TI engineer Maurice Eaglin oversees two Greene Scholars assembling a solar car during the middle school science institute sponsored by the company.

Last fall TI acquired National Semiconductor, a company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. TI and National were not only aligned from a business standpoint, but they also shared a commitment to improving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and to giving back to their communities.

"National's legacy of education support and community involvement was impressive," said Trisha Cunningham, TI Chief Citizenship Officer. "We are looking forward to expanding that impact in the new communities we are now a part of."

Like National, TI is committed to being an asset in the communities where it operates, focusing resources on issues that are important to community members, employees and the company. Worldwide, the company develops strong long-term relationships with local organizations to improve education and address critical needs.

"We align very well when it comes to community involvement and volunteerism," said Cunningham. "We are committed to continuing, and even expanding, that level of involvement in these communities."

The acquisition gave TI a new presence in several communities across the globe. Employees at National's four major sites in Santa Clara, California; South Portland, Maine; Greenock, Scotland and Melaka, Malaysia, make a major impact on those communities, enriching the quality of life there.

Santa Clara, CA
Employees at the former National corporate offices participate in a number of community programs annually, making a difference in the lives of people in need in Silicon Valley. In 2010, Santa Clara employees donated nearly 3,000 hours of volunteer service. National was recognized by the Silicon Valley Business Journal last year as one of the top 20 Corporate Philanthropists in Silicon Valley for the company's support of education and received a Community Impact Award.

A total of 550 volunteers from the Santa Clara site donated 1,800 hours of service in November and December alone last year, benefiting various local organizations during the holiday season. Through the site's Holiday Giving Program, Santa Clara employees donated more than 2,400 gifts for children and seniors served by the Family Giving Tree. The majority of the donations came through shopping sprees hosted by executives who matched gifts raised by employees. At the annual Holiday Workshop, 200 employees, their families and friends helped assemble 830 gift bags and 50 bicycles for low-income families, seniors and homeless veterans.

At an annual "Dare to Care Fair," more than 550 employees gathered information on green and healthy living from 75 environmental, health and community organizations. An event highlight is the Executive Challenge, where top executives serve desserts and compete to raise funds for their favorite charities. The event raised an all-time record of $37,000 for local charities.

For the past several years, the Santa Clara site has hosted virtual food drives during the summer and holidays. This year, employees provided nearly 85,000 meals to people facing hunger.

For over a decade, employees supported the American Cancer Society's Daffodil Days Campaign. This year, employees tripled the amount of their donations, raising $13,900, bringing the total donation to $100,000 to date.

Supporting education is a key component. Through the company's most recent Back to School Drive, employees donated more than 1,350 backpacks filled with supplies for low-income children.

As part of its "Opening Doors to the Future Initiative," the company hosted the Frank Greene Scholars' Middle School Summer Science Institute. Company engineers volunteer their time to facilitate hands-on activities and share information on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) topics and careers with students.

In November TI announced an expansion of the Power of STEM Education initiative, building on the foundation of a previous education initiative, donating $1 million to benefit four of the communities TI joined when it acquired National. The Power of Stem Education initiative aims to increase teaching effectiveness and build student interest in math and science by providing teachers with professional development, ongoing support and hands-on materials.

South Portland, ME
Since it opened in 1997, employees at a microelectronics manufacturing facility in South Portland, Maine, have been heavily involved in the local community, supporting a number of organizations through its giving program and the site's "community care team,' which provides grant support to local organizations.

South Portland Maine employees raised the equivalent of 3,803 pounds of food during the 2010 food drive.

Employees in Maine have provided support to local organizations and events, such as volunteering for water stop duties during a race benefitting Habitat for Humanity, constructing homes for Habitat for Humanity, participating in holiday food drives and high school career fairs, acting as tutors for a neighborhood mentoring program, sponsoring high school robotics competitions, judging science fairs, volunteering at the Salvation Army and local food banks, and coordinating blood drives for the Red Cross, where the site has received the highest level of achievement for employees actively donating.

In addition, the South Portland site has provided community caregivers, non-profits and human service agencies an opportunity to interact with its 500-plus employees through its annual wellness fair. The event, which has been held for several years, is designed to promote volunteer opportunities as well as provide a venue where wellness questions can be addressed.

Greenock, Scotland
The Greenock, Scotland facility has been a center for analog design and manufacturing since 1970 with an active program of sponsorship and community support.

The site's "community care team" is made up of a number of dedicated employees who have a monthly budget for local community sponsorships. The group also supports other activities by volunteering in the local area and by organizing onsite science workshops for local school children.

The "healthy working lives team" organizes events at the site to raise awareness of health issues. Often this includes raising funds for health charities, such as the more than $4,000 raised recently for the Wear it Pink Breakthrough Breast Cancer event .

Over the years, the Greenock site supported a number of initiatives in Scotland. A donation to Generation Science made it possible to develop new hands-on workshops for local schools. The Greenock Arts Guild received a donation to develop a new arts center in Greenock. And Quarriers, a charity that provides respite care and accommodation for children and adults with a range of disabilities, now has a new volunteer center in Greenock thanks to a grant provided by the National Semiconductor Foundation.

Employees from the Melaka site deliver rice, cooking oil and other necessities to a home for the elderly.

Melaka, Malaysia
Employees at a major test and assembly site in Melaka, Malaysia reach out to the surrounding communities primarily through the site's social club, which is run by a committee board comprising employees from all levels of the plant. The committee organizes a variety of activities each year, including a blood drive, a charity sale and donations to the needy.

Conducted every June, the club has seen a steady increase in the participants for the onsite blood drive. The year, 168 employees from the Malaysia site made time in between their hectic schedules to donate the gift of life.

In 2010, the club organized a charity sale that received an overwhelming response with more than RM10,000 raised for poor and needy charities. Through the Corporate Sponsorship program, this amount was matched, making the total RM20,000, enabling the social club to donate cash as well as benefits in kind to five organizations, including two homes for mentally disabled children, a home for the aged, an orphanage and a disadvantaged youth's training center. Donations included daily needs, such as rice, cooking oil, flour, milk and diapers as well as appliances, such as a washing machine and an oven.

In August, the club held another charity sale to raise money for employees who are also single mothers supporting young children. They raised RM10,000 to help ease these single moms' burdens.