Hi CPS EMEAR! Are you ready for a some friendly competition? Interested in also making an impact? This year, Customer and Partner Services is coming together to give back to our people, communities and planet through our CARE Initiative, CPS for Action and Relief Everywhere (CARE). This quarter, everyone will be asked to donate in a race to have the highest participation rate among AMER, EMEAR and APJC. Locate your regional CARE fund with BrightFunds nonprofits to have your contribution matched by Cisco, by December 21st. The most "CARE-ing" region will be announced in the next calendar year! Eager to do more? By sending a screenshot of your contribution to your regional CARE fund, you can physically race as well! We're hosting a Walk or Run competition to encourage each other to stay active. You will be added to the WxT so you can connect with and encourage your competitors. Happy racing! Persons of contact: Jordan Smith (jordsmit), Annie O'Brien (anniobri) https://cisco.brightfunds.org/funds/fy21-cps-care-fund-apjc https://cisco.brightfunds.org/funds/fy21-cps-care-fund-amer

Please donate to Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome https://www.bancoalimentar.pt), the Food Bank in Portugal. However small your contribution might be, it still puts food in the hands of families. I pledge to walk at least 100km in 5 days to make it to the small city of Fatima, along one of the main routes, the Tagus route https://caminhosdefatima.org/en/ and joining millions of pilgrims visiting each year. During the pandemic I have realised how fortunate many of us are. Many people are dying or getting sick, mental health issues, domestic violence, racial abuse, substance abuse, you name it. We have all suffered in different ways and our economies have all taken a hit with many people losing their jobs, people struggling to put food on the table and afford the everyday necessities in life. It’s time for us to give something back, now more than ever and it's never too late! I am so lucky to work for a company that supports corporate social responsibility by giving us time off to support community causes but also matches Cisco employee donations. Those who can should help out, however small our contribution might be, that still goes a long way. Many people in our neighborhoods not only can't pay their mortgage or their rent but also can't pay their bills or buy enough food. In an ever more unequal world we can start by helping our communities. Please join me in donating towards the Portuguese Food Bank (Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome https://www.bancoalimentar.pt/), your help will make a difference. During the pandemic they received in excess of 80,000 requests for help, many of which from people who never asked for help before  https://sicnoticias.pt/especiais/coronavirus/2021-03-23-Banco-Alimentar-e-Caritas-preocupados-com-os-efeitos-do-fim-das-moratorias-bancarias-4cb815ba Poverty has reached new levels by also dragging the middle class into it. Here just one of many stories and article that can be easily found online https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-portugal-algarve/food-bank-charities-busy-in-algarve-as-pandemic-ravages-portugal-tourism-idUSKBN2BP0KH I am not trained at all and I have never done this before. I gained 10kg+ during the pandemic and my back is in bits but starting on May 17th I pledge to walk at least 100km in 5 days to make it to Fatima. I will post at least one picture per day on LinkedIn with the tracking. Please donate here on BrightFund so that your donation can be matched by Cisco. Please also help me sharing this initiative 1) Internally within your team and organization in Cisco https://cisco.brightfunds.org/funds/please-donate-to-banco-alimentar-contra-a-fome-the-food-bank-in-portugal/edit 2) Externally within your network and on social media using this link gf.me/u/zqfmg9 (for donors external to Cisco) and through LInkedIN https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6790653627015970816/ Thank you in advance for your help and God bless

Were hoping to move mountains and take the summit as per Everest Challenge. As when living through mental health issues it can feel like an uphill battle. (Everest Challenge was to overcome 288.000 steps in order to scale all 3 faces of Everest per 5 man team) I propose we aim to conquer 300k steps as many times as we can as a group collecting donations as we go to help raise awareness for The Mental Health Issue Globally that the pandemic has brought even more need to focus on.