Awards
2006 William Diaz Impact Award, USA
The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) has received the 2006 William Diaz Impact Award in recognition of the Foundation's significant contributions to improving the lives of people with disabilities. MEAF was nominated by officials of Project SEARCH, a program based at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, which trains young people with cognitive disabilities for careers in the healthcare and banking industries.
Disaster Relief
Sichuan (China) Earthquake Relief Efforts
Mitsubishi Electric Group companies have donated a total of approximately 50 million yen to aid and support victims affected by the earthquake that struck China's Sichuan province on May 12, 2008. The Mitsubishi Electric Group expresses its deep sympathies for those affected by the earthquake and sincerely hopes for a quick recovery.
Java (Indonesia) Earthquake Relief Efforts
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation offers its heartfelt condolences to all victims of the devastating earthquake that occurred in central Java on May 27, 2006. The company has announced the donation of at least 5,000,000 yen in aid in response to the tragedy, and is currently assessing the local situation in order to best determine when and to which organizations the funds should be dispensed. Mitsubishi Electric sincerely hopes for the quick recovery and reconstruction of the affected area.
Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts, USA
After the Hurricane Katrina disaster that devastated the Gulf Coast region of the United States in 2005, Mitsubishi Electric employee volunteers mobilized to collect food, blankets, and other essential items to send to victims of the stricken region, while MEAF and Mitsubishi Electric Digital America (MDEA) facilitated the donation of 16 HDTVs to schools serving special-education students on the Mississippi Gulf coast. Total donations in cash and useful resources by Mitsubishi Electric US stands at $120,000 to date, including $10,000 that MEAF provided to the Disability Funders Network Disaster Relief Fund to assist people with disabilities affected by disaster, and $43,747 in matching funds generated by MEAF's Starfish Matches program.
Asian Tsunami Relief
On December 26, 2004, a massive undersea earthquake lasting more than ten minutes occurred off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in the Indian Ocean, resulting in a devastating tsunami that killed more than 280,000 people, and displaced more than 1.1 million people from their homes. Mitsubishi Electric group companies around the world as well as the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation made donations totaling 50 million yen to such relief organizations as the Thai Red Cross Society, American Red Cross Society, British Red Cross Society, and others.
Chuetsu (Japan) Earthquakes
Mitsubishi Electric donated 51 million yen to social welfare facilities as well as various relief efforts to help the people affected by the MidNiigata Prefecture Earthquake of 2004, also known as the Chuetsu Earthquakes. This was a series of earthquakes that rocked Niigata Japan on October 23, 2004, with magnitudes reaching 6.9 on the Richter scale. More than 3,000 injuries were reported, dozens of people lost their lives, and thousands had to be evacuated from their homes. The earthquakes caused much damage to property and municipal facilities, and even derailed a Shinkansen (Bullet train) for the first time in its history.
Grants
2006 MEAF Grants
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) located in Washington, D.C., announced in January 2006 the awarding of a total of $883,000 in grants nationwide for the continuation of existing as well as the launch of new projects that serve young people with disabilities. MEAF's mission is to help young people with disabilities maximize their potential for unfettered participation in society. The Foundation's "Inclusive Initiative" focuses on helping mainstream American organizations make their programs more accommodating of and attractive to disabled youth, while working to change attitudes among people without disabilities.
Special Initiatives
Web Accessibility Initiative
As part of its "Inclusion Initiative" program, MEAF funded the creation of a special Web site by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) called Happenin' Habitats, which was viewed by some 500,000 students and educators, and received the 2005 Distinguished Achievement Award for Best Science Website from the Association of Educational Publishers. The Web site also made a profound impact on NWF personnel by exposing them to Web Content Accessibility guidelines, while promoting inclusive practices across programs.
Science and Technology Education
Mitsubishi Electric Europe, B.V. (Italian Branch) has become an official science and technology partner of the National Museum of Science and Technology "Leonardo da Vinci" in Milan. A long-term educational project is underway that's designed to motivate students of primary and secondary schools to take a serious interest in science and technology. In October 2005 an opening ceremony was held for a new permanent exhibit area at the museum dedicated to robotics, in which Mitsubishi Electric factory robots are integrated into special exhibits that include reproductions of technological ideas dreamed up more than 500 years ago by the great Leonardo da Vinci. Called Progetto EST (Education to Science and Technology), the project's goal is to be the biggest exhibit area in a European museum dedicated to robotics.
Special Programs
Sozial Mobil Transport Funding
Mitsubishi Electric Europe, B.V. (German Branch), located in Ratingen (near Dusseldorf), supports the Helen Keller School for children with disabilities by providing funding for a "Sozial Mobil" (social mobile) van for transporting pupils to school facilities and special outings.
Germany-Russia Student Exchange Program
Mitsubishi Electric Europe, B.V. (German Branch) has made donations to the Technical Academy in Aachen, Germany, to help support a regular exchange of students between the Academy and the Polytechnic University of St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2005 a group of about 20 students from each country participated in the exchange, which included special workshops and a culture program designed to improve cooperation between the schools and understanding between the cultures.
US Congressional Internship Program
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) is providing support to the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) based in Washington, D.C., for a special program called the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Congressional Internship Program, which provides summer internships on Capitol Hill to college students with disabilities. Now in its fifth year, the program has been responsible for "life-transforming" experiences by the students who have successfully completed the internships.
Education Support
Mitsubishi Electric has provided equipment to help modernize the information technology instruction resources of the Troitsk Lyceum of the Municipal Educational Establishment, located in the Moscow region of Russia. The school is legendary in the field of Russian physics, with graduates moving on to prestigious positions in Russian think tanks devoted to physics and mathematics, and even the leading research and development labs in all parts of the world.