GE Powers Improvements at National Ability Center

More than 500 volunteers take part in GE Community Service Day at local non-profit

SALT LAKE CITY, UT. – GE employees in the Salt Lake City area will participate in GE’s Community Service Day to help improve resources and facilities at Park City’s National Ability Center. The non-profit organization provides recreational and therapeutic activities for people of all ages and abilities. GE volunteers will dedicate time, effort and expertise through activities such as construction and painting, landscaping, repairs and maintenance. GE’s Community Service Day is Tuesday, October 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For the second consecutive year, the event brings together more than 500 Salt Lake City-based employees, retirees and other volunteers to lead several projects to improve the facilities and resources at a charitable organization in the community. The population of volunteers comes from the three GE businesses with large employee presence in Salt Lake City – GE Capital, GE Energy and GE Healthcare.

“Our teams are excited to come together once again and give back to the great state of Utah - where we are proud to live and work,” said Joe Shrawder, President and CEO GE OEC Surgery – a GE Healthcare business, headquartered in Salt Lake City. “We’re honored to work with the National Ability Center, a continual role model in our community that provides invaluable, year-round experiences for people with disabilities right here in Utah in addition to visitors from around the world.”

As one of the largest organizations in the country to provide recreational and sports opportunities to individuals with disabilities, the National Ability Center offers more than a dozen adaptive programs throughout the year such as skiing, horseback riding, cycling and archery. Individuals of all ages and abilities take part in the center’s programs, including those with orthopedic, spinal cord, neuromuscular, visual and hearing impairments, as well as those with cognitive and developmental disabilities.

The National Ability Center also provides programs for the country’s active and veteran military populations. Over the past few years, the National Ability Center has grown its military programs significantly, enabling it to serve more than 800 U.S. servicemen and women in 2011-12. Military programs include health and wellness retreats and individual activity opportunities for U.S. servicemen and women and their families.

“One very unique aspect of the National Ability Center is the special focus they place on helping veterans and their families,” said Shrawder. “GE is committed to helping veterans and we’re thrilled to work with an organization who shares in this goal.”

GE coordinates volunteer efforts company-wide by keeping a close eye on societal needs and inviting all employees to work together to build stronger communities. GE employees and retirees globally contribute more than 1.3 million hours of service annually to local community initiatives, and there are now more than 225 GE Volunteers councils located in more than 51 countries around the world.

“We know recreation is a key component to health, happiness and strong families,” said Gail Loveland, Executive Director of the National Ability Center. “We are therefore always working to ensure we have a first-rate facility that can accommodate the many populations we serve and provide people of all abilities the opportunity to recreate. We know GE shares our commitment to building healthy communities, and we could not think of a better partner to have on our campus.

“The efforts of all the GE volunteers will make a huge impact on our facility to help us grow our outreach and continue to provide the standard of programs our participants have come to expect.”

The National Ability Center received a $13,000 grant from the GE Volunteers Grant Committee for Community Service Day projects.

GE and the National Ability Center would like to extend its thanks to TruCo, Electric Insurance, You’re the Boss Catering, AC Electric, Sam’s Club, Home Depot, Wasatch Heating and Air Conditioning, Liddiard Home Furnishings and Lifetime for helping with tools, supplies and services for this day.

ABOUT GE HEALTHCARE
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

Our “healthymagination” vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employees are committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com. For our latest news, please visit http://newsroom.gehealthcare.com.

ABOUT NATIONAL ABILITY CENTER

The National Ability Center empowers individuals of all abilities by building self-esteem, confidence and lifetime skills through sport, recreation and educational programs. The Center is located in Park City, Utah, and is one of the largest in the country to provide recreational and sports opportunities to individuals with disabilities. It is also one of the first to be named both a chapter of Disabled Sports USA and a Paralympic Sport Club. Each year, the National Ability Center provides thousands of lessons in programs including skiing, horseback riding, cycling and archery.