Mitsubishi Electric: Changes for the Better

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation

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MEAF debuts Promising Practices Series, announces New Grants

posted April 08, 2010
Focus on Full Inclusion of Young People with Disabilities

WASHINGTON, DC, April 8, 2010 —Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation announces $411,000 in new and continuing grants, and a new Promising Practices in Inclusion Series to help organizations develop inclusive practices. All are part of the Foundation’s nine-year, $3.2 million national inclusion initiative.

Grants include $13,000 in new funding and $288,000 in continuing multi-year projects to promote the full participation of youth with disabilities in the community. In addition, $110,000 will be awarded in matching grants and matching gifts to organizations selected by Mitsubishi Electric US employees in the communities where they live and work.

The Promising Practices in Inclusion Series, which debuted today on Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation’s award-winning website — www.meaf.org — presents best practices, lessons learned and case studies developed from the experiences of inclusion initiative grantees over the past eight years. The series expands on the Paths to Inclusion guidebook, which was recently developed and disseminated to mainstream youth-serving programs such as scout troops and after-school programs as an introduction to inclusive practices. The series can be found online at www.meaf.org/news-practices.php.

“The Promising Practices in Inclusion Series highlights the results of Inclusion Initiative grantees over the past six years,” says Kevin R. Webb, the Foundation’s director. “These one-page documents are designed to provide quick lessons on inclusion to busy professionals, and have links to more in-depth resources. The grants awarded by Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation will continue to build on this body of knowledge, providing more opportunities for youth with disabilities to be fully included.”

New and continuing grant projects for 2010:
- $13,000 in funding to Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Md. to support a Youth Inclusion Voices project to host a youth summit and a program to promote Inclusive Practices in the Arts.
- $98,000 for the ninth year of the signature MEAF/AAPD Congressional Internship Program for the Washington, DC-based American Association of People with Disabilities to continue placing college students with disabilities in summer internships in Congress.
- $10,000 to support the AAPD Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award Program.
- $65,000 to San Diego, Ca.-based Kids Included Together for the third year of an initiative to train after-school providers on techniques to develop inclusive environments for youth.
- $100,000 to the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Girl Scout Council of the Nations Capital for the third year of their joint Include All Girls project.
- $15,000 to National Inclusion Project of Raleigh, NC and National Summer Learning Association to conclude their work to develop an Inclusive Summer Learning Curriculum.

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, based in the Washington, DC area, was established in 1991 by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan and the Mitsubishi Electric U.S. companies, which produce, sell and distribute a wide range of consumer, industrial, commercial and professional electronics products. With an initial endowment of $15 million, the Foundation has contributed more than $9 million to organizations assisting young people with disabilities to lead fuller and more productive lives.

For more information, please visit the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation’s fully accessible, award-winning website at www.meaf.org.


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Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Wins Wilmer Shields Rich Award for Excellence in Communications

posted April 08, 2010
ARLINGTON VA., April 8, 2010 – Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation has been named a gold award winner for excellence in communications by the 2010 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program. Sponsored by the Council on Foundations, the awards program recognizes effective communications efforts to increase public awareness of foundations and corporate giving programs. Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation was recognized for its website, www.meaf.org.

The award will be presented during the Council on Foundations Annual Conference, April 25-27, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center, 650 15th Street, Denver, CO 80202.

Entries to the awards program included annual or biennial reports electronic publications, magazines/periodicals, special reports, public information campaigns and websites. This year, 166 entries were received.

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The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, based in the Washington, DC area, was established in 1991 by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan and the Mitsubishi Electric U.S. companies, which produce, sell and distribute a wide range of consumer, industrial, commercial and professional electronics products. With an initial endowment of $15 million, the Foundation has contributed more than $9 million to organizations assisting young people with disabilities to lead fuller and more productive lives.

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation names new Director

posted October 26, 2009
The Board of Directors of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin R. Webb to the position of Director. Webb is responsible for guiding and implementing grant programs and company volunteer activities focused on MEAF’s mission of helping young people with disabilities maximize their potential and participation in society.

Webb comes to the position after serving four years as the Foundation’s Program Officer. Previously he worked in the field of international educational exchange, including eight years as Executive Director of a nonprofit in Columbus, Ohio and three years teaching college courses on International Business and Global Cultures. Webb holds a BA in International Studies and MA in Public Administration from The Ohio State University.

Webb succeeds Rayna Aylward, who helped found MEAF and served as its Executive Director for 19 years. Aylward recently resigned from MEAF to take a Presidential appointment as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Education.

Established in 1991 by the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan and its US subsidiaries, MEAF has made nearly $10 million in grants to help organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Girl Scouts of the USA more fully include youth with disabilities. The Foundation also supports Mitsubishi Electric employee volunteers, who have provided more than 25,000 hours of service to date in the communities where they live and work. For more information about the Foundation and its current youth inclusion initiative, visit www.meaf.org.

Founding Director of Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Appointed to U.S. Department of Education

posted September 15, 2009
Rayna Aylward, founding Executive Director of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF), has accepted a Presidential appointment to become Special Assistant in the office of the US Secretary of Education.

Aylward leaves the Arlington, Va.-based Foundation after 19 years of service, where she guided MEAF in its mission of assisting young people with disabilities to maximize their potential and participation in society. This experience has prepared her for her new position with the Department of Education, where she will focus on a number of projects such as building federal-foundation partnerships and strengthening special education programs. Aylward will assume her new duties as of October 5th.

The Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan and its US subsidiaries established MEAF in 1991, one year after the adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Foundation board chose to focus on helping young people with disabilities and hired Aylward to lead its efforts. Under her direction, the Foundation has worked with its nonprofit partners to provide more opportunities for youth of all abilities. Aylward has also been instrumental in engaging thousands of Mitsubishi Electric employees across the country in supporting their local communities through volunteer efforts.

Aylward is a recognized philanthropic leader and advocate for disability rights and has received national awards for her achievements. During her tenure with the Foundation, she served on numerous boards and helped establish a number of organizations, including the Affinity Group on Japanese Philanthropy, Disability Funders Network, the Youth to Work Coalition, and the Committee on Disability Power and Pride.

MEAF Program Officer Kevin R. Webb will manage Foundation operations until the board selects a successor in late October to continue the legacy Aylward leaves behind.

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MEAF Executive Director Honored With KIT Founders Award

posted March 26, 2009
SAN DIEGO, CA—Rayna Aylward, Executive Director of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, was presented with the Kids Included Together (KIT) Founders Award at a luncheon ceremony on March 20th in San Diego. Jan Giacinti, KIT CEO, made the surprise announcement at the 5th Annual KIT National Conference before an audience of more than 200 educators, recreation specialists, and representatives of youth-serving organizations.

KIT, based in San Diego, specializes in training community-based youth organizations on how to include children with disabilities in their regular programs. The KIT Founders Award was established four years ago to recognize the exemplary efforts of an individual, organization or foundation in leveling the playing field for people with disabilities. “The standards for this award are so high,” said Giacinti, “that until today there has only been one recipient of the KIT Founders Award.”

In presenting the award, Giacinti declared that Aylward has “done more to foster the process of inclusion, advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, and motivate organizations of national scale to recognize disability as a part of the diversity initiative than she’d ever take credit for.

“She enabled a foundation of relatively small size to turn a ripple into a wave that is reaching from coast to coast,” continued Giacinti. Aylward was selected to receive the award for her ability to make modest investments that can maximize impact and bring out the best in an organization for the benefit of people with disabilities. Giacinti shared the example of how Aylward facilitated a lasting partnership between KIT, with just six employees in California, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which has thousands of employees across the country, to make a lasting impact on the lives of youth with and without disabilities.

In closing, Giacinti said of Aylward, “Her vision is crisp and clear – create a world where all people regardless of their abilities are welcomed, valued, and included as contributing members of our society.”

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