Pitney Bowes CEO Honored With Volunteerism Award

STAMFORD, March 10, 2009, The Advocate — Even in gloomy economic times, extending a helping hand can brighten employees' outlook, said Murray Martin, president and chief executive officer of Pitney Bowes.

"When times are difficult and challenging, people are concerned about themselves," Martin said Tuesday at an awards ceremony honoring him for promoting volunteerism among his employees. "Even though people are stressed and feeling anxiety, they can go and share with somebody else that is in an even more difficult spot. They come to work with a better attitude."

The Volunteer Center of Southwestern Fairfield County honored Martin with the nonprofit agency's Heart of Gold award for his work with literacy programs at Pitney Bowes, the Stamford corporation that is the world's largest maker of postal meters.

Martin sits on the board of the Pitney Bowes Foundation and several other boards in three areas -- literacy, substance abuse and orphanages.

Roberta Eichler, executive director of The Volunteer Center, said Martin was recognized because he advocated employees to volunteer. Eichler said it seems workplace volunteerism has increased despite the tense economic climate.

"They realize it's good for morale," Eichler said. "We've also been getting people that have been laid off."

Martin was given the award during the 15th annual dinner, which was held at the Sheraton Stamford Hotel on Summer Street. Former New York Knicks guard and Stamford resident John Starks, who founded a nonprofit organization giving scholarships to high school seniors with extensive volunteer involvement, also attended the event and recalled his own volunteerism.

Starks, who now works as an analyst for the MSG cable television sports network, said he and a group of Knicks players helped renovate a school playground in lower Manhattan three years ago.

"We went down and took a look at it," Starks said of the playground. "It was run down. If I was a kid, I wouldn't want to play out there, either. We went in and refurbished the whole playground."

The Volunteer Center of Southwestern Fairfield County is a nonprofit agency funded by the United Way that provides volunteers to more than 300 agencies in Stamford, Darien, Greenwich and New Canaan. It was founded in 1973 by the Junior League of Stamford-Norwalk with help from the United Way.

James Quigley, chief executive officer of Deloitte LLP in Wilton, was last year's Heart of Gold honoree.