Mitsubishi Electric: Changes for the Better

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation

MEAFnet

2008

• MEAF receives Top Award from Girl Scouts

2006

• Fourth Annual Disability Funders Network William Diaz Impact Award

2005

• Mitsubishi Electric US Companies/Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Honored with 2005 Eagle Award

2000

• Helen Keller Achievement Award to be Presented to CEO of Mitsubishi Electronics America, Inc.

MEAF receives Top Award from Girl Scouts

posted May 01, 2008
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.

###

Fourth Annual Disability Funders Network William Diaz Impact Award

posted May 06, 2006
May 6, 2006, Pittsburgh, PA – The Disability Funders Network (DFN) today announced the selection of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation as the recipient of its 2005 William Diaz Impact Award. The award, sponsored by The HSC Foundation (Washington, DC) was presented on May 6, 2006 at the Disability Awareness Showcase at the Council on Foundations’ Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, PA.

The award honors the memory of Bill Diaz, former member of the DFN Board, the first Latino program officer at the Ford Foundation, a founding director of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation, a director of the Council on Foundations and a senior fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. At the request of Bill’s family, DFN’s recognition of his impact on disability funding is being used to further the mission of DFN to expand and enhance the philanthropic world’s support of disability issues.

Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) has focused its considerable energy and insight on enhancing the independence, productivity and community inclusion of children and youth with disabilities. Though a national grants program and employee grant programs, MEAF has supported projects promoting young people with disabilities as they complete school, work in competitive jobs, fill internships on Capitol Hill and participate as full partners in mainstream youth organizations. Recognized as a leader in the disability funding world, MEAF has paved the way for other foundations working to promote the full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society.

Accepting the award was MEAF Executive Director, Rayna Aylward, who has led the Foundation since its inception and who was a co-founder of the Disability Funders Network, a colleague of Bill Diaz, and co-founder of the Youth-to-Work Coalition--a rapidly growing collaboration by foundations, corporate employers, government representatives and disability organizations aimed at encouraging companies to hire young people with disabilities as interns.

“We at the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation are profoundly honored by the award, and I personally am greatly moved by this reflection of the spirit of Bill Diaz, an extraordinary leader and treasured colleague. I’d like to thank our nonprofit partners and company associates, whose efforts in the national arena and local communities are the real basis for MEAF’s achievements. And I must pay tribute to the DFN itself – a beacon in the disability field for the past 12 years – whose work has immeasurably deepened the impact of our foundation and many others.”

The Diaz Award, including a plaque and a $500 check, was presented by Son Park (HSC Foundation), DFN’s Diaz Award Committee Chairperson, and Jeanne Argoff, DFN Executive Director, in a ceremony attended by Steve Gunderson, recently appointed as President and CEO of the Council on Foundations. Mr. Gunderson was previously an eight-term member of the House of Representatives and was a sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation was one of the first private funders to support disability organizations working to make the ADA a reality as one of the founding members of the Funding Partnership for People with Disabilities.

~~~~~~~~~

Disability Funders Network. DFN is an association of foundations and corporations whose mission is to promote awareness, support and inclusion of people with disabilities and disability issues in grantmaking programs and organizations. DFN’s major goals are to increase funding for disability issues and demonstrate to grantmakers how disability concerns can be an essential part of all philanthropic programs.

HSC Foundation. The mission of the HSCF is to facilitate access to appropriate services for individuals with special needs and their families in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, and to participate in related local, regional, and national projects with government, private, and philanthropic organizations.

Mitsubishi Electric US Companies/Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Honored with 2005 Eagle Award

posted November 22, 2005
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a national disability rights law firm based in Oakland CA, presents annual Eagle and Turkey Awards. On Tuesday, November 22nd, during its 8th Annual Awards presentation, DRA named the Mitsubishi Electric US companies an Eagle award recipient. Eagle Awards give thanks to corporations, government agencies, and nonprofits that have demonstrated outstanding efforts to advance the rights of people with disabilities. The Mitsubishi Electric companies were honored for “creating positive change for young people with disabilities” and for the work of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, whose mission is to promote the independence, productivity and community inclusion of children and youth with disabilities.

Other 2005 Eagle award recipients included: ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, for its home renovations for people with disabilities, and Wilderness Inquiry, an inclusive outdoor recreation organization that is funded by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation.

Shoji Hibara, Executive Vice President of Mitsubishi Electric US, represented the companies at the award ceremony, along with Rayna Aylward, Executive Director of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation. In accepting the award, Mr. Hibara said: “We established the Foundation in 1991. After much discussion, we decided to focus our work on supporting young persons with disabilities…This DRA Award confirms that we have chosen the right direction.” Ms. Aylward added: “This award also honors the wonderful work of our employee volunteers across the country. For the past 15 years, they have donated thousands of hours to organizations in their communities that support youth with disabilities.”

While Eagles are few and far between, noted the DRA presenters, there are many more turkeys roaming the land. “Turkey” Awards are given to those who have impeded the progress of people with disabilities in the areas of employment, education, health care, transportation, recreation and housing. This year, DRA presented Turkey Awards to: the state of Georgia, California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger, Taco Bell Corp., and the website Hotels.com.

Helen Keller Achievement Award to be Presented to CEO of Mitsubishi Electronics America, Inc.

posted April 01, 2000
Arlington, VA., April 1, 2000 - Mitsubishi Electric U.S. companies will receive the 2000 Helen Keller Achievement Award May 23 in New York. The award is presented annually by the American Foundation for the Blind to corporations and individuals that have made significant contributions to improving the lives of blind people. Mitsubishi Electric U.S., a group of high-tech companies with offices throughout North America, sponsors an internship program through the American Foundation for the Blind. The program trains blind students to evaluate products from a technical standpoint for future use by the visually impaired. The goal is to encourage students who are blind or visually impaired to pursue careers in science and technology.

Kiyoshi Kawakami, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Electronics America, Inc., will accept the award on behalf of Mitsubishi Electric U.S. Past Helen Keller Award winners include General Electric, Bank of America, Coca Cola, and the Xerox Corporation, as well as such individuals as George Shearing, Stevie Wonder, and Barbara Bush.

The award also cites Mitsubishi Electric’s support of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEA Foundation), whose mission is to help young people with disabilities. Since its establishment in 1991, the MEA Foundation has contributed more than $3 million to organizations serving young people with physical and mental disabilities.

# # #

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation
1560 Wilson Blvd.
Suite 1150
Arlington, VA 22209