October, 2005

Omron Group pledges 300,000 US dollars for victims of Hurricane Katrina

Omron Group has pledged a total of 300,000 US dollars to support victims and aid reconstruction in the areas recently devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Omron Corporation’s contribution will be made through the Japan Red Cross, while Omron Management Center of America will make a donation to the US Red Cross through Omron Foundation Inc. (*) The donation from Omron Foundation, Inc. includes a matching gift equaling the total value of contributions made by U.S. employees.

We consider this donation to be just one expression of our CSR (corporate social responsibility), especially as we are a company with operations in the U.S., where this disaster struck.

President & CEO Hisao Sakuta said, “I am sure I speak for Omron Group employees worldwide when I say that our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this disaster. We pray for those people who lost their lives in this tragedy and the families they left behind, and hope that these donations will help the recovery process in some small way.”

(*)Founded in 1989, the Omron Foundation (OFI) coordinates the charitable efforts of all Omron offices in the US and Canada to achieve the greatest positive social impact. The Foundation is funded by Omron’s subsidiaries in North America, who contribute 0.1% of their sales, as well as money from Omron Management Center of America.

The Foundation divides its charitable resources among organizations benefiting education, people with disabilities, cultural pursuits, the aged, and other social concerns such as disaster relief.

Matching Gifts Matching gifts were popularized by American corporations in the late 1960s, and are an example of the way in which companies and their staff can combine their efforts to make a greater social contribution than if they were to act individually. In a typical matching gift arrangement, companies pledge to match their employees' donations to nonprofit organizations, thus enabling employees to multiply their support. Companies may also match employees’ efforts by making a financial contribution to organizations for which their employees have been volunteering.