Staff take over four million steps for Make-A-Wish

MEDIA RELEASE
20 October 2003

Canon staff take over four million steps for Make-A-Wish

Canon staff wearing pedometers and walking every day to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation

Key Points:
- Proceeds helped Cystic Fibrosis sufferer Ryan Marsden, whose wish was to visit his cousin in Australia.
- Program provides health benefits and a sense of ownership for Canon employees
- Initiative grounded in kyosei, Canon’s philosophy of corporate and individual citizenship

Auckland, October, 2003 – Rather than simply talking about corporate and individual citizenship, the staff of Canon New Zealand, have “walked that talk” in a unique fundraising project that will also deliver health benefits to the entire company. Canon staff have been wearing pedometers for the last month, and have sought sponsorship from family and friends for every step taken in the workplace, and have walked in excess of 4.1 million steps between them – raising money for charity.

WALKING ON AIR

The Make-A-Wish Foundation has used Canon’s $6,000 contribution to send fifteen year old Ryan Marsden who has cystic fibrosis to visit his cousin in Townsville Australia.

“This desire to make a positive contribution to our community has galvanised all of Canon New Zealand,” said Mr Gordon Lamont, Managing Director, Canon New Zealand. “Through more than 4 million steps, Canon New Zealand has created a healthier workplace, supported a young man with a debilitating illness, and demonstrated our commitment to corporate and individual citizenship.”

“Ryan and his family are very grateful to both Canon and Make a Wish for making his dream come true,” says Dale Nelson of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “Ryan had not seen his cousin for three years and couldn’t wait to hop on the plane with his mum to visit his cousin in Townsville, Australia.”

STEP ON IT

Walking regularly is one of the simplest means of reducing heart disease, and health authorities recommend we each take 10,000 steps a day for good health.
Canon staff were also given healthy eating options with suggested recipes emailed to them daily.

WALK THE TALK

The pedometer campaign arises from Canon’s commitment to kyosei, which translates from the Japanese as “living and working together for the common good”. For Canon, this involves taking responsibility for the impact of the company’s activities on society. Canon supplied every staff member with a pedometer – so they could “walk the talk”.

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About Canon New Zealand

Canon New Zealand (www.canon.co.nz) was established in New Zealand in 1991 and is a subsidiary of the US$24.5 billion Canon Inc. group. The company is an industry leader in professional and consumer imaging solutions with a comprehensive product line that includes: networked multifunction devices, digital and analogue copiers (colour and black & white), printers, scanners, video conferencing, image filing systems, fax machines, digital video cameras, cameras and lenses. Canon New Zealand also operates its own lease finance serve, Canon Finance New Zealand, which facilitates "one stop" shopping for customers wanting to lease or finance their equipment solutions. Canon Inc. is a top patent-holder of imaging technologies.

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