Awards Archives
Awards: Most Recent
Joseph F. Mulach Jr. Award from Life'sWork Presented to Brian Heery and Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc.
posted February 10, 2011On October 1st, MEPPI President and COO Brian Heery received the prestigious Joseph F. Mulach Jr. Award from Life'sWork of Western Pennsylvania for his efforts to make life more meaningful for persons with disabilities. In his acceptance speech, Mr. Heery accepted the award on behalf of all MEPPI employees.
Life'sWork provides vocational skills training and employment for people with developmental disabilities. In 2001, Mr. Heery toured Life'sWork and in 2002 MEPPI began a contractor relationship with the organization. The relationship has grown over the years from a $26K job employing two people with disabilities, to a half-million dollar relationship that employees 12 full and part-time workers at Life'sWork.
Read more at www.lifesworkwpa.org/index.php?id=80,196,0,0,1,0
Congratulations to Mr. Heery and MEPPI for their efforts to help make Changes for the Better in the lives of people with disabilities.
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Wins Wilmer Shields Rich Award for Excellence in Communications
posted April 08, 2010ARLINGTON VA., April 8, 2010 – Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation has been named a gold award winner for excellence in communications by the 2010 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program. Sponsored by the Council on Foundations, the awards program recognizes effective communications efforts to increase public awareness of foundations and corporate giving programs. Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation was recognized for its website, www.meaf.com.
The award will be presented during the Council on Foundations’ Annual Conference, April 25-27, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center, 650 15th Street, Denver, CO 80202.
Entries to the awards program included annual or biennial reports electronic publications, magazines/periodicals, special reports, public information campaigns and websites. This year, 166 entries were received.
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The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, based in the Washington, DC area, was established in 1991 by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan and the Mitsubishi Electric U.S. companies, which produce, sell and distribute a wide range of consumer, industrial, commercial and professional electronics products. With an initial endowment of $15 million, the Foundation has contributed more than $9 million to organizations assisting young people with disabilities to lead fuller and more productive lives.
Mitsubishi Electric honored by National Inclusion Project
posted December 02, 2009RALEIGH, NC-Over the past year, MEAF has supported the National Inclusion Project, which is working in partnership with the National Summer Learning Association, to develop a curriculum designed to help summer camp programs more fully include children with disabilities, and encourage campers of all abilities to engage in meaningful service-learning projects. The program is being piloted at camps in Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, and Ohio.
On October 17th, the National Inclusion Project recognized Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA with its Corporate Champion Award at a star-studded gala event in Raleigh. Sally Wade, VP of HR for the corporation, and Kevin Webb from MEAF attended the event to receive the award. Also receiving Champion Awards that evening were Patrick Henry Hughes, along with his father and band director, and the Sparkle Effect High School Cheerleading Squad for their work to change attitudes and stereotypes.
You can learn more about the National Inclusion Project and awardees in a story in the Triangle Business Journal: <triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/09/28/newscolumn1.html>
Or by visiting the National Inclusion Project website: <www.inclusionproject.org/>
MEAF Executive Director honored with KIT Founders Award
posted December 02, 2009SAN DIEGO, CA—Rayna Aylward, Executive Director of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, was presented with the Kids Included Together (KIT) Founders Award at a luncheon ceremony on March 20th in San Diego. Jan Giacinti, KIT CEO, made the surprise announcement at the 5th Annual KIT National Conference before an audience of more than 200 educators, recreation specialists, and representatives of youth-serving organizations.
KIT, based in San Diego, specializes in training community-based youth organizations on how to include children with disabilities in their regular programs. The KIT Founders Award was established four years ago to recognize the exemplary efforts of an individual, organization or foundation in leveling the playing field for people with disabilities. “The standards for this award are so high,” said Giacinti, “that until today there has only been one recipient of the KIT Founders Award.”
In presenting the award, Giacinti declared that Aylward has “done more to foster the process of inclusion, advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, and motivate organizations of national scale to recognize disability as a part of the diversity initiative than she’d ever take credit for.
“She enabled a foundation of relatively small size to turn a ripple into a wave that is reaching from coast to coast,” continued Giacinti. Aylward was selected to receive the award for her ability to make modest investments that can maximize impact and bring out the best in an organization for the benefit of people with disabilities. Giacinti shared the example of how Aylward facilitated a lasting partnership between KIT, with just six employees in California, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which has thousands of employees across the country, to make a lasting impact on the lives of youth with and without disabilities.
In closing, Giacinti said of Aylward, “Her vision is crisp and clear – create a world where all people regardless of their abilities are welcomed, valued, and included as contributing members of our society.”
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MEAF receives Top Award from Girl Scouts
posted May 01, 2008![MEAF Director Rayna Aylward receives plaque from Girl Scout Tatyana McFadden, who uses a wheelchair](javascript:pop("photopop.php?pp=http://www.meaf.org/css/awards/8463.jpg&alt=MEAF Director Rayna Aylward receives plaque from Girl Scout Tatyana McFadden, who uses a wheelchair", 550, 550);)
WASHINGTON, DC-The Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital (GSCNC) presented MEAF with its highest honor, The Officers’ Award, on March 7th. The Award is given annually to the organization, corporation or individual that has had the most positive impact on the lives of girls.
MEAF was recognized for its Inclusion Initiative, which aims to fully integrate youth with disabilities into society. MEAF staff have been working with GSCNC informally for several years to include more girls with disabilities in Scouting. This year, MEAF begins a formal partnership with GSCNC through a three-year $100,000 grant to develop inclusion tools and recruit more girls with disabilities. MEAF is also partnering with the national Girl Scout organization, GSUSA, through a three-year $150,000 grant, to promote inclusion throughout the national Scouting network.
The Award was presented at a gala dinner in Washington DC. During the presentation, several girls with disabilities talked about the impact Scouting has had on their lives, and the parent of a blind girl told a moving story about how his daughter has thrived as a Scout. In addition to the award trophy, MEAF was given a plaque of six special “badges” created to celebrate inclusion. MEAF Executive Director Rayna Aylward told the audience of more than 300 people that the presentation itself demonstrated the value of inclusion. MEAF Board member Jack Greaf (President & CEO, Mitsubishi Electric Power Products) noted that everything MEAF does is a “team effort,” and asked the other MEAF representatives at the dinner to join him onstage in accepting the award.
We can all feel proud of this tribute to our collective efforts, and inspired to work even harder to create a society that values people of all abilities.
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Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation
1560 Wilson Blvd.
Suite 1150
Arlington, VA 22209
1560 Wilson Blvd.
Suite 1150
Arlington, VA 22209