Roche Holds Sixth Annual Children's Walk...(communities we serve. Empl...),Health

Employees Give Back

Undeterred by the weather, Nutley employees have walked in the rain, snow and gusty winds in past years and are very proud to contribute to such a worthy cause. "There are many things I take a great deal of pride in at Roche. At the very top of the list is the fact that we all recognize how devastating AIDS can be, and in particular, for the children of parents with AIDS," said Gordon Willcox, vice president, Account Management at Roche. "It gives me such a feeling of pride and value to be involved in fund raising to support children of parents with AIDS in both New Jersey and in Malawi, Africa. The outpouring of support from our Nutley employees is awe inspiring and also personally quite humbling."

In addition to supporting the New Jersey AIDS Partnership, funds raised through the Roche Children's Walk will be donated to UNICEF to support orphanages in Malawi for children who have lost parents to AIDS. These donations fund food, clothing, basic health care and schooling. More than half a million children in Malawi have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Health experts say that sub-Saharan Africa remains the worst affected region in the world; in 2007, 33.2 million people were living with HIV. According to the World Health Organization, 66 percent of world's population living with HIV resides in Sub-Saharan Africa, and this region carries the highest burden of HIV infection and HIV/AIDS mortality in the world. Approximately three-quarters of women and 90% of children are living with AIDS in this region.

"The Roche Children's Walk is a wonderful opportunity to engage employees in supporting local as well as international efforts," said Jeannine Bender, director, Corporate Relations and Contributions at Roche. "The funds they raise are tremendously helpful to the various organizations and ultimately the patients and fa
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