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Amway Cares: Building and Enriching Our Community
Community is a critical component of the work we do at Amway – whether it is our community-based, local approach to selling high-quality health and wellness products or supporting the communities where our employees and Independent Business Owners (IBOs) live and work. Where our World Headquarters are located in Ada, Michigan, that commitment can be seen in multiple ways – large and small.
The Amway River Bank Run is an example that might be familiar to local Michiganders. It is an annual 5K, 10K and 25K race that draws more than 10,000 participants each year. It’s the largest 25K road race in the country and is consistently ranked as one of the premier road racing events in the U.S. It also offers the only 25K Wheelchair racing division in the world along with a 25K Handcycle division.
The event began in 1978 and Amway took over the title sponsorship role in 2018, allowing it to continue its storied tradition. It is Amway’s largest local engagement and exemplifies the company’s commitment to health and wellness in the communities where it does business.
In addition to race proceeds being directed to various nonprofit organizations each year, downtown Grand Rapids, where the race takes place, sees a $1.8 million economic impact. Outside of the actual race participants, a key factor in the success of the event is the vast number of volunteers.
It takes about a thousand volunteers to manage the event. At the 48th annual Amway River Bank Run that took place in May of 2025, more than 380 of those volunteers were Amway employees, IBOs or their family and friends.
Everyone worked together to staff the check-in tables, provide water at aid stations along the course while cheering racers on, ensure runners were following the course or help set up and tear down the start and finish line area.
“You are really the best of Amway, bringing the community together and fulfilling our vision of helping people live better lives,” Amway CEO Michael Nelson said in a video message to volunteers. “Thank you, everyone.”
Amway, as a company as well as its individual departments and divisions, also connects with and helps smaller organizations throughout the year with needs that arise, including through the annual Amway Cares: Week of Service. The company coordinates with local nonprofits to schedule a week of service projects and encourages employees to take a paid day to participate in them .
The goal is to provide dedicated volunteer time with a variety of organizations. It also gives employees a unique opportunity to step away from their regular work and engage with the community.
In two days of the Amway Cares initiative in August 2025, more than 1,100 Amway employees volunteered more than 6,000 hours to tackle 52 projects for 35 different nonprofits in West Michigan. They spent the day sorting and stocking donated products, helping to build a home or make building repairs, painting and landscaping, loading backpacks with food for undernourished kids and prepping meals for seniors facing mobility challenges and sorting and packing school supplies, among many other needs.
“We launched Amway Cares to empower employees across our organization to make a positive difference in our community,” Corporate Social Responsibility Champion Monica Mendez said. “It’s truly heartening to see more employees step up each year. And with additional nonprofits joining us, we’re able to expand our impact and drive meaningful change together.”
In addition to the Week of Service and the various volunteer events that are hosted throughout the year, Amway North America also has a program to help community organizations that are important to Amway employees and IBOs. AmGive encourages employees and IBOs to seek grant funding for the charities they personally support with their time and resources. Amway will award a total of nearly $250,000 in financial support to these organizations each year. “We love to shine light on organizations that are doing good things in their communities – especially those that have captured the hearts of IBOs and employees,” said Andrew Schmidt, who heads up Amway’s North American business. After all, helping people live better lives is what Amway is all about.