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1 4 8 H a r t f o r d support totaling $6.9 million to 9,942 organi- zations nationwide. Since 2003, employees have logged more than 2.3 million volunteer hours. Today there are 50 regional volunteer councils that identify local community needs and respond accordingly. Connecticut is home to two councils, one in Hartford and the other in Norwalk. Aetna generously supports the efforts of employees who wish to engage in philanthrop- ic endeavors of their own. The company offers matching grants for disaster response and per- sonal donations; matches donations to the annual Giving Campaign; offers volunteer grants to organi- zations where employees donate their time; and allows employees to take time off to volunteer through its Volunteer Hours program without having to use vacation time. Many Aetna employee heroes have emerged as a result of Aetna's corporate commitment to service. For example, consider the work of two Aetna employees: Cheryl Nelson, an Aetna senior customer service representative in Bismarck, North Dakota, partici- pated in a bone-marrow donation drive run by the Be The Match(SM) Foundation. The Aetna Foundation and Aetna have awarded more than $160,000 over several years to this foundation, and most of the grants have been used add Aetna employees to the National Marrow Donor registry. Adding one person to the registry costs about $100. When Nelson found out she was a match for a leukemia patient, she was thrilled. "It felt like I had won the lottery, except I won an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give some- one a second chance at life," she said. Nelson under- went blood testing and a health assessment. In the fall of 2009, she traveled some 1,500 miles to donate her marrow. Over the years, Lisa Smith's hard work and dedica- tion has helped an inner-city hot meals program in Akron, Ohio grow to serve an average of 220 people at dinner four to five times a month. Smith, an Aetna Service Operations teleworker, oversees other volun- teers who prepare and serve meals. She also has helped the organization with capacity-building efforts through grant writing, although she had no previous fundraising experience. "We're getting a three-door refrigerator soon, replacing one that is at least 35 years old," Smith said, showing that her hard work learning how to apply for grants has paid off. Smith has a simple piece of advice for people thinking about volunteering. "Go out and do it," she said. "You'll be so glad you did. What I've gotten back is so much more than I've given." Throughout its history, Aetna has built deep and lasting relationships in Hartford, Connecticut, where Aetna is headquartered and where the company maintains a large presence, of over 6,000 employees. Aetna and the Aetna Foundation, as well as gen- erations of employees, have supported a wide range of charitable organizations, primarily in Hartford, representing health issues, the arts, social services such as food, shelter and clothing for those in need, academic studies, faith-based programs and many other worthwhile initiatives. In recent years, our annual gifts in greater Hartford have typically ranged between $5 million and $7 million each year. In 2010, Aetna announced a three-year, $750,000 commitment to help save a premier tennis tourna- ment played each summer in Connecticut. As a Aetna Continued from previous page Above: Cheryl Nelson, an Aetna senior customer service representative. Right: How Does Your Garden Grow? – Kids from Hartford's low-income neighborhoods had the opportunity to plant, culti- vate, and harvest their own food at a community gar- den with help from Aetna employees, who supplied seeds, tools, know-how, and encouragement throughout the summer.