Panama City, Panama—November 29, 2012—AMCHAM’s CSR Committee, represented by Fernando Lasso de la Vega, awarded AES Panama the 2012 Good Corporate Citizen Award. Through the awards ceremony, now in its third year, AMCHAM Panama recognizes the contributions of its member companies that have a positive impact on the local community and environment. This year, AMCHAM awarded the Good Corporate Citizen award to AES Panamá for its training program in Bocas del Toro called “Preparándome con Energía” which has helped more than 900 residents of that area enter the workforce in Panama City.
Three other companies received “Honorable Mention” for their programs: The Autoridad del Canal De Panama (ACP), for its program dedicated to helping employees finish their academic studies; Cervecería Nacional, for its “Con Sabor Nacional” project, aimed at training young Panamanians to work in the country’s tourism industry; and, lastly, Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT), for its support of Instituto Santa Maria Belen, a model school for at-risk children in the Las Lajas community in Colon.
The Chairman of the CSR Committee of AMCHAM Panama, Fernando Lasso de la Vega, said that he hopes small and mid-sized businesses will follow the model of AMCHAM’s larger corporate members. He stated, “Though it’s hard work, our small to mid-sized businesses should try to find a way to give back to the community by participating in smaller projects that would fall within their scope of resources. The object of this award is to plant a seed that will incentivize others to engage in programs that improve the quality of life of Panamanians and protect the environment.”