Social Contribution Activities at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open Social contribution activities were held at the Panasonic Open with themes such as the environment and kids.
Many people visited the tournament
Left to right: Toshiro Masuki, the executive director of the tournament, Satoshi Hirata, representative of the AVC, and Mano, office head
- A Report on the Events for Disaster Relief
During the tournament, fans had the opportunity to take a commemorative photo, superimposed on a photo of Ryo Ishikawa, at the Gallery Plaza. This event, which fans could participate in for 500 yen or more per photo, was a huge success and from the first day, many fans lined up to participate. During the four days, a total of 760 fans participated in the event.
All proceeds, which totaled 432,426 yen, will be donated to the “Asia Volunteer Center” (http://avc.or.jp ), a non-profit organization, and will be used to support disaster-stricken areas such as Myanmar and China.
On November 7th (Fri), on behalf of the organizers of the Panasonic Open, Toshiro Masuki, the executive director of the tournament, presented a written list of gifts to Satoshi Hirata, representative of the “Asia Volunteer Center”.
Back left to right: Senichi Nomura, the mayor of Ibaraki city, and Shinichi Fukushima, senior managing director of Panasonic. Front: 3 “escort kids”
- Plasma Televisions Presented to Ibaraki City, Osaka, the host city of the Panasonic Open
Ibaraki city has provided a great deal of support and cooperation in this tournament.
Panasonic, the sponsor of the tournament, established a television plant in Ibaraki city in 1958, and to this day, assembles and manufactures plasma televisions, which have come to be a mainstay product, at this plant. In light of such a history, in order to express their appreciation to Ibaraki city, Panasonic donated VIErA 42V Digital Hi-Vision televisions to Ibaraki city to be used at all 47 public elementary and junior high schools in the City.
A presentation ceremony was held on November 4th (Sat) at Ibaraki City Hall. Shinichi Fukushima, senior managing director of Panasonic, presented a written list of gifts to Senichi Nomura, the mayor of Ibaraki city. Three of the elementary school children who participated in the tournament on the final day as “Escort Kids” were present at the ceremony. And so the presentation ceremony was a very sociable occasion.
- Eco Bus Services
Gallery buses that runs on fuel made from used tempura oil (BDF: biodiesel fuel) from the Panasonic employee cafeteria were in operation on the following days:
Days of Operation: September 25th to 28th
25th and 26th: Osaka Monorail Senri-chuo Station – Ibaraki Country Club
27th and 28th: JR Ibaraki Station – Ibaraki Country Club
- Escort Kids
On September 28th (Sun), the final day of the tournament, a group of elementary and junior high school kids, including junior golfers who live in the Kansai area, escorted the golfers in the tournament to the starting hole.
- Welfare Activities
On each day of the tournament, the first 200 fans in attendance received a pair of commemorative Panasonic Open opera glasses. These opera glasses were made by the physically challenged people at the Support of Employment, Living and Participation (SELP). In addition, facilities that allowed people in wheelchairs to enjoy the tournament were provided.
- The Use of FSC Paper for the Tournament Programs
The programs that were distributed during the tournament were made using environmentally friendly FSC certified paper. The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an international organization that evaluates and certifies whether forest management and logging is performed in a way that is friendly towards the environment as well as the local community. By buying products with a FSC logo, consumers are able to contribute to the conservation of forests around the world.
Please refer to the following links for more information on the FSC:
http://www.fsc.org/
