It helps deliver tools designed specifically for volunteer efforts in education and not-for-profit organizations and provides significant and measurable change within agencies and organizations that would have never had access to such resources

To help commemorate its centennial, earlier this year, and build on IBM's long tradition of community service, tens of thousands of IBMers around the world are volunteering their time and talent throughout 2011 in support of smarter planet initiatives. These efforts make up a global 'Celebration of Service'
(http://www.ibm.com/ibm100/service).

Another significant volunteering initiative at IBM is the Corporate Service Corps or a corporate version of the Peace Corps. IBM Corporate Services Corp places IBM's most highly valued assets, their employees, into emerging and developing countries to address core societal, educational and environmental challenges. It provides international leadership development experiences for IBM employees. It also helps employees develop 21 st century skill-set and leadership experience by exposing them to diverse cultures, complex policy environments and changing societal expectations of corporate behavior.

IBMers who are part of the On Demand Community, IBM's volunteering program, spend several hours in a week volunteering in NGOs of their choice. The IBMers are supported by providing the tools through our On Demand Community site and also by awarding grants to those NGOs that they volunteer for. Some of the organizations, in India, they are actively involved include: Spastic Society of Karnataka, Enable India, Mitra Jyothi, National Association for Blind, Parikrama Foundation, Pune Blind Men's Association, Calcutta Rescue, Hope, World Vision, Ashayein, Agastya International Foundation and several others.

In October 2010, On Demand Community surpassed 11.5 million hours of service logged by more than 170,000 participants. That's more corporate volunteer hours of service recorded than any other company.

Anyone can visit www.ibm.com/ibm100/service to pledge volunteer hours and access a portfolio of free service activity kits available in seven languages.