Supporting the Arts
March 28, 2023
A Creative Way to Invest in Our Communities
By Jeff Lyons, CSC Senior Copywriter and Public Relations Manager
The arts help people see the world from different perspectives, and that’s why supporting them is so important.
“Art can communicate information, make a social statement, and be enjoyed for its beauty,” explains Colleen Mulligan, director of CSC Gives Back, the company’s philanthropic program. “Art reflects society and culture. It helps us understand who we are as human beings and influences how we relate to each other,” she says, adding that art is an important avenue through which people can connect with each other. It has also provided a key way for the company to give back to its communities over the last several years.
CSC Gives Back is built on three principles—developing the workforce of tomorrow, ensuring our local communities thrive, and supporting the causes that matter most to the people in those communities. The latter two principles underscore the philanthropic program’s focus on the arts. “CSC invests in causes and organizations that better the areas where our people work and live,” Colleen says. “The arts are present in all our communities, in the form of events, programming, instruction, and more. They enhance our hometowns and provide opportunities for engagement. Investing in and donating to the arts is investing in the community.”
Colleen Mulligan
Director of CSC Gives Back
Having recently doubled in size, CSC now has offices in 31 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. That global presence helps employees, like those in Springfield, Illinois, to make a local impact. For 12 years, CSC Springfield employees have volunteered at the summer shows and sponsored parts of the outdoor theater performances staged by the Springfield Municipal Opera Association (Muni). Muni puts on Broadway shows for the community in a 55-acre wheatfield that has been converted into an amphitheater.
At an enterprise-level, CSC sponsors the bus program that transports senior citizens from assisted living facilities to the amphitheater during the summer. Employees volunteer to seat the guests and serve concessions—soda and popcorn. “When we started volunteering with Muni, we were looking for different initiatives to support the community,” says Erica Tarrant-Wilson, team leader, Corporate Transactions. “This is something I found that we could support financially and in person. Muni really appreciates us bringing volunteers to help with all the functions.”
Donations from the Curaçao office allowed three students to attend the Drazans youth theatre school in Curaçao, where children and young people take theater, music, and dance lessons. Up to 800 children a year attend the school.
At CSC’s U.S. headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, local artists and performers are brought in to boost exposure, which in turn can lead to financial support. “We thought bringing the arts into the building was a really great way to support the organizations and introduce our employees to them,” says Colleen. “We hosted the Music School of Delaware’s Serafin Orchestra Ensemble to perform at lunchtime, and we did the same with OperaDelaware over the holidays. We encourage everyone to stop by to listen and learn more about the arts in our backyard.” CSC employee Meghan Newberry is on the board of directors of OperaDelaware and helped foster the relationship.
Headquarters also hosted a fall festival and a holiday bazaar in 2022, where artists, craftspeople, and small businesses were able to display and sell their wares and introduce employees to their art. “Whether it’s through volunteerism, financial support, or attending the events, we’ll continue to support artists and institutions,” Colleen says.
Giving back is part of what makes CSC what it is—a group of dedicated people committed to serving their colleagues, clients, and communities. The company supports causes and initiatives that impact areas around the globe, but its purpose remains the same—making communities better off tomorrow than they are today. If you’d like to be part of a company that cares, visit cscglobal.com/careers.
Interested in a workplace that’ll help you reach your professional goals without compromising who you are? At CSC, we’re building a space of inclusion and appreciation for our greatest asset—our people. Find out what makes us different. Visit and learn more at cscglobal.com/careers.