Ongoing support for blood donation programs - a distinctively OKI social contribution activity
Since conducting Japan's first ever corporate blood drive in 1964, the entire OKI Group has provided support for blood programs administered by the Japanese Red Cross Society. Today, we have a large number of employees who give blood, and we continue to provide various forms of support, including the donation of refrigerated transport vehicles for donated blood. In July 2006 our activities over the past 40 some years in this area were duly recognized, and we received the Emperor Showa Memorial Award for Promotion of Blood Donation.
Japan's First Corporate Blood Drive
Japan's first ever corporate blood drive was conducted by OKI at the former Shinagawa Office on August 21, 1964. The drive was initiated on the basis of a proposal by a single employee who thought that an organization as large as OKI would be able to do something to help. Post-transfusion hepatitis caused by sold blood was a major public health issue at the time and the idea of donating blood was just starting to emerge in the public's consciousness.
The blood drive was organized with the help of the former Japanese Red Cross Society's Central Blood Bank, and 175 OKI employees participated. It was reported on by newspapers and television stations and served as a catalyst for other corporate blood drives thereafter. The day of the event was also the day sold blood was banned and the Cabinet resolved that all blood for transfusion would be donated blood. Today, August 21 is referred to as Blood Donation Day in Japan.
This internal newsletter describes
our first blood drive
The entire OKI Group has been involved in blood donation programs ever since. Presently, employees participate over 2,000 times each year, with over 65% of that number giving at least 400 milliliters of blood. This and other initiatives have contributed to maintaining a supply of safe blood in Japan. Moreover, since the year ended March 2002 we've held donor registration drives for bone-marrow banks in conjunction with blood drives at all of our offices in Tokyo, Saitama, Gunma and Shizuoka, the first company in Japan to do so, as we continue to expand the scope of our social contribution activities.
Donating Refrigerated Blood Transport Vehicles as Matching Gifts
Blood transport vehicle donated in the
year ended March 2007 (February 5, 2007
at the Red Cross Blood Center in Shiga
Prefecture)
OKI started the OKI 100 Yen Fund of Love, a voluntary fundraising program, in the year ended March 1997. This fund was used for the first time to donate vehicles to the Japanese Red Cross Society, an organization with which our employees have a close ties due to our many years of organizing blood drives. The fund collects 100 yen every month from participating executives and employees, and the company matches each of these donations. In the initial year of the fund, the year ended March 1997, we donated one refrigerated vehicle for transporting donated blood and one vehicle for promotions. Up through the year ended March 2007, we have donated a total of three promotional vehicles and 14 refrigerated blood transport vehicles. The company has also provided financial support to help the Japanese Red Cross Society update its website.
Ongoing Support for Blood Donation Programs - A Distinctively OKI Social Contribution Activity
The support we have provided for blood donation programs for over 40 years, including our corporate blood drives, was duly recognized, and we were honored with the Emperor Showa Memorial Award for Promotion of Blood Donation at a national convention held by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Japanese Red Cross Society and Gunma Prefecture on July 13, 2006.
The award is given to individuals or groups that have received the Japanese Red Cross Society's Gold Medal for Merit and the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare's Certificate of Commendation in the past and whose record of achievement in raising awareness of blood donation and promoting blood drives has been deemed exceptional. OKI received the award after being honored with the Japanese Red Cross Society's Gold Medal for Merit in 1997 and the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare's Certificate of Commendation in 2002.
OKI president Katsumasa Shinozuka receiving
the award from Crown Prince Naruhito,
honorary vice-president of the Japanese Red Cross Society
Centering on the OKI 100 Yen Fund of Love, OKI's social contribution activities have now expanded into many different areas, but our roots lie in support for blood donation programs. We are very proud of this honor and plan to continue our activities in this area. The same spirit of giving will also animate a variety of other distinctively OKI social contribution activities that we will carry out into the future.
