FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 8, 2017
Contact: Jacqueline Guevara, Director of Education & Public Engagement, Mojave Desert Land Trust
Phone: 760-366-5440 x 226
jacqueline@mdlt.org

Mojave Desert Land Trust Partners with Benevity for Clean Up Event with Fortune 1000 Leaders

Joshua Tree, CA – Yesterday, over 50 corporate citizenship leaders from Fortune 1000 companies joined the Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) for a stewardship event organized by Benevity. The desert clean-up took place on an MDLT property, a wilderness corridor located within the Sand to Snow National Monument.

Benevity, Inc. is the global leader in online workplace giving, matching, volunteering and community investment software. Many of the world’s most iconic brands rely on Spark, Benevity’s award-winning cloud solution, to power corporate “Goodness Programs” that attract, retain and engage today’s diverse workforce by connecting people to the causes that matter to them. With software that is available in 15 languages, to several million users around the world, Benevity has processed over a billion dollars in donations to more than 100,000 charities worldwide.

Each year at their annual Goodness Matters Client Conference, Benevity partners with a local organization for a volunteering event. This year, Benevity selected MDLT because they and their clients know how important environmental concerns are to Californians and they wanted to use their time together to do some good in their host city.

“Our clients are passionate advocates and enablers of social change. We wanted to show our gratitude to the people of the Palm Springs area for being such great hosts during our Goodness Matters conference by sharing some of that passion for giving back with this community,” explained Bryan de Lottinville, CEO of Benevity. “The land that the Mojave Desert Land Trust protects is beautiful and we want it to remain that way for future generations.”

With the majestic San Jancito mountain peaks as a backdrop, these corporate leaders spent the afternoon restoring a trail. The volunteers cleared the trail of rocks and debris, restored sections of an old road bed, and implemented erosion control at five different locations along the trail. Their work will guide visitors to designated areas and minimize the impact on wildlife in this essential biodiversity corridor.

“I really enjoyed learning about the Mojave Desert Land Trust and the land in general," said Kathy Gu, Program Manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Manager of Corporate Responsibility at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. "[MDLT] was excellent. They were extremely knowledgeable and shared the information in an engaging way.”

The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to protect and care for lands with natural, scenic, and cultural value within the Mojave Desert. For more information, visit www.mdlt.org