

I helped accomplish building a bigger and better church because of our Hispanic population in our community. So many new people were coming into our community that something had to be done. Having a place to practice their faith and traditions would surely help keep them here and also make us honorable people. This helps make Tyson a better place to work. I also try to do all I can to help out with the Cancer Society and Diabetes Association because it has hit so close to home, and every little bit we do can maybe help someone else.

Teresa Rodriguez

Emporia, KS

Amabassador Entry--Luis Pinto

Why is Community Involvement Important?

The most important factor that reflects the value of community involvement is that people are empowered to have a say in decisions about actions that affect their lives.

By involving oneself within the community, one gets to regularly interact with the community and proactively share information from member to member, to seek out and facilitate the involvement of others, provide information to the community so as to get others to participate in a meaningful way; to communicate to all everyone’s interests, to meet the needs of all the members of the community; to share with the members how their input was or was not used; and lastly, to communicate to all, how the contributions of the community can influence decisions.

It is the actively participating member who “makes things happen”, who serves as an example and inspiration to others, and who encourages others to volunteer, for the good of the whole group.

The importance to be involved is best described by John Donne: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”

Thank you.

Luis Pinto

Villa Hills, KY

Ambassador Entry--Lourdes E Colon

Why is community involvement important?

Community involvement is like a seed planted in good, solid ground. As the seed develops, it takes its rightful place in the garden and begins to complement the flowers that surround it. A company that is involved in the community enhances the landscape by cultivating perennial relationships with individuals and organizations within the garden. Much like the sun’s essential rays, companies that come together to help their neighbors in times of natural disaster or financial difficulty quench the community’s need for economic and social fertilizer. When the direct results of the support from a local company enable people to cultivate their lives and begin to flourish, their respect for the provider of that sustenance blossoms. In return, these companies may enjoy the fruits of their labor in the form of new consumers and a dedicated workforce. A community can flourish when local companies tend to their garden.

Lourdes E Colon
New Holland, PA

Ambassador Entry--Pablo Macouzet

Why is Community involvement important?

Winston Churchill once said, “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.” In today’s society where individuals are out to make a quick buck, Churchill’s true meaning of life has tragically gone by the wayside. The modern fast paced life that we live in creates a self-centered society where we fail to stop thinking of ourselves for a moment and instead give our time to others.

Community involvement is comprised of people joined in one effort to fix a problem or create a solution before the problem arises. Whether it’s working to educate tomorrow’s leaders by developing educational programs or increasing the awareness of minorities, the power of one person is enough to impact the lives of many others. When we look back at the accomplishments in our lives, the best moments will be those when we did something for others.

Pablo Macouzet
Amarillo, TX

Ambassador Entry--Sanjuana Le

Participemos en Nuestra Comunidad

Las comunidades son creadas por la gente que habita en ellas.

El exito de una comunidad va siempre a depender su sus habitantes.

Si en una comunidad hay participacion conjunta de su gente, esta comunidad prosperara y sera exitosa.

Las comunidades crecen no solo cuando el numero de sus habitantes aumenta pero cuando los habitantes se involucran en actividades comunitarias para la prosperidad de ese lugar.

No importa cuantas razas distintas habiten en una comunidad, si todas se unen y forman un equipo su participacion sera de gran beneficio para la comunidad.

Cuando la comunidad esta unida cualquier problema que surja tendra mas posibles soluciones y sera resuelto mas rapido.

Es sabido que una persona puede hacer la diferencia para mejorar una situacion, pero si mas de una se unen en acuerdo y trabajan juntas el resultado sera mejor.

Cuando uno participa en su comunidad el beneficio no solo es para una persona si no para toda la comunidad.

Ayudemos nustras comunidades porque asi nos estaremos ayudando a nosotros mismos!

Sanjuana Le

Emporia, KS

Ambassador Entry--Milton Guerrero

Why it is community involvement important?

It brings people from all walks of life together like a family whether it is in crisis or a celebration. You can get to know your community and find out the different needs and concerns of the people living in the community. You share a common goal and work together to accomplish this common goal like a big family. When I see people working together or visiting together about what we can do to make our community better it gives me a sense of pride to live in this community and help as much I possibly can. In my community, we have a lot of elderly people that can no longer get around much that we take meals to or mow their lawn and see that they appreciate how the community is willing to help their own and take care of their own. Feeding the homeless in our community is also one of the many things that make a community proud simply because it puts a smile on some ones face and merely a simple " Thanks" is enough gratitude and again makes the community feel like a family because it is different people from different backgrounds and walks of life come together. During these days of time consummation from work or kids or taking care of your own needs where time is too priceless. Making the time to invest in your neighborhood, your community, your town, no matter if it is just to reach out to someone in your community for just a few minutes can make a brighter day for someone even if it is just to say a kind word. These are just some of the things that make community involvement important.

Milton Guerrero

Amarillo, TX

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

Tyson LULAC Ambassador Entries

Earlier in the summer, Team Members were invited to participate in a contest to become Tyson Foods’ guest of honor at the 76th LULAC National Convention and Exposition. To enter, they had to submit a short essay by responding in their own words to the following question: Why is community involvement important?

The winning entry was posted by Joseph Diaz, complex HR manager at the Tyson Waldron, Arkansas complex. You saw his posts on the blog from the convention.

In the coming days, we'll be posting excerpts from those entries, all of which were very good.

John Tyson Visits Omaha, Council Bluffs

On Wednesday, July 6, John Tyson visited the cooked meats and case ready plants in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and the bacon plant in Omaha, Nebraska.

The trip was part of an ongoing series of plant visits John will be making over the next couple of years in an effort to personally visit all of our company’s plant locations. The plants were among 20 Tyson locations John has visited since the effort was started (and the first since we began the PowerBlog).

In addition to allowing John to meet and talk with Team Members throughout the plants, the visits provide a unique opportunity to invite community leaders in to see the plant and enhance relationships with location and corporate leaders.