The Company’s vision for its CSR Programme is aimed at sustaining a continued support to local voluntary and philanthropic organisations, our environment, individuals in need, and other members of the community by means of financial support and the personal involvement of its staff through their volunteering efforts. Citadel is committed to support its internal CSR team and to ensure that it continues to be a good corporate citizen in all aspects of its operations and activities.
Citadel’s Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy
Citadel’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy for this year is focused on promoting cleaner and safer seas. In the past year the Company held a successful fund-raising activity together with its employees in support of Nature Trust Malta’s turtle conservation efforts.
Citadel is now focusing on the marine environment as the seas around Malta become more populated with vessels and polluted including through the dumping of plastics. This latter factor is of particular threat to turtles in the seas around the Maltese Islands as they may mistake plastic bags for their primary prey, jellyfish, leading to fatal blockage in their gut. In their work to protect turtles, Nature Trust Malta (NTM) helps these reptiles when they swallow hooks, become trapped in ropes and wire, or are hit by boats.
Some of our past initiatives
October 2015 - Noffri Initiative in aid of the Malta Community Fund
In collaboration with the Malta Community Chest Fund and Xarabank, Citadel Insurance were proud to offer their time to assist in the launch of ‘Noffri’, a new initiative which aimed to collect voluntary hours from the general public.
Citadel’s staff worked closely with the team of Noffri, the Malta Community Chest Fund and Xarabank to launch this project. On the second October, Citadel’s staff have also offered their time by manning the telephone lines during Xarabank, where a total of 78,471 voluntary hours were raised in just one evening.
Summer - 2014 Fundraising Initiative in aid of the Service Dogs Malta Foundation
As part of its Corporate and Social Responsibility initiatives for 2014, Citadel Insurance organised an art competition for children with the aim of assisting the Service Dogs Malta Foundation. The twelve best paintings were published in a 2015 calendar which was offered to the general public against a small donation. As a result of this initiative, Citadel Insurance raised Eur 8,600 for the training of Bailey, a young labrador of the Service Dogs Malta Foundation.
Summer 2014 - Bailey's Training
On behalf of the Service Dogs Malta Foundation, we would like to thank everyone once again for their contribution in the initiative to raise funds for the training of Bailey. As part of its Corporate and Social Responsibility initiatives for 2014, Citadel Insurance organised an art competition and the twelve best paintings have been published in a 2015 calendar.
The calendar was offered to the general public against a small donation and through this initiative, €8,600 were raised for the training of Bailey, one of the young Labradors of the Service Dogs Malta Foundation. Since then, Bailey started her training to become a service dog and is expected to be qualified by the first few months of 2016.
Citadel’s team visited Bailey during one of her training sessions and were glad to see her progressing. Bailey is one of the 3 dogs who are currently being trained for PAT ‘Pets as Therapy’. PAT trained dogs are able to go to centres such as hospitals to help children and/or adults with psychiatric needs. It is proven that the presence of a PAT trained dog, even for just 15 minutes will help lower the patient’s blood pressure. This occurs since oxytocin is enhanced and it acts like a ‘love hormone’ generating a feel-good sensation. Bailey is due to be doing her first test visit at St Vincent de Paule in the coming days.
‘I refer to her as The Clown, as she can instantly change from training mode to fun mode.’ says Robert Spiteri who is in charge of Bailey’s training. ‘Bailey is very sociable with both children and adults’ he adds.
Robert is currently focusing on Bailey’s obedience and her ability of be sociable in any environment or situation such as noises or distractions. “She needs a little bit more training on basic commands, obedience and on allowing people to pet her.”
Everyone’s contribution in this initiative helped the Service Dogs Malta Foundation reach another milestone by training the first three local service dog trainers Robert Spiteri, Michelle Borg and Lindsey Ciantar. The training was given by veteran service dog trainers Alan Kordowski and Becky McClintock from Service Dogs, Inc. Texas who have over 30 years’ experience in this field.
The Service Dogs Malta Foundation is now able to train more dogs to assist the disabled including visual assistance dogs, hearing dogs, autism assistance dogs, diabetic alert dogs and mobility support dogs.
