Supporting veterans and children affected by substance use disorder
A Q&A with Karen Kelso, VP of Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Impact at Sony Corporation of America
NOTE: This was published for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s monthly Recovery Advocacy Update. If you’d like to receive our advocacy emails, subscribe today.
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation — the nation’s largest nonprofit system of substance use disorder treatment, mental health care, recovery resources and related prevention and education services — recently received approximately $50,000 in grant funds and product donations from Sony Corporation of America to provide patient aid to military veterans seeking care and technology enhancements for the Hazelden Betty Ford Children’s Program. We checked in with Sony’s Karen Kelso to express our gratitude and learn more about her company’s commitment to children and veterans.
Could you share a brief background on Sony Corporation of America and your role as Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Impact?
Sony Corporation of America (SCA), located in New York, NY, is the U.S. headquarters of Sony Group Corporation, based in Tokyo, Japan. Sony’s principal U.S. businesses include Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music Publishing LLC, and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. Sony’s mission is to fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology, and to nurture innovation to enrich and improve people’s lives.
In my role as Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Impact, I lead SCA’s philanthropic and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI&A) efforts through the development of meaningful, impactful, and sustainable partnerships with worthy nonprofit organizations that align with the company’s purpose and values. I advise and collaborate with Sony’s U.S. operating companies and Sony Group Corporation on the company’s philanthropic initiatives inclusive of our disaster relief efforts; our ongoing strategy around Sony’s Global Social Justice Fund; and, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I provided strategic direction on our Global Relief Fund for COVID-19.
In addition, I work with company leadership globally to research, develop, and execute strategies to foster Sony’s diversity and inclusion goals. These initiatives include strategic partnerships with accessibility resource nonprofits and providing guidance and promoting allyship for our Employee Business Resource Groups to network, share resources and collaborate with each other.
Have you always worked in the corporate social responsibility field? What drew you to it?
I came to Sony after several years with CBS Television Group as an entertainment producer. At Sony, I started in the Corporate Communications department producing videos for and providing support to the executive team. One of those executives, Ken Nees, established the Sony USA Foundation and as he neared retirement, he began to mentor me in corporate social responsibility knowing that I had a passion for community service and giving back. I started by sitting on the Foundation Board as Secretary, eventually becoming Vice President, and later taking over management of all SCA’s philanthropic efforts upon the Foundation’s dissolution.
In 2002, I took on the added responsibility of running the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, the company’s free four-story interactive children’s museum that was located at our former corporate headquarters at 550 Madison Avenue in New York City. The Museum was fully funded by Sony, and I developed strong relationships with the NYC Department of Education, providing programs and makerspaces for millions of students, many of them from Title 1 schools. The Lab closed in 2016 when Sony relocated its headquarters to 25 Madison Avenue. Most recently, my role expanded to include SCA’s DEI&A efforts.
I feel incredibly fortunate to work for a company that includes philanthropy as a part of its corporate culture, and to develop relationships with incredible nonprofit partners such as the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.
Why is supporting children and veterans important to Sony Corporation of America?
Veterans are an important part of our company and our local communities, and through our partnerships with worthy organizations such as the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation that support veterans and their families, SCA acknowledges their sacrifices and provides support to service members and their families through our charitable giving and volunteer efforts.
In addition, Sony has active Employee Business Resource Groups (EBRGs) dedicated to our employees who are service members. The mission of our veterans’ EBRGs is to make a positive impact on the lives of those who have served our country by creating an environment in our workplace that cultivates their unique strengths, including through mentorship, networking, and educational initiatives.
Sony is also committed to educating and empowering the next generation, and we support a wide range of diverse mentorship, scholarship and educational programs aimed at supporting children and closing the achievement gap in underserved communities. We also harness the expertise of our employees who are quick to volunteer in many capacities, from acting as a mentor in a college and career readiness program, to participating in a lunch-and-learn on resume writing, college admission essays or career development.
Our focus is not only local but, in fact, global. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, SCA was one of the first supporters of UNICEF’s Learning Passport Program, focusing our support on Latin America and the Caribbean. This award-winning and innovative remote digital learning platform has helped to ensure that millions of children and young people around the world have access to high-quality, portable education both online and offline. We further expanded our support of the program last year to include refugee families affected by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
What makes you and your team excited about partnering with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation?
Historically, the veteran population is impacted by critical issues such as substance misuse, trauma and suicide risk, and the Foundation’s long-standing record of providing mental health and substance use treatment is unmatched. I am awed and inspired by the Foundation’s continued commitment to breaking down the stigma of addiction, while simultaneously creating innovative programs that provide much-needed support to people with addiction and their families. Our recent monetary donation and charitable contribution of electronics and equipment to support participants and clinicians in Hazelden Betty Ford’s Children’s Program, along with several sets of hearing aids for veterans in treatment, is just one of the ways that we are excited to support the Foundation, and we are looking forward to continuing to grow and develop our partnership!
