Since Epic moved its headquarters from Madison, Wis., to Verona, Wis., in 2005, the health IT giant has given back to its new community through grants focused on "at-risk" populations, reports ConnectVerona.com.
In 2015, Epic donated nearly $118,000 to the City of Verona and the Verona Area School District, according to the report.
Every year, a group of Epic employees works on the company's grant program and goes through requests from the city and school district to determine where to provide funding. Jen Peterson, a human resources employee at Epic, said in the report the company tries to focus on areas and populations that may be at the most risk.
Among the grants Epic provided in 2015 were $15,833 to the library's literacy program, $12,000 for automated doors at the senior center, nearly $9,000 to boost parental involvement in pre-K and $2,620 to local schools for alcohol risks programs, according to the report.
"When we moved out here to Verona, one of the things that was really important to us is that essentially we're a part of the Verona community," Ms. Peterson said in the report. "We wanted to make sure that we're a good community member."
Epic founder and CEO Judy Faulkner is no stranger to philanthropy. In June 2015, Ms. Faulkner signed the Giving Pledge, an initiative launched by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates asking the world's wealthiest people to donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. In Ms. Faulkner's pledge letter, she said she plans to give away 99 percent of her assets.
"Many years ago I asked my young children what two things they needed from their parents," she wrote in her pledge letter. "They said, 'food and money.' I told them, 'roots and wings.' My goal in pledging 99 percent of my assets to philanthropy is to help others with roots — food, warmth, shelter, healthcare, education — so they too can have wings."
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