Shakey’s advocacy through youth development

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a company’s continuing commitment to contribute to the economic development of its employees and the local community in which its businesses operate. Today, companies are realizing profits are not the “end-and-be-all” of operations. Instead, they must also be able to positively effect changes in society and in government. A company will succeed in this endeavor if it is, first and foremost, socially responsible through conducting business ethically (e.g., pay fair wages to its employees, pay the correct taxes, etc.) and work within the boundaries of Philippine laws.

International Family Foods Services, Inc. (IFFSI), the Philippine franchise holder of Shakey’s has long been practicing CSR before the term became a byword in today’s business world. Taking off from its roots as a family-grown business, the company treats employees as part of its family through the company culture inculcated by the owners, to improve its employees’ quality of life. This corporate culture has been in place even before Shakey’s achieved its current state of profitability. Hence, turnover of employees is low and it is not surprising that the average tenure of its present employees is about five to 10 years. Further, that a lot of former employees have returned to the fold. After trying employment elsewhere, they missed the feeling of belonging to a company with a heart.

From its advocacy “at home,” so to speak, Shakey’s constantly searched for another advocacy, which addresses a need for practical education. Through a little trial-and-error, it has found and embraced youth development through sports, volleyball specifically, as its advocacy for the community and the society at large. IFFSI believes that sports create long-term and significant educational impact on today’s youth, tomorrow’s leaders. Sports promote camaraderie, team work, tolerance, and persistence: values that are deeply rooted in the Shakey’s corporate setting. It also highlights the fact that hard work and focus on one’s ability to excel can bring one to the winner’s circle not only in sports, but in life as well.

With this in mind, Shakey’s is now in its 4th year of co-presenting the Shakey’s V-League, and has forged a five-year partnership with athletics innovation team of Sports Vision Management Group Inc. (SVMGI), which was co-founded by the late SVMGI president and former PBA commissioner, Emilio “Jun” Bernardino and “Moying” Martelino. In an interview during the 2007 season, general manager, Vic Gregorio was quoted as saying “From the very beginning, we believed in the mission, goals that this project set out to do. This is why we have given it our all out support. It is our way of thanking the public for patronizing Shakey’s all these years,“ and promised that Shakey’s sponsorship of the V-League will not only be a long-term partnership with SVGMI, but with the Filipino youth, as well.

Shakey’s is slowly bringing volleyball to the grassroots’ level and has started laying the foundation through its sponsorship of the GVIL (Girls Volleyball Invitational League) that focuses on the development of high-school players. This league, spearheaded by Freddie Infante started with a handful of schools from Luzon and has slowly but surely spread its roots in various parts of the Philippines. As of today, the GVIL has been enthusiastically welcomed in the Visayas and Mindanao areas.

With the groundwork laid down and its advocacy structure in place, Shakey’s is pushing volleyball and youth development towards a brighter future. The success of its advocacy can be seen in the number of players and the universities and schools, both public and private now numbering over 40 in both leagues and the numbers are growing every year. The company firmly believes in the importance of supporting the movers of tomorrow and hopes that other companies, who are not yet sold on CSR, will follow suit.