Can one hour’s time really make a difference? Can a single donation actually change lives? What is possible when one company comes together with a goal of making the world a better place? Fairmount Minerals understands the power of people united around a cause — one by one our skills and passion can create profound impact.

Fairmount Minerals’ most significant investment in local communities comes through the time and energy our employee family members generously provide to organizations and causes near to their hearts. In 2009, we increased participation in our employee volunteer efforts with 95 percent of our Fairmount family donating time to non-profit organizations of their choice. We logged more than 7,600 hours of volunteer time as an organization and generated an additional 800 hours of volunteer time by engaging our spouses, children and friends in the process.

Every Fairmount location once again conducted a volunteer Day of Caring with sites participating in activities ranging from park and river clean-up to enhancing a healing garden at a hospital. We also sought to promote local non-profit organizations by hosting Community Investment Fairs in every Fairmount region in the United States. With these fairs, we brought local businesses and non-profit groups together to uncover opportunities for collaboration and support.

Because we understand that Fairmount Minerals’ prosperity is linked to the success of our communities, we make an annual commitment to donate a minimum of 1.5 percent of our pre-tax, pre-equity earnings to charitable causes. While we, like most other businesses, felt the effects of a struggling economy last year, we exceeded our 1.5 percent corporate donation target. Fairmount Minerals also continued our support of student education by providing nine $2,000 scholarships to children of Fairmount family members.

As part of our community investment in 2009, we expanded our geographic reach. As in years past, Fairmount Minerals continued to support Aqua Clara International through the installation of 3,000 water purifiers in more than a dozen countries. We reached out to our Mexican partners through a donation to a local organization supporting children with disabilities. We also became the first foreign company to make a charitable donation to the Yixing Charity Organization of Jiangsu Yixing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau in China to support the needs of the newest community where Fairmount Minerals operates.

Beyond corporate contributions, we helped to raise $40,000 in 2009 for the Geauga County United Way with the third annual Bill Conway Founders Charity Golf Classic held at Sand Ridge Golf Club. In addition, our employees generously donated $47,000 to the American Cancer Society by participating in Relay for Life events around the United States.