The spirit of service

Service is a thread that weaves through the fabric of the Raytheon business, one of four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies. With more than 10,000 veterans working for the business, giving back is part of the mindset. 

Raytheon President Wesley Kremer, a U.S. Air Force veteran, encourages this philosophy. Kremer highlighted the business’ two key social priorities: supporting military families and veterans, and encouraging students to study science, technology, engineering and math, commonly known as STEM. 

“It’s our second nature to want to give, and we do it daily by supporting military families and by encouraging young, future leaders to get involved in science, technology, engineering and math,” Kremer said. “We walk the walk with our tangible support for initiatives such as supporting Home Base and other organizations committed to helping veterans achieve success after service.” 

Running for military families

Home Base is the largest private-sector clinic in the U.S. that has the sole focus of helping at-risk veterans and military families regain the lives they once had. Each summer, hundreds of Raytheon Technologies employees, including many veterans, step up to the plate by participating in the Run to Home Base, the organization's signature event. 

The Run to Home Base is the largest fundraising event for Home Base: a 9K/5K run or 5K walk around Boston, crossing the finish line at home plate in Boston’s historic ballpark. The funds raised help Home Base provide clinical care, wellness programs, education and research at no cost to veterans and military families struggling with the invisible wounds of war.

Raytheon is sponsoring the upcoming Home Base’s Run to Home Base, slated for the fall of 2020. Any updates to the event, in light of the COVID-19 environment, will be found on the Home Base site and in social media updates. In 2019, employees hosted 45 fundraising events all over the world, more than 300 teammates ran, walked or volunteered, and together they raised $155,000 for Home Base.
   
Raytheon empowers today’s veterans through continuing education programs that prepare them for new careers. The company's employees, including many who belong to the company's veteran employee resource group, donate their personal time and resources to support organizations like No Barriers, the USO, resume workshops for military families in partnership with Student Veterans of America and recovery and transition programs at Boulder Crest in Arizona. 

Investing in the next generation

An investment in the education of veterans is an investment in the future. The company partners with Student Veterans of America to provide $10,000 scholarships: the Raytheon SPY-6 Scholarships, offered exclusively to U.S Navy student veterans pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited four-year college or university; the Raytheon Patriot scholarships, offered exclusively to U.S. Army student veterans. 

Each year, Raytheon also invests in programs to cultivate the knowledge and valuable STEM skills through the implementation of comprehensive mentoring and educational initiatives. Over the last decade, programs like these have helped motivate thousands of people across the world pursue STEM-related careers. In places like Poland, Raytheon is an active partner with the Copernicus Science Center, the largest science museum in Poland. Hands-on experiments happen in the FabLab and Robotics Lab, where students are learning valuable life skills such as collaboration, creative problem-solving and research.

Domestically, our employees volunteer for STEM mentoring, engaging with students in high school and college through a variety of programs such as Imagine Your STEM Future – a girls mentoring program, and Math, Science, Engineering Achievement through the University of Arizona’s Women in STEM Student Council. The overarching goal is to pass on the spirit of service and help prepare students for their transition into today’s workforce.