Local activities to support local communities in our markets
Thule Group is a global company. Our products are sold in 138 markets. We are just over 2 600 people working for Thule Group at nine production facilities and more than 35 sales offices worldwide.
In several of the places where we employees, there is a great and warm commitment to engagement in the local community.
Below is an overview of some of the latest activities that our employees engage in.
Thule Group hosted a special day for RBU at Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden
Thule Group has been a proud partner of RBU for over a decade, supporting numerous events and activities aimed at emphasizing the importance of being able to live an active life, even for those with reduced mobility.
More than 180 RBU families had the opportunity to enjoy Sweden's largest amusement park, Liseberg. For the first two hours, the park was exclusively reserved for the RBU families, allowing them to experience the attractions in a more relaxed and accessible environment before it opened to the public.
The event was filled with joy, laughter and unforgettable moments of fun and entertainment!
Thule Group language café, a way to learn better Swedish and create a better community
Thule Group's hub for product development, global test center and one of our largest assembly sites is located in Hillerstorp, Sweden. The site has a wide range of employees from different countries and regions. There is often a high ambition to learn Swedish. The company organize teaching during working hours, but learning a new language is not always so easy.
The "Thule Language Café" was started in Hillerstorp as an initiative from one of our employees to improve people’s Swedish language skills in a simple and relaxed way. Simply put, a conversation group to practice your Swedish and to discuss current or just casual everyday topics.
Getting into the giving spirit - Helping is fun!
Thule Group employees in Huta Szklana, Poland joined the local "Become a Santa Claus" charity event again. Each year, we raise funds to help with the care of a child in need from our local community. Our team baked and sold over 40 cake pans at our Huta plant and decorated the Christmas tree with employee-made crafts auctioned at the event.
With Christmas Bear “Bronek” and Santa's sleigh, we filled our charity box, setting a new record for a single company's contribution! Doing good together is just part of who we are!
Thule Group employees supports homeless people and animals in need
Thule Group employees in Louvain La Neuve, Belgium are helping those in need by supporting Les Restos du Cœur, a charity organization in France and Belgium. The team spent a day assisting with meal preparations and service for homeless individuals and those with low incomes.
Additionally, they extended their support to Equi Rêve, an animal shelter for horses. The employees worked on building shelters in a meadow, cleaning stables, and adding sand to create a welcoming space for rescued animals. Equi Rêve fights against animal cruelty, and we're happy to contribute to their important work.
Bringing Holiday Joy to Seniors - 5 Years of Giving!
At Thule Group in Poland, we have been organizing the “Christmas Presents for Seniors” event for 5 years. This year, 40 local institutions, companies and volunteers joined us, making it even more special. We prepared 116 gifts and hosted a memorable, heartwarming Christmas Eve party.
We shared wafers, exchanged wishes, sang carols, and enjoyed a delicious Christmas Eve dinner. For many attendees, it was their only Christmas dinner, highlighting their loneliness and the challenges they face in life. We were glad to bring them care, joy, and shared moments!
Their smiles say it all!
UNHCR – Help for school children on the run. Our gift is doubled!
Thule Group supports the UNHCR’s work to help aid and protect people forced to flee conflict and persecution as well as those denied a nationality. In the midst of such a disaster—when families struggle to survive—schooling can seem like a luxury. But for children it is vital. Being allowed to go to school reduces the risk of abuse and violence. It gives hope and the possibility of a brighter future. Every day, UNHCR gives refugee children the chance to learn to read and write. They distribute school materials, renovate classrooms and train teachers. They help give children a better future already today.
Our gift is doubled by the Akelius Foundation!
Thule Group employees in Malmö office, collected clothes and toys for Skånes Stadsmission
More and more families find it difficult to afford Christmas presents or even food for their family. As the Christmas holidays approach, the difficulty becomes clearer and that much more exposed. For those needs, many turn to Stadsmissionen, which can help with Christmas presents, clothes, shoes and more. Skåne Stadsmission also offers professional support, both urgent and long-term, to people living in vulnerable life situations.
We at Thule Group are happy to contribute to sustainable development and take social responsibility.
Thule sponsors, as always, the biggest charity bike event of the year in the UK
The year's most popular bike VIP charity event in the UK, Champions of CycleSport, has just been held in the incredible ‘Evolution London’ in Battersea, central London. The event is held as a charity event to raise funds for research and care for children with serious illnesses.
As a globally well-known and valued brand in the bike industry, the Thule Group is of course one of the contributors with some of our best-selling and sought-after bike products.
Champions of CycleSport is one of the UK bike wold’s most popular annual events. Every year the evening brings together a large crowd of the most famous and well-known people in British biking. Thule Group has been contributing to the charity auction for several years with some of our best-selling and sought-after biking products. This year we also spiced up the event further by presenting some of our latest and newest products on site.
With help from all sponsors and generous guests ‘Action Medical Research’ were able to raise over £250,000! This will convert to very real research that will help babies and children.
Thule Group Seymour employees repeat their annual donation of meals to local Thanksgiving food drive
For the tenth year in a row, employees at the Thule Group site in Seymour, US, donated a total of 137 Thanksgiving dinner boxes to the Spooner House, a local nonprofit organization that provides food, shelter, and support services to people in need. The boxes containing canned goods and other non-perishable food items will help feed 137 local families for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Since 2013, the Thule Group in Seymour has partnered with the Spooner House in Shelton, Connecticut, USA, to fundraise and purchase meals for the community. And each year, the office employees turn the food drive into a competition to incentivize participation across all departments.
On Friday morning, marketing team members packed up the Thule van with the boxes and delivered them to the Spooner House.
Thule Group cleans nature in southern Sweden together with local sports associations
For the third year in a row, Thule Group have collaborated with the organization ‘Städa Sverige’ (Clean Sweden). The organization is a cooperation between Swedish sport associations to clean nature from littering.
We are happy to see that this year's engagement has grown and with several teams, from two geographical regions in south Sweden – both from Skåne, where the Thule Group HQ is located, and Småland, where Thule Group was founded in 1942.
Overall we are very happy with this year's outcome. Several 100 bags of trash were picked up and over 300 young athletes and leaders were engaged with one common goal, to clean our common nature. Everything from socks, cigarette butt-ends, glass bottles to whole bicycles were found and picked up.
Read more about ‘Städa Sverige’ (in Swedish)
Read the press release from Städa Sverige (in Swedish as well)
A fantastic day together with Sweden’s National Association for Disabled Children and Adolescents at Kolmården Safari park, Sweden
The Thule Groups motto is 'Active life. Simplified'. As part of bringing this to life and part of the group's commitment to the local community, we have been supporting the Swedish organization RBU (Sweden’s National Association for Disabled Children and Adolescents ) since 2010. RBUs members are some of the people in our society who need the outmost support to live an active life.
First Saturday in September 2023 we arranged another family party at Kolmården Safari park in western Sweden. This time for more than 600 of the organization's members. It was a fantastic day together in bright shining late summer sun and a warm, welcoming and joyful atmosphere.
Active challenge to support the building of a Frame Running* Center in Złotów, Poland.
Our teams in Poland are working with the local charity organization ‘Złotowianka Foundation’ to raise money for the building of a Frame Running Center in the neighborhood. The center will be built to facilitate for people with disabilities will be able to train and develop their sports passions.
The Thule Group employees participated in the initiative “Make a jumping jack for a fiver” meaning that they had 72 hours to complete the challenge - make 20 jumping jacks - and each person involved throws a “fiver” into the money box.
Simple, yet brilliant and a very creative idea!
Our teams gathered at the agreed place and time and we jumped all together! Endorphins were in the air!
*Frame Running (formerly known as RaceRunning) is an adapted sport for children, young people and adults who cannot functionally run and rely on sports aids for mobility and balance.
A Frame Runner is a three wheeled frame where the athlete is supported by a saddle and body plate. The athlete propels against the frame using their feet, and steers using the mobility within their hands and/or arms. People with cerebral palsy can take part in Frame Running as a recreational activity and Frame Running is a very effective way of improving overall fitness, strength and physical and emotional well-being.
We plant forests in Huta, Poland
The regrowth of the forest has an absolutely central role in our nature's global cycle. But the forest also provides the opportunity for an active life, for relaxation and enjoyment. Thule Group's aspiration to be involved in society affects many parts of the business, and constructive social involvement is an important part of our culture. One of the areas we focus on is Taking care of the natural environment.
In the end of March a group of our employees from Thule Group in Huta Szklana took part in the forest planting action organized by the local NGO "Forestry Inspectorate".
Together with other local organizations (the Mayor of Krzyż, parts of the fire brigades in the area, local teachers from some of the schools – to mention a few) the team from Thule Group did a great job in the forest. Over 1,000 small tree seedlings were planted during the day and the group's commitment to the work was unmistakable.
Read more about Thule Group Our take on community engagement at the corporate website thulegroup.com
The biggest bike event of the year in the UK - for charity
The year's most popular bike VIP event in the UK, Champions of CycleSport, has just been held in the incredible ‘Evolution London’ in Battersea, central London. The event is held as a charity event to raise funds for research and care for children with serious illnesses.
As a globally well-known and valued brand in the bike industry, the Thule Group is of course one of the contributors with some of our best-selling and sought-after bicycle products.
Champions of CycleSport is one of British bike wold’s most popular annual events. Every year the evening brings together a large crowd of the most famous and well-known people in British biking. Thule Group has been contributing to the auction for several years with some of our best-selling and sought-after biking products. This year Thule RoundTrip Bike travel cases and Thule ProRide bike carriers contributed to the total fund raising of close to GBP 300,000- (Euro 350,000- and Dollar 370,000-).
Thule Group employees in Poland support Chronically ill and Disabled People in our neighborhood
Since a number of year Thule Group is engaged in different activities in Poland to support and active life for disabled people. Since 2019 we are a proud supporter of the Złotowianaka Foundation and participating in their numerous projects and initiatives.
The Złotowianka Foundation connects amazing and passionate people who, just like us, promote an active lifestyle. Among rehabilitation programs they have been implementing FrameRunning in Poland since 2016 with impressive international results.
Złotwianka Foundation supports disabled people to live their dreams and become more independent and self-confident, regardless age or gender!
We support the people of Ukraine
The winter is coming and the indescribable suffering of the people who have fallen victim to Russia's merciless, barbaric war of aggression against the people of Ukraine is deepening.
Thule Group continues its habit of giving a generous gift to the UN refugee organization UNHCR as a Christmas present from the company's employees.
This time of year, the temperature can drop to minus 20 degrees centigrade. For many, the situation is therefore urgent, not least for families with small children.
A major challenge in Ukraine is that over 800,000 families have had their homes destroyed in the number of attacks - and that even more have suffered from power cuts. How are children supposed to keep warm without protection from cold wind and hard weather? How are parents supposed to make food without electricity?
Helping people survive the winter is UNHCR's top priority in the coming months. With the support of the Thule Group and other donors, UNHCR can help repair and insulate accommodation and distribute sleeping bags, winter clothes, stoves and food. This will save lives!
Thule Group Seymour employees donate meals to local Thanksgiving food drive
Last week, employees at the Thule Group in Seymour, US, office donated a total of 116 Thanksgiving dinner boxes to the Spooner House, a local nonprofit organization that provides food, shelter, and support services to people in need. The boxes containing canned goods and other non-perishable food items will help feed 116 local families for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Since 2013, the Thule Group in Seymour has partnered with the Spooner House in Shelton, Connecticut, USA, to fundraise and purchase meals for the community. And each year, the office employees turn the food drive into a competition to incentivize participation across all departments. This year, the Quality Department retained its 1st place spot by donating 32 dinners. Human Resources came in 2nd place with 9 boxes and Marketing in 3rd with 17 boxes (based on the ratio of meals donated by number of employees in the department).
On Friday morning, marketing team members packed up the Thule van with the boxes and delivered them to the Spooner House.
The fight against cancer continues - Move4life activates the whole of Belgium
In the end of October, the Thule Group team in the city Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium, was taking part in a Relais pour la Vie event, an initiative of the Foundation against Cancer.
This is an event that aims to motivate every Belgian to contribute locally to the fight against cancer.
During 24 hours the team have walked and run, alone or with friends and family to celebrate the courage of all who have battled, or are still battling, cancer; to remember those who died from the disease and encourage the local community to get involved on a daily basis.
The 24-hours relay is a symbole of the continuous battle for the people with cancer. The group's motto is Move4Life as we want to spread the idea that physical activity can help to combat diseases but can also be fun and social!
The event also raised close to Euro 100,000 for the fight against cancer.
Thule Group in Germany is giving a hand for an active life thought “The hand project”
This activity has been planned since 2020 and twice cancelled due to Covid-19. The group of seven apprentices together with employees from Thule Group in Neumarkt, Germany, finally had the chance to make this charity event under the lead of “The Hand project”. Making it possible for a number of disabled people to live a much more active life!
“The Hand project” provides mechanical prosthetic hands to people in developing countries (Ghana, Uganda, Nepal, India) completely free of charge. A hand amputee there cannot afford a prosthetic hand. With the prosthesis, the recipients can write, eat, ride a bike or a motorcycle, and much of what we take for granted. All recipients will also receive a 3D cosmetic prosthetic hand. This gives them more confidence when out in public.
As an added challenge, each of us had one hand covered during the assembly process to simulate a “stump”. This helped to build empathy and connection with the recipient of “our” hand, and also promoted teamwork – it took 3 people to screw a bolt in.
A great experience for all participant plus the chance to change someone‘s life, making it possible to live a much more active life, for a person who is struggling due to the lack of medical care in developing countries.
Time to clean up the beach in Walnut Beach
On October 20-21, the Thule Group Eastern Distribution Center and our Seymour-based Supply team Chain, both in the US, participated in a cleanup of Walnut Beach in Milford, Connecticut, US. The campaign was done in partnership with the Milford Land Trust. Over 2 half-day day shifts, the teams were taught to identify and eliminate invasive “Mugweed”, as well as plant 4 Oak saplings that will hopefully thrive in their new home for generations to come. The Land Trust had Master Gardeners on site to help our teams learn.
This cleanup is part of an effort to get Thule Group’s Supply Chain, Operations, and Distribution teams more involved in community outreach. The feedback from the teams has been phenomenal, and Milford Land Trust was extremely appreciative, inviting us back for future outreach.
Walnut Beach is one of Connecticut’s most beautiful beaches and we are proud to help the conservation efforts of the community that gives us our home.
The Thule Group team in Longmont, Colorado (CO), Supports Local Trail Restoration
On a perfect 71F (21C) October morning, a group of Thule Group employees in Longmont, CO, helped county open space personnel with some much-needed trail maintenance on a local high-use trail system.
Our local mountain trails enjoy some hard use and our rocky-“Rocky Mountain” trails will need occasional maintenance. These trails sometimes “braid out”. In other words, the original trail becomes forked into multiple trail braids as muddy sections are avoided resulting in further degraded conditions through lost vegetation.
The team made excellent use of many interesting tools including Pick Mattocks, McLeods, rock hammers, pry bars and even a 6-person rock hoist. With these, the team sectioned off the secondary trails to funnel traffic back onto the main trail.
Morale, sense of accomplishment and eagerness to participate in more projects has been the main feedback from the participants who also received praise and astonishment from the county open space leader saying that our team was quite hard-working and exceeded all expectations.
Thule Group supports local sport associations for engagement in nature clean-up
For the second year in a row, Thule Group have collaborated with the organization ‘Städa Sverige’ (Clean Sweden). The organization is a cooperation between Swedish sport associations to clean nature from littering. We were happy to see that this year's engagement has grown and with several teams, from two geographical regions in south Sweden – both from Skåne, where the Thule Group HQ is located, and Småland, where Thule Group was founded in 1942.
Overall we are very happy with this year's outcome. Several 100 bags of trash were picked up and over 300 young athletes and leaders were engaged with one common goal, to clean our common nature. Everything from socks, cigarette butt-ends, glass bottles to whole bicycles were found and picked up.
We at Thule Group want to contribute to a more sustainable world by offering innovative, high-quality products that inspire people to live an active life. Therefore these outdoor environmental initiatives, like “Clean the trails” in Colorado, US, and “Städa Sverige”, Sweden, are something that we believe goes hand in hand with our basic values. We want people to be able to enjoy and be active in a clean nature many decades ahead. says Kajsa von Geijer, SVP HR and Sustainability at Thule Group.
Thule Group supports RBU in spreading the word about the importance of an active life
Thule Group has been a proud partner of RBU (Sweden’s National Association for Disabled Children and Adolescents) for more than 10 years. In a large number of events and activities, Thule Group has helped RBU highlighting the importance of being able to live an active life even as a person with reduced mobility.
The annual so-called “Politicians' week” in the town of Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland is a major political event in the Nordic countries with a large number of opinion leaders who meet in seminars, discussions and debates. The media presence is high and the opportunity to spread their message about the importance of enabling disabled children and young people to live an active life is ideal.
During the 2022 edition of the “Politicians' week” Thule Group supported RBU to arrange their own activities in a large tent in central Visby. Discussions with politicians and decision-makers about the importance of an active life for all. Many of the visitors also tested the currently most popular sport for disabled youth "frame running".
We are proud partners of RBU and we will continue our support to the organization in their work to promote an Active life for all!
Thule Group supports UNHCR to help people in Ukraine and on the run for their lives
Thule Group supports the UN organization UNHCR's work to actively help people in Ukraine and on the run from their war-torn country.
In addition to the monetary contribution we make through UNHCR, our Polish colleagues in Huta and Pila actively work to help our employees who are from Ukraine. It is above all about helping their family members to get to a safe place in Poland, to assist with housing and necessities
Thule Group in Brazil supports children and their education
This year, Thule Group in Brazil has made a great contribution to the local society by supporting educational initiatives for children with various forms of disability. Education is a prerequisite for being able to develop and live a good life. Through this year's support for four philanthropic educational institutions, Thule Group in Brazil is making an important contribution to the children's future.
Children and their education is always an important matter for society. This year Thule Group in Brazil, together with four different philanthropic institutions, chose to make a difference in the lives of children who attend the institutions “APAE (Associations of Parents and Friends of the Exceptional)”, “Grendacc (Group in Defense of Children with Cancer) and “ATEAL (Therapeutic Association of Hearing and Language Stimulation). These four institutions serve children and youth with autism, language difficulties, and various other forms of disability and other challenges, often are challenges associated with extra difficulties.
We are happy to implement this local social action, as a gesture of kindness to our community. Good examples can inspire people to make a difference!
We contribute to a better life in the world's refugee camps
Since 2018, Thule Group has been supporting the UNHCR's work to help children and families fleeing conflict areas and humanitarian disasters. We also contribute to UNHCR's work as part of our commitment to the UN's Global Compact initiative
By supporting the UNHCR's work for sustainable solutions in the world's refugee camps, we help both people on the run right now and in reducing the world's total emissions. This year's contribution pays for 12 solar panels that will be installed in refugee camps during the coming year.
Solar panels save lives
A solar panel helps a family on the run with electricity to cook, have clean water and heat for several years. Everyday needs becomes easier to achieve. In addition to providing electricity to families, solar panels, for example, operate water pumps and provide street lighting.
It also contributes to reduced carbon dioxide emissions as the use of diesel generators decreases. In the long run, solar panels can also contribute to several positive consequences:
- Increased security for women
- Gives children more time for schoolwork
- Is both environmentally friendly and efficient
How do solar panels help?
Endless drought, floods and ruined harvests. Right now, people are struggling to survive on the front lines of the climate crisis.
Competition for the earth's scarce resources is increasing. Access to food and water is declining. Women and children are forced to walk further and further to find firewood. People are forced to flee their homes.
Investing in renewable energy saves lives when families are fighting against all odds. Solar energy fills everyday needs in refugee camps. Solar panels power water pumps, street lighting and provide electricity to families.
It also contributes to reduced carbon dioxide emissions as the use of diesel decreases.
Christmas presents for seniors in Poland
Community involvement is an important commitment for the whole Thule Group, which is why we often initiate different actions to support the local community. Helping people in need, spreading joy and caring is an important part of our involvement in the local community. "Christmas presents for seniors" is a recurring activity that is appreciated as much by our employees as the recipients.
This year Thule Group in Huta, Poland initiated this activity for the third time, and together with our employees, who showed a fantastic enthusiasm, we prepared close to 100 presents full of the most needed daily products, some nice gifts and sweets.
Every single person from our Senior list has a different life story, but all of them are just as touching. The common denominator is that they all have a difficult life and often a difficult health situation.
We are very happy, that we could bring a little smile to their faces and even sometimes tears of emotions.
For the seniors the present itself was not as important as the fact that someone remembered about them and paid attention to them.
Thule Group employees to support children from the Educational Care Centre in Jastrowie, Poland
For the fourth year in a row our employees voluntarily engaged into preparing and donating Christmas gifts to children from the Educational Care Centre in Jastrowie, north west Poland. The institution that we cooperate with gives home and care to 35 children and teenagers who come from an unstable background and fulfills their basic need for safety.
Apart from that the care givers provide children with psychological, educational and medical help giving them the resources needed to be able to safely and confidently step into the adulthood and begin an independent life.
Thule Group employees come together to support the local community
For the past five years, Thule Group employees in Seymour have given back to the local community while competing in a friendly departmental competition. And while most employees are used to battling it out in a bike or a running race, the spirit of this competition was to raise money and purchase much-needed meals for local families in need. This year we supported more than 700 families in need.
With all of the proceeds and meals going to the ‘Spooner House’ in the neighboring town, Shelton, Connecticut, these resources are offered to support more than 700 families in the area needing extra assistance around the holidays.
Due to the pandemic, the Spooner House requested some additional items to help local families, and with that, the cost per box went up +30%. Despite the increase, we are happy to report that Thule Group employees donated 180 boxes from departments within Seymour and Milford!
With contributions from every department, Thule Group is one of the largest contributors to the Spooner House by providing Thanksgiving Day meals to nearly 20% of their families in need this holiday season.
Read more about the Spooner Hose and their work at http://www.actspooner.org/
Thule Group supports ‘Champions of CycleSport’ charity event
For several years, Thule Group has been contributing prizes to the charity event 'Champions of CycleSport' in London. The event attracts a large number of participants and donors from the cycling elite in the UK.
The grants go to the important research that the organization ‘Action Medical Research’ conducts. We are happy to give the cycling elite in the UK the opportunity to contribute donations to Action Medical Research's important work.
Action Medical Research is the leading UK charity funding vital research to help defeat the diseases that devastate the lives of sick and disabled babies, children and young people.
This year event took place at the exclusive Hurlingham Club in central London.
Read more about the event:
https://action.org.uk/events/social-events/champions-cyclesport
Read more about the important work done by Action Medical Research
https://action.org.uk/
Thule Group in Seymour supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month
In an effort to show their support for breast cancer awareness, every October employees from Thule Group in Seymour offer donations to the Seymour Pink organization. By coming together last week, and donning their signature pink tee-shirts, our staff helped support this important organization through the sale of these shirts.
All money donated to “Seymour Pink” helps in the organization's mission to unite a community in the fight against breast cancer. Through various fund raising events, Seymour Pink, now in its 12th year, is able to fund breast cancer research and provide education, as well as empower and assist breast cancer victims and their families.
More about Seymour Pink
Thule Group in Haverhill show their support for disabled and vulnerable children
The Thule Group team in Haverhill, UK, has made a tremendous effort and raised a big sack of money for disabled and vulnerable children in the local area and throughout the UK.
The Haverhill management team gave their support to the “Wooden Spoon” charity match by sponsoring the shirt worn by the local Cambridgeshire rugby team. Thule Group Finance Manager, Clive Carrington, played in the match which raised a big sack of money for disabled and vulnerable children in the UK.
Read more in our Spotlight section
Thule Group becomes a partner of Hillerstorp Arena, an activity house for active lives
Thule Group becomes a partner of Hillerstorps Tennisklubb when the club invests heavily and builds Hillerstorp Arena, an all-activity house, to encourage and facilitate an active life for all residents in Hillerstorp and our employees in the area.
When the building is completed, around the turn of the year 2021/2022, the facility will offer tennis, paddle and boules courts and a flexible activity hall for, among other things, table tennis and gymnastics. In addition to this, there will be a section for relaxation and community where visitors should be able to relax, socialize and have a cup of coffee while watching the children's training and ongoing matches. The hall will also be adapted for activities for the disabled and people with functional variations. The activities in Hillerstorp Arena will focus on youth activities and not primarily on any elite initiatives.
Hillerstorp Arena will strengthen the area’s attractiveness as well as contributing to the joy and well-being of our employees and their families.
Read more in our Spotlight section
Project ‘Cleaning Sweden’
With the number of participants in hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities soaring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re also seeing an increase in wear and tear at Sweden’s most popular outdoor destinations. By partnering with “Cleaning Sweden,” Thule Group helps support the maintenance and clean-up for these beloved natural spaces.
Read more in our Spotlight section
Family day with RBU, the National Association for Disabled Children and Young People
Ever since 2010, we have been the main sponsor of the organization RBU (the National Association for Disabled Children and Young People). The members om RBU are perhaps the group in society that has the largest difficulties of living an active life.
Since 2011, as one part of our sponsorship, we have arranged a number of fantastically appreciated and fun family days for RBU's members. This time as many as 200 families gathered at the Western-inspired Amusement Park High Chaparral for a great day with lots of laughter, fun, joy and surprises. Thule Group had volunteers on site, as usual.
Read more in our Spotlight section
Making a difference in Hong Kong, Kowloon & New Territories schools
An opportunity to make a difference to children in seven secondary schools located at different districts of three main regions (Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories) where we have donated around 250 backpacks. Some of the students in these schools are from low income families living in subdivided rooms or under Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme (CSSA).For those pupils it makes a big difference to own their own, nice looking and functional backpack.
“Gift for seniors” in Huta, Poland
The Thule Group team in Huta, Poland, expanded the initiative to support Santa also to include elderly people in the village of Huta. For the second year in a row they collected food and supplies, but also some small nice gifts, for these often lonely, poor elderly. It’s called “Gift for seniors”.
Thule Group in Poland helps Santa
Since 2017 Thule Group employees at our sites in Poland have been collecting, making and buying presents for children in difficult situations who might not otherwise receive any gifts for Christmas. As an example, these Santa helpers visit a local orphanage in the town of Piła.
It has become a tradition we love to hold on to.
Seymour Thule Group employees give back in a new way this holiday season
The holiday season is a time for giving and especially for giving back. 2020 was a challenging year, which can make the holidays quite stressful for those less fortunate. With these community members in mind, the Thule Group employees in Seymour, CT teamed up with local non-profit organizations to run a Thanksgiving food drive and Christmas toy drive.
In a long-standing partnership with Spooner House, a local shelter and food bank, thousands of dollars in food were donated to the needy through special gift cards. Through TEAM and Valley United Way, two local non-profits, we kick-started the “Make Magic Happen” toy drive. With the option of shopping for toys online or making a monetary donation, our employees made Christmas morning brighter for several deserving children in the area.
Thule Group and its employees support UNHCR's work
Since 2018, Thule Group and our employees have been supporting the UNHCR's work to help children and families fleeing conflict areas and humanitarian disasters. The week leading up to Christmas, the company organizes a Christmas bazaar with products from cleared warehouses, product samples, exhibition products etc. All products are sold during an auction, which annually manages to raise a considerable amount of money.
Every krona (SEK) spent by employees at the bazaar is matched by Thule Group, and the total amount is donated to support the work done by UNHCR.
In 2020, UNHCR focused on the retain the possibility to education for children and to increase the possibility for hygiene and good health in the refugee camps. Children in all countries are struggling with the consequences of covid-19 affecting their education. Refugee children are particularly disadvantaged. When you struggle to even have access to soap and water, it is difficult to keep good hygiene during the global pandemic. UNHCR help people to get soap and clean water, information on the severity of coronavirus, medicines and healthcare as well as refugee shelter for isolation and temporary emergency clinic
In 2019, UNHCR focused on broader efforts in the refugee camp organization.
In 2018, all funds went to UNHCR's emergency aid in Yemen.
Employees from Thule Group Help Restore and Maintain Local Trails in Colorado
On September 24, eight employees at Thule Group in Longmont arranged time out of the office to help maintain a trail network frequented by mountain bike and hiking enthusiasts. In 2020, officials report that trail usage is up over 300% in the mountain areas near our office in Longmont, Colorado, increasing the need for volunteer efforts just to keep trails passable.
With the guidance of county open space leadership, our eight headed team incorporated modern trail maintenance techniques to construct a fence structure and restore a section of trail badly in need of attention. The Longmont Activities Committee hopes to coordinate additional restoration work, in partnership with our city and county outdoor management, to continue improving the outdoor spaces that Thule users frequent and enjoy.
Support for the local community during the first wave of the pandemic
During the first wave of the global pandemic, in the spring of 2020, there was a great commitment among our employees to support the local community where there was an opportunity.
In Longmont, Colorado, USA, we made face masks for the nearby Avista Adventist Hospital in our prototype department.
In Seymour, Connecticut, USA, our efficient 3D printers were used to make face shields for St Mary's Hospital just a short distance from our site.
A day filled with climbing and fun together
Employees at the company’s facility in Neumarkt, Germany organized an activity day for 45 local young people with disabilities at the German Alpine Association’s local indoor climbing facility. Thule Group’s employees with climbing experience made sure that everyone had a fun – and safe – time, and after a long day each participant received their own Thule backpack.
We run for charity
Forty employees at the company’s facilities in Menen, Belgium participated in the “Warmathon”in the nearby town of Kortrijk.
Warmathons are an exercise event during a week in December that is connected to charity. Each Thule Group employee that participated could decide which charity the company would sponsor.
Thule Group employees use their amateur landscaping skills to give back to society
Since 2018 Thule Group employees has offered their time and amateur landscaping skills to help the local non-profit organization "The Seymour Historical Society" weeding, raking, and chopping down fallen branches in an effort to clean up and beautify a property of ‘The Seymour Historical Society’. The organization runs various educational and recreational programs for children and adults in the area.
The Thule Group team in Haverhill donate to Reach Out at Christmas
Since 2018 the Thule Group team in Haverhill has donated food to a ‘Christmas Food Bank’ run by the Reach Community Project. This is a local charity that provides assistance to people in poverty.
They provide hampers to families who are struggling financially and unable to enjoy the Christmas treats that many take for granted.
Thule Group supporting people in need during the Thanks giving holiday season
Since 2013, Thule Group employees in Seymour, Connecticut, have partnered with the "Spooner House" organization in Shelton, Connecticut, to fundraise and purchase meals for donation to local families in need during the Thanksgiving holiday season.
Spooner House is run by Area Congregations Together, Inc. with the mission of providing food, shelter and support services to people in need.
Thule Group employees team up with the City of Longmont, Colorado to support local ecosystem
In August 2019, Thule Group employees from the Longmont, Colorado office dispatched a team of volunteers to perform some important work to support a local floodplain ecosystem. Resident beavers in this habitat provide important ecosystem support by restoring wetlands that support vegetation and native animal species. Sometimes though, additional native trees are needed to provide shaded creeks for fish and to stabilize riverbanks with strong tree root foundations.
To support these efforts, the team helped apply a special beaver “protection paint” to many of these riverside trees so that they can become more established in support of this goal. Aided by old painting clothes and an overall enthusiasm for helping our community and outdoor nature areas, the Thule Group and about 20 local residents powered through the task with smiles on their faces. In total, about 30 gallons (over 113 liters) of the natural color paint/sand mixture was applied to the native trees in the area.
Based on the tremendous success of this project, we look forward to coordinating additional ways to partner with our local outdoor groups and improve outdoor nature and recreation areas in the future.
Cleaning the streets of Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
Every spring Thule Group employees contribute to a cleaner environment in Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium. This activation is part of a bigger project in the Wallonia region called Pour une Wallonie plus propre (in English – For a cleaner Wallonia) that engages in total more than 163 000 participants.
This year Thule Group employees, together with participants from 71 other companies in the area, kept up with the “tradition” to create a cleaner environment in the area and contribute to a better understanding of the tragic insight into how much people litter the environment.
During the day close to 700 bags full of litter were collected by more than 800 participants in the activity
Cooperation with local technical high school
Thule Group is working closely together with a local high school in Krzyż Wielkopolski and have bought technical equipment for their workshop, donated used IT equipment and shared knowledge by having engineers helping out as teachers assistants in the school. Thule Group has also helped out in the investment of a park area for pupils where they can spend time out of school.
SOS Kinderdorpen – supporting vulnerable children in Belgium
The radiostation Studio Brussel organized a one week long live radio event with a mission to create awareness and raise money for local projects. Thule Employees donated one hour of their salary to one of these projects.
The Simbahuis project is organized by the organization “SOS Kinderdropen” where vulnerable families with young children are housed in a safe environment and receive intensive guidance regarding issues that they are dealing and make sure their children can grow up living with their families instead of being placed in foster homes.
Outdoor Foundation kicks off multi-million dollar funding effort to get more kids and families outside
Thule Group, Patagonia and the REI chain belong to those companies that have made large financial donations over a number of years support Outdoor Foundation's "Thrive Outside Communities" program.
The program is a way for the organization to encourage children and families with different backgrounds to spend more time outdoors and to learn to appreciate and spend time with nature.
Special Olympic Connecticut Games, USA
For the third consecutive year, Thule Group sponsors the event 'Special Olympics Connecticut'.
The ambition is to organize sports training and competitions in various Olympic sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities throughout the year.
This gives the participants the opportunity to develop physical fitness, show courage, experience joy, showcase their competencies, and get the opportunity to get to know both Olympic athletes and other families in similar situations.
Thule Group supports Oxfam Brussels
Employees from Thule Group's operations in Louvain-La-Neuve just outside Brussels have worked as volunteers at Oxfam Brussel's sorting center. They sorted textiles that the organization had collected. Some of the items are sold in Oxfam's stores and some are handled by wholesalers who recycle the material, or dispose of it if it cannot be recycled.
The cooperation with Oxfam Brussels, which has been ongoing since 2016, has contributed to the organization's charity work, including funding disaster relief in Laos and more long-term education programs.