Olympus 2020 Giving Supported Healthcare Workers, Employees, and Communities
Olympus sponsored the Colon Cancer Coalition's 2020 run, walk, and bike series building awareness and support for the colorectal cancer community.
CENTER VALLEY, Pa., (January 21, 2021) — Olympus Corporation of the Americas today announced community-support initiatives that took place throughout 2020.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Olympus, like many companies, assessed how to best support healthcare workers in their efforts to safeguard public health across the nation and globe.
Responding to Community Needs During 2020
Since April, Olympus has worked to establish a structure that delivers meaningful support to areas most in need. Olympus prioritized financial, healthcare-specific donations and employee support across multiple community outreach programs.
Financial Support:
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): Olympus’ $15,000 donation to the IFRC supported global COVID relief efforts of the organization.
- American Red Cross: Olympus’ $25,000 donation to the American Red Cross aimed to ensure the delivery of their mission including financial assistance for those coming out of quarantine and food assistance in select areas where schools had closed.
- Americares: Olympus’ $54,000 donation to Americares, a health-focused relief and development organization, supported a larger initiative to provide critical protective gear, training, and emotional support for health workers on the front lines of the pandemic.
In-Kind Support:
- Use of Telecollaboration Platform: Olympus offered healthcare organizations the use of its cloud-based clinical collaboration platform MedPresence® at no charge for three months from the time of activation.
- Continuing Education Courses:While COVID-19 created restrictions on in-person educational programs, Olympus University offered a variety of instructor-led Continuing Education Presentations online. Course topics covered infection control and clinical topics across specialties.
- Microscopes for Pathologists: The Olympus Life Science Group offered the use of demo microscopes at no charge to allow pathologists the ability to review cases remotely.
- Face Shield Production: Olympus Surgical Technologies America utilized the company’s in-office 3D printers to fabricate face shields that were donated to healthcare organizations and essential employees through a third-party non-profit.
Olympus Employee Support:
- American Red Cross Sleeves Up Campaign: 150 Olympus employees rolled up their sleeves and pledged to donate lifesaving blood for hospitals that faced blood shortages amidst the pandemic.
- Meals on Wheels Delivery: 40 Olympus employee volunteers continue to deliver meals to seniors in the Greater Lehigh Valley, Pa., community on a weekly basis and in compliance with CDC guidelines.
- Paid Volunteer Time: Olympus employees utilized their volunteer paid time off benefit to support community organizations close to their hearts. Some activities included making masks, hosting a teaching session online for local schools, and providing personal resources to help those on the frontlines of COVID-19.
Supporting the Fight against Racial Injustice:
In a June statement from Julien Sauvagnargues, President of Olympus Corporation of the Americas, Olympus spoke out against racial injustice. Olympus is committed to this important and ongoing dialogue.
- United Negro College Fund: Working in alignment with our African American Colleague Affinity network, Olympus donated to the United Negro College Fund, a philanthropic organization that funds general scholarships for black students to general and historically black colleges and universities.
Impact on Healthcare:
In addition to support for those on the frontlines of the pandemic, Olympus and its employees have continued to support the organizations that help to advance healthcare in specialty areas close to Olympus. While most Olympus employees were working from their homes in 2020, they supported the following virtual initiatives:
- Get Your Rear in Gear / Tour de Tush: Over 180 Olympus employees from across the US showed their support for the Colon Cancer Coalition’s annual run/walk and cycling events nationally sponsored by Olympus. In 2020, these in-person events turned virtual in nearly 50 cities across the country and helped to raise awareness about colorectal cancer. In addition to participating from their own neighborhoods, Olympus employees raised over $6,500 for the organization that grants the money back to screening, education, and raising awareness in the communities where the events take place. Despite the pandemic, the virtual nature of this years’ races encouraged more Olympus employees to participate.
- GO PINK for Breast Cancer In October, over 500 Olympus employees across the region participated in a virtual GO PINK! Day to raise $2,500 for the American Cancer Society.
- Strike Out Cancer In October, Olympus teamed up with the Pennsylvania Lehigh Valley’s Iron Pigs to Strike Out Cancer by selling more than 700 virtual baseball game tickets and raising $7,000 for cancer support organizations in the Lehigh Valley.
- Movember 60 Olympus employees put down their razors and participated in this year’s Movember beard/mustache challenge, unlocking a $3,000 corporate donation to the Movember Foundation, a non-profit focusing on men’s health, including mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.
Spreading Holiday Cheer:
Each year, the hallways at Olympus locations across the region can be found overflowing with food donations for the local food bank or tables piled high with gifts for our charitable community partners, and this year was no different. Adapting to the new virtual environment, Olympus showed its support through the following holiday corporate- and employee-driven initiatives:
- Virtual Thanksgiving Food Drives: Eight Olympus locations across the region collected $4,000 in employee donations for local community charitable partners.
- Corporate Giving Tuesday Donation: In honor of Giving Tuesday and the desire to help feed families during the holiday season, Olympus provided financial donations to 14 community food bank partners.
- Virtual Holiday Gift Drive: Nine Olympus locations participated in virtual gift drives this year amounting to over 600 gifts for children and families facing hardship this year.
To read more about Olympus’ commitment to Social Responsibility, visit https://truetolife.com/ or https://olympusamerica.com/corporate/social_responsibility/community_involvement.asp.
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About Olympus
Olympus is passionate about the solutions it creates for the medical, life sciences, and industrial equipment industries. For more than 100 years, Olympus has focused on making people’s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling by helping detect, prevent, and treat disease, furthering scientific research, ensuring public safety, and capturing images of the world. Olympus Corporation is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with more than 35,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries.
Olympus Corporation of the Americas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Olympus Corporation, is headquartered in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, USA, and employs more than 5,500 employees throughout locations in North and South America.