Hanesbrands Inc.
(336) 519-8080
news release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News
Media, contact: Matt Hall, (336) 519-3386
matt.hall@hanesbrands.com jeremy.berrington@omalleyhansen.com
Hanesbrands Inc.
O’Malley Hansen Communications
Investors, contact: Brian Lantz, (336) 519-7130
Hanesbrands
Inc.
HANESBRANDS
CELEBRATES FIRST GRADUATING CLASS OF HONDURAS EMPLOYEES IN COMPANY’S CONTINUING
EDUCATION PROGRAM
One of the Largest Private-Sector Employers
in
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Jan. 11, 2011) – Hanesbrands Inc. is proud to announce today the awarding of high school diplomas to the first graduating class of employees in the company’s continuing education program in Honduras.
Two
years after the program’s inception, 119 employees clad in blue graduation
gowns tossed their tasseled mortar-board hats into the air to celebrate their
achievement at the emotional commencement ceremony.
Hanes
executives and representatives from the Honduran Department of Education passed
out diplomas to the class of 2010 at the Convention and
“I started going to school when I was young but never finished,” said Gennie Maribel Zelaya, one of the Hanes employee graduates. “It has been a challenging journey and it took a lot of pride and determination to get here. I work fulltime and have several children who are all in school themselves. It’s not easy to study when you have to work and help your children do their homework as well. Today, all of those sacrifices paid off.”
[For related photos and video, see the interactive online news release at http://smnr.akamediainc.com/Hanesbrands_Responsibility.]
Hanes, which has more than 12,000 employees in
The employees attend classes on Saturdays in the towns of
Villanueva and Choloma near
“Education is a fundamental need in the communities where
our employees live and work,” said Maria Elena Sikaffy, director of human
resources for Hanes in
The company and its employees have an ongoing relationship
with the schools that hold the Saturday continuing education classes. Hanes recently
invested approximately $121,000 and employees volunteered thousands of hours to
renovate the
The projects were carried out by more than 1,000 employee volunteers from Hanes plants as part of the company’s continuing commitment to being an active participant in the communities where it operates. Improvements included remodeled classrooms, kitchens and bathrooms; upgraded educational materials; new ceilings; outdoor landscaping; potable drinking water; and better ventilation systems.
“These schools will greatly improve the quality of life for more than 1,700 children in these communities as well as our employees who continue their studies on Saturdays,” Sikaffy said. “We plan on expanding Hanes’ continuing education programs in 2011 and implementing a virtual university model to serve even more of our employees.”
Hanesbrands Inc.
Hanesbrands Inc. is a leading marketer of everyday basic
apparel under some of the world’s strongest apparel brands, including Hanes, Champion, Playtex,
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