Deloitte and United Way open doors to community service, professional development

Driven by a desire to affect community change, a group of 50 students from universities around the country are joining “Maximum Impact: Deloitte’s Alternative Spring Break,” organized by Deloitte, United Way of Miami-Dade and United Way Worldwide. The program, which runs March 6 – 11, 2016, matches students with 19 Deloitte professionals to learn more about the company and its philanthropic work in the community through United Way.

Students will take part in professional development opportunities, and learn about the importance of quality early education and how to make a difference in their own communities.  At the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education, they will experience quality early care and education firsthand, they will learn the history of Early Head Start and how it helps low income families.  Then, students will visit six Early Head Start centers, revamp playgrounds at each, and take part in the children’s everyday routines, including activities that enhance early literacy, science and math, through art, music, technology and more.

This year’s program comes on the heels of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited’s new survey of 7,700 Millennials from 29 countries, which underscores the need for businesses to adjust how they nurture loyalty among young workers or risk losing a large percentage of their employees. If given a choice, 44 percent of Millennials say they expect to leave their current employers in the next two years.

“This absence of allegiance represents a serious challenge to any business employing a large number of Millennials,” said Diane Borhani, director, Deloitte Services LP and U.S. Talent Acquisition Best Practices & Innovation Leader. “Young professionals are looking for employers who share their values and have a strong sense of purpose.  The relationships we form with students during Alternative Spring Break are integral to our efforts to better understand and meet their needs for career satisfaction.”

Students participating in the program are often invited to interview for summer and winter internships with Deloitte.

“We are eager to once again team with Deloitte to create opportunities for young adults to use their spring breaks to make a real impact in someone’s life,” said Paul DeBassio, executive vice president, Investor Relations, United Way Worldwide. “Through this week-long program, students will receive the tools, resources and experiences to help them become effective leaders in their communities.”

About United Way Worldwide

With 2.9 million volunteers and 10.3 million donors worldwide, and more than $5 billion raised every year, United Way is the world’s largest privately-funded nonprofit. We’re engaged in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create community solutions that improve education, financial stability & health. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited

About Deloitte

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world’s most admired brands, including 80 percent of the Fortune 500. Our people work across more than 20 industry sectors to deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to make their most challenging business decisions with confidence, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthy society.