The following was written by Kay Fernandez, VP Strategic Business Development, Konica Minolta Business Solutions
2013 was a great year for Konica Minolta, from a business and social perspective. As an organization committed to giving back on a global and local scale we are constantly seeking new opportunities to serve the needs of our communities, while shaping a more prosperous tomorrow.
Our non-profit organization, the Konica Minolta Colorful Tomorrow Foundation, or the CTF, is focused on creating brighter futures for children and families across the US. The CTF had several successful initiatives in 2013, thanks to the support of our employees and friends.
February was a busy month. The CTF introduced a free, downloadable coloring book called Color Me Green. The coloring book teaches children and families about ways to help preserve our natural environment. Our employees distributed thousands of these books to local schools, libraries and youth-focused organizations across the country. We also donated over 3,000 books to low income families through our Books2BETTER program and were able to provide thousands of meals to underprivileged children during their summer vacation with the Food for Thought program. In addition, monetary support was provided to sponsor the rebuilding of two low income family homes and teams of employee volunteers worked to make it all happen.
In October, Konica Minolta’s US Headquarters in Ramsey, NJ unveiled Project Sunway, a 967,000 kWh solar energy system. The year-long project was the first corporate solar installation in the town. Over the course of the project we educated our employees and the community about the benefits of solar energy through monthly communications and an interactive website. Our partnership with a local high school’s Environmental Club gave the students an opportunity to witness the project first hand. Project Sunway now serves as an alternative energy source for Konica Minolta, providing up to 18 percent of the energy needs at the Ramsey campus. The output of the system can be viewed 24/7 from our website.
During the holiday season, in addition to a variety of local initiatives, Konica Minolta teamed with the hunger relief organization, Feeding America to host a Virtual Food Drive. With donations from over 220 employees we raised over $15,000, enough to provide over 120,000 meals to America’s hungry.
Aside from corporate initiatives, many Konica Minolta employees in every region of the country were deeply involved in their community and made giving back a part of their everyday lives.
Here are just a few examples of how our employees made our world a better place:
– Susan Walker from our Charlotte, NC office sent shoe boxes filled with simple gift items to children all over the world during the holidays through Operation Christmas Child.
– Ariel Pineda, from the Hayward, CA warehouse spent Christmas day handing out meals to the homeless.
– Carol Smouse from our Vienna, VA office cares for feral cats and leads “Trap, Neuter, Return” clinics teaching the community about humane ways to provide vet care to feral cats.
– For the past three years, Bill Ehmke from our Windsor, CT National Customer Care Center has been participating in a New Year’s Day Motorcycle Run to benefit a local food pantry.
– Kathryn Alexander from our Anaheim, CA office volunteers at the Bob Hope Hollywood USO at Los Angeles International Airport on weekends assisting military personnel traveling through the airport.
You can learn more about how Konica Minolta has given back during 2013 and what our employees are doing here.
We are excited for what the New Year holds and look forward to continuing our commitment to giving in 2014 and beyond!
