Hitachi Canadian Industries Ltd. (HCI) began manufacturing components in Saskatoon for the power generation industry in 1988. In recognition of 10 years of operation in Saskatoon, HCI established the Hitachi Family and Community Fund in 1998 with a $30,000 donation. The fund supports the field of Family and Community within the Foundation’s Quality of Life grants program.
Since 1998, grants from the Fund have been made to address many issues facing Saskatoon citizens such as: child hunger and education; empowering older adults; strengthening families; and training groups in conflict resolution. With a focus on leadership development, the fund has also been used to help train others who wish to reach into the community to make a difference and to assist in the education of groups and individuals to aid them in becoming self-reliant.
Hitachi believes that business has an essential role to play in addressing many complex challenges of our time. Hitachi’s global philanthropic mission is to forge an authentic integration of business actions and societal well-being. Their strategy for this is accomplished by each Hitachi location addressing the social needs unique to the communities in which their employees live and work.
HCI recognizes that Saskatoon Community Foundation is well positioned to address the needs in our community through their relationships with other local charities and their strategic approach to granting. Providing annual grants through the Hitachi Family and Community Fund is an effective way for Hitachi to reach into the community at a local level and enhance the quality of life for those in need of assistance.
Another way HCI impacts the community is through its Community Action Committee (CAC). CAC is comprised of a volunteer group of employees who seek out and identify charitable community organizations based on input from their fellow HCI employees. This input is gathered trough our CAC company survey or comes directly as individual requests from the employees. The CAC is matched by The Hitachi Foundation in Washington DC, effectively doubling the impact of each donation.
HCI is grateful to Saskatoon Community Foundation for administrating the Hitachi Family and Community Fund, and looks forward to a continued partnership with them while we continue to look to improve the quality of life for those in need in our community.