Hillenbrand Announces Partnerships for 2017 Community Engagement Initiative

BATESVILLE, Ind., April 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hillenbrand, Inc., along with one of its operating companies, Batesville Casket Company, announced plans for their second annual One Campaign. The One Campaign is a community outreach program structured around one week of volunteerism, a one-month educational awareness campaign, and one significant corporate gift, in addition to Hillenbrand's ongoing corporate giving.

"Individual worth and integrity is one of the core values at the center of who we are as a company," said Joe Raver, President & CEO of Hillenbrand. "Giving back to our communities helps us bring these values to life. Community engagement not only builds important relationships with civic partners, but contributes to strong communities and deep employee pride. All of these things help us attract and retain the talent necessary for Hillenbrand to grow."

Hillenbrand and Batesville Casket have selected two local organizations to partner with for the Week of Volunteering: the Batesville Community Education Foundation, and the United Way of Franklin County. For the Month of Awareness, Hillenbrand will spend May partnering with the Rural Alliance for the Arts to host an educational awareness campaign focused on arts and culture. The company will partner with WTIU (an Indiana PBS affiliate) and the Gibson Theatre in downtown Batesville to host a short film series, bring in guest speakers and promote other arts and culture opportunities within the community. For the Year of Giving, Hillenbrand will donate $25,000 to the Batesville Area Resource Center (BARC) to complete their building project. The updated BARC space will house a Project T3 center, a communal area for meetings and life training skills, and One Community One Family.

In 2016, Hillenbrand launched the initial One Campaign. During the course of the Weeks of Volunteering, employees gave their time to partner with different organizations contributing more than 1,500 employee volunteer hours with an 80 percent associate participation rate. During the Month of Awareness, Hillenbrand joined local Court Appointed Special Advocates to put a spotlight on the work of local citizen-volunteers who advocate for the interests of abused and neglected children. Lastly, for the Year of Giving, Hillenbrand made a significant corporate gift to the Margaret Mary Health Foundation.

In 2017, Hillenbrand plans to build upon its engagement efforts and begin gradually expanding the One Campaign to its global enterprise in over 40 countries, making the company one with communities across the globe.

About Hillenbrand
Hillenbrand (www.Hillenbrand.com) is a global diversified industrial company with multiple market-leading brands that serve a wide variety of industries across the globe. We pursue profitable growth and robust cash generation driving increased value for our shareholders. Hillenbrand's portfolio is composed of two business segments: the Process Equipment Group and Batesville. The Process Equipment Group businesses design, develop, manufacture and service highly engineered industrial equipment around the world. Batesville is a recognized leader in the North American death care industry. Hillenbrand is publicly traded on the NYSE under "HI."

About Batesville Community Education Foundation
The Batesville Community Education Foundation was established to provide additional funding for innovative learning opportunities that go beyond the basics in academics, athletics, and the arts in the Batesville public schools, enhancing the educational environment for all students.

About United Way of Franklin County
United Way of Franklin County's mission is to review Franklin County's human service needs, raise and allocate funds, and support programs to secure the community's future. 

About Rural Alliance for the Arts
The Rural Alliance for the Arts (RAA) is a not-for profit organization founded in December 1988 to promote the arts by providing opportunities for artistic education, expression and enjoyment in Batesville and the surrounding area. The organization has a volunteer 20 member Board of Directors, and a part-time Administrator. In addition, there are many volunteer and business organizations in the community that give generously of their time and talent to help make the RAA succeed. The success of the RAA is dependent on our many volunteers and members.

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SOURCE Hillenbrand, Inc.