Epson 2005 Annual Report Download - page 32

33Seiko Epson Annual Report 2005
Suwa City Mayor Katsufumi Yamada (left) and
company president Seiji Hanaoka (right)
The Saito Kinen Orchestra in concert
쎱
Support for Culture and the Arts
Donations to the Saito Kinen
Festival Matsumoto
Epson has sponsored the Saito Kinen
Orchestra since 1989 and became
one of the main sponsors of the Saito
Kinen Foundation in 1992. The com-
pany also co-sponsors the annual
Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto, held
in Nagano Prefecture.
Presentation of PiezoGraph
Works by Taizi Harada
In April 2005, Epson collaborated with
noted Japanese artist Taizi Harada in
donating 34 PiezoGraph versions of his
works to the city of Suwa in Nagano,
Japan. This donation was made in the
hope that these PiezoGraph prints will
raise awareness of and stimulate
interest in the arts in Japan. Suwa
mayor Katsufumi Yamada, who
received the artwork on behalf of the
city, expressed his appreciation for the
donation and a desire to see the works
displayed not only in museums but in
municipal buildings and released on
loan to schools.
쎱 Charitable Activities
Relief for Disaster-stricken Areas
Through the Japanese Red Cross
Society, Epson gave monetary dona-
tions to support relief efforts in parts
of Niigata Prefecture affected by the
Chuetsu Earthquake that struck on
October 23, 2004. Epson also trucked
in a stockpile of emergency body
warmers, bottled water, food rations
and other supplies to Ojiya, one of the
cities hardest hit by the earthquake. As
a special service, Epson Sales Japan
Corporation waved technical fees
related to product repair and charges
for dispatching repair technicians for
products under warranty for all repair-
able Epson products malfunctioning as
a result of the earthquake.
Primarily through local subsidiaries,
Epson also sent monetary donations
and supplies to assist those affected by
the Sumatra earthquake that originated
off the coast of Indonesia on December
26, 2004. In the future, Epson will con-
tinue to support recovery efforts in areas
affected by natural disasters.
Support for the Special Olympics
From February 26 to March 5, 2004,
Japan’s Nagano Prefecture was host
to the Special Olympics World Winter
Games. Epson, which is headquartered
in Nagano and has numerous business
sites and affiliates in the area, provided
a variety of support and exchange pro-
grams for the event. Material support
included Epson PCs, 3LCD projectors,
printers, and digital cameras. In addi-
tion to providing monetary funding,
Epson also dispatched personnel to
serve as key event staff and volunteers.
From February 22 to the 25, just prior
to the games, athletes from France
stayed with host families in the area
under the Host Town Program, made
possible through a sister city agree-
ment between the city of Suwa in
Nagano and the French city of
Amboise. Epson also brought in Japa-
nese interpreters to accompany
athletes, coaches, foreign interpreters
and athletic delegations at event facili-
ties. On March 3, 2005, Timothy P.
Shriver, international Chairman and
CEO for the Special Olympics, and oth-
ers associated with the games visited
Epson Mizube Corporation’s Matsumoto
Plant and the Matsumoto Head Office
of Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices
Corporation to observe work being
performed by physically challenged
employees at both sites. Commenting
on Epson’s proactive recruitment of
mentally and physically challenged
employees, Mr. Shriver expressed
hopes of remaining in close contact
with Epson even after the games had
drawn to a close.