We believe that social responsibility is fundamental to the success of our company. Since 1979, when J.A.Beira was founded, we have been committed to making a difference in the community and the world. Over the last 10 years, we have continuously invested in this area, having established partnerships with local and national associations. Find out which ones!
Summary:
- A message from the CEO on social responsibility
- Detailed analysis of our partnerships
- The impact of social responsibility at J.A.Beira
- How can you help?
- Conclusion
1. A message from the CEO on social responsibility
“Aware of the responsibility and role that J.A.Beira plays as a family business and towards society, we have been interacting and playing an active role in causes and organisations with greater commitment for the last 10 years. We began this journey with Paraíso Solidário, a project based mainly in the geographical area where we are located, in Vilar do Paraíso, Vila Nova de Gaia, which aims to support disadvantaged families and people with specific needs. Since then, we have covered and supported other types of institutions and foundations, providing contributions and enhancing their image and activities.
We have thus extended our support to the Portuguese Fertility Association, the Valadares Volunteer Fire Brigade and, more recently, Make-A-Wish Portugal, by supporting the fulfilment of a wish. In addition, we entered 2024 with a new partner institution, Cercigaia, in a project aimed to support people with disabilities. This project is also allied to sustainability, by recycling/separating the materials contained in capsulated corks. The possibility of supporting and associating ourselves with such noble causes fills us with pride and helps us to leave a solidary footprint as we promote them.”
José Alberto Beira, CEO
2. Detailed analysis of our partnerships
2.1. Paraíso Solidário
We started collaborating with the “Paraíso Solidário” project, one of the community supports of the São Pedro de Vilar do Paraíso Social Centre, around 10 years ago. This initiative develops its social intervention work by accompanying families and people with various problems in the areas of employment, education, housing, health, etc.
Since then, J.A.Beira has made a monthly monetary donation and, at Christmas time, it organises a food drive among its employees, as well as sponsoring children and offering them Christmas presents. In addition, in 2019 we contributed to the purchase of a van used to transport the association’s users.
2.2. Portuguese Fertility Association
This institution has developed an action programme which, having started by putting infertility on the public agenda, now focuses on the support and inclusion (legal and social) of all people with this condition.
As part of the 2023 Easter gift, we made a donation on behalf of our clients to this organisation. After this, we promoted the organisation’s mission and activities on our social channels.
2.3. Valadares Volunteer Fire Brigade Humanitarian Association
The main purpose of this association is to protect people and property, namely to rescue the wounded, sick or shipwrecked and to extinguish fires, and it owns a volunteer fire brigade for this purpose.
The partnership with the Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters of Valadares began in June last year and since then has covered more and more areas of activity within the association. As well as being company partners, through monthly donations, we have already organised training and awareness-raising activities, fire drills, the sale of charity raffle tickets and, most recently, collaboration with the B.V.Vida clinic to hold bi-weekly pilates classes for our employees.
2.4. Make-A-Wish Portugal
Make-A-Wish Portugal’s mission is to make wishes come true for children and young people aged 3 to 17 throughout Portugal with serious, progressive, degenerative or malignant diseases, giving them a moment of strength, joy and hope.
This institution has been supported by J.A.Beira since October 2023, when we included items from its charity shop in Christmas gifts for customers. In 2024, we sponsored a child’s wish, took part in the Wish Challenge (teambuilding activity) with 9 of our employees and made these activities the motto for the 2024 Easter gifts, having bought more items from the charity shop for this purpose.
2.5. Cercigaia
Cercigaia began operating in 1977 and currently supports around 300 children, young people and adults. Its main objective is to achieve the autonomy and socialisation of people with disabilities and to promote their individual well-being, encouraging their integration into the different environments in which any citizen lives. Its headquarters are in Canidelo, Vila Nova de Gaia.
This is our most recent partnership, which naturally has a social responsibility aspect, but also a sustainability aspect. This initiative is based on the recycling of discarded capsulated corks, using the method of detaching the cork from the capsule, using heat, carried out by its users. In this way, we support this organisation and manage to reintegrate these stoppers into our production, promoting the sustainability. So far, we’ve recycled more than 13.000 corks in collaboration with Cercigaia and we hope this will be a successful and long-lasting partnership!
2.6. St Sebastian’s Hospital
In the case of the St Sebastian’s Hospital, located in Santa Maria da Feira, we made a donation for the purchase of a portable X-ray unit, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. These devices were and are widely used, as they can be moved around more easily and automate the workflow, while guaranteeing high resolution. During the pandemic, they helped in the fight against COVID-19, as they prevented healthcare workers from being exposed to radiation, as well as allowing them to be handled while respecting social distancing between patients.
3. The impact of social responsibility at J.A.Beira
The combination of all these collaborations has had a very positive and even transformative impact on J.A.Beira’s organisational culture. Above all, feeling that we have a positive impact on our community and society in general adds a human dimension to our company that is extremely valuable.
In particular, the team-building activity held at Make-A-Wish’s headquarters was the activity carried out with employees that had the greatest impact and contributed to closer ties between the members of our team. In the future, we hope to have the opportunity to carry out more initiatives of this kind, including more employees from different areas of the company.
4. How can you help?
Here are the websites of all the organisations mentioned in this blog post, so you can support these causes or search for more information about them:
- Paraíso Solidário
- Portuguese Fertility Association
- Valadares Volunteer Fire Brigade Humanitarian Association
- Make-A-Wish Portugal
- Cercigaia
- St Sebastian Hospital – Entre o Douro e Vouga Hospital Centre
5. Conclusion
To summarise, we have explored the concept of social responsibility and how J.A.Beira has implemented it in its activity. Through partnerships with several institutions, the company has endeavoured to make a difference in the community and in the world. By investing in this area, we aim to improve the company’s image and increase employee retention but, above all, contribute to causes that are so important. We believe that social responsibility is everyone’s commitment. Together, we can make a difference!