To encourage a spirit of social service among the general public in cooperation with the business community and the social welfare sector, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, an umbrella organization of over 300 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), launched the Caring Company scheme in 2002.
      The Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance Co. (HK) Ltd. (TMF (HK)), a member of the Millea Group and operating arm of Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, was awarded Caring Company status for the years 2007/2008.The selection process is quite
rigorous, involving initial screening by the Caring Company Steering Committee, followed by direct interviews and finally a second screening by an adjudication panel consisting of high-caliber leaders.
      Qualifying companies are required to meet at least two out of six key criteria, which include encouraging social contribution by employees, a friendly working environment and environmental and ecological protection activities. TMFHK was approved in four of the six.
      Awarded companies and organizations are entitled to use the Caring Company logo on name cards, stationery, corporate publications and other materials. The use of this logo helps to build an image of good corporate citizenship in the minds of customers, employees and the general public.
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“Are you OK?” —the most natural question in the world, and yet one that we do not ask strangers very often in the rat race of life.
      In October 2007, the Daijobu Campaign, a program of educational events about crime prevention and disaster preparedness, was launched throughout Japan to change this. The campaign’s name—meaning “Are you OK?”—reflects its aim of contributing to an increasingly conscious society; one that is becoming more and more aware of keeping its children safe from crime, accidents and natural disasters.
      Administered by the Daijobu Campaign Organizing Committee, it is sponsored by the Japan Crime Prevention Association and other organizations, and supported by central and regional authorities. Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance are also sponsoring the campaign.
      In recent years, experts and specialists have seen a need to educate the public about crime prevention and disaster preparedness in partnership with local communities. Not only are crime statistics for assaults and bodily harm against children on the rise; in Japan, knowing how to reduce the impact of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, is also extremely important.
      By March 2008, a number of cities, including Tokyo, Kobe and Nagoya, had held Daijobu events. One of the biggest was Daijobu Week, held in Tokyo’s Shibuya district in early March, where a wide range of fun, yet educational activities concluded with a grand finale—a concert by bands from the National Police Agency, the Japan Coast Guard and the Tokyo Fire Department. The Daijobu Campaign will run throughout 2008.
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The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) is a small foundation with a big mission. Since its establishment in 1991 by Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Electric US, MEAF has worked to make “Changes for the Better” for the one-out-of-five Americans of student age who have physical, mental, or learning disabilities.
      To date, the Foundation has contributed more than US$9 million to help young people with disabilities become fully included in society. In February 2008, MEAF announced US$1,117,000 in new grants. Six new national projects will receive US$879,000 while continuing multiyear projects will receive US$90,000. In
addition, MEAF will provide US$148,000 to match employee-directed grants benefiting company communities and individual donations to charity.
      “MEAF’s Inclusion Initiative has opened up opportunities for youth with disabilities in community programs,” says Rayna Aylward, executive director of the Foundation. “Equally important, it is changing attitudes among people without disabilities. The leadership of national organizations, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, have begun to embrace the value of inclusion—helping to demonstrate that youth with disabilities can and should be fully included in society. These new grants are designed to keep the momentum going.”
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