Operation Blue
As part of the company's 20th anniversary celebration in the summer of 2009, the company issued a challenge via the H.E.L.P. Initiative – to complete 20,000 hours of community service in five weeks. This challenge was met head on, with Chesapeake volunteers donating more than 26,000 hours of community service in just five weeks to 575 organizations in more than 70 communities across the country. The success of this initial campaign led to the formation of "Operation Blue" the following summer of 2010: an annual summer volunteer campaign allowing employees four hours of company time to give back to their communities by volunteering for their organizations of choice. In the past two summers, thousands of Chesapeake volunteers have contributed more than 57,000 volunteer hours to hundreds of organizations in Chesapeake operating areas. The amount of work completed in just two summers equals that of a full-time employee working 40 hours a week for 27 years. Operation Blue is now an annual volunteer program in which employees roll up their sleeves in the communities they call home.