Mitsubishi Electric: Changes for the Better

The Starfish Story

An old man was picking up objects off the beach and tossing them out into the sea. A young man approached him and saw that the objects were starfish. "Why in the world are you throwing starfish into the water?"

"If the starfish are still on the beach when the tide goes out and the sun rises high in the sky, they will die," replied the old man.

"That is ridiculous. There are thousands of miles of beach and millions of starfish. You can't really believe that what you're doing could possibly make a difference!"

The wise old man picked up another starfish, paused thoughtfully, and remarked as he tossed it out into the waves,

"It makes a difference to this one."

Adapted from The Star Thrower (1979)
by Loren Eiseley.

About MEAF

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) is a small foundation with a big mission: To help make Changes for the Better for the one-out-of-five Americans of student age who have physical, mental, or learning disabilities.

The Foundation's impact is intended to be as broad and lasting as possible to serve the largest number of young people with disabilities. But we also focus on the individual, on the small changes for the better that can make a big difference in people's lives...

A Personal Message...

From Our Board President and Executive Director

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation was established in 1991 with the mission of helping young people with disabilities to lead full and productive lives.

Though much has changed over MEAF's 17 year history in the global and domestic economy, legislative landscape, social trends, and in the Foundation's own funding priorities, two things remain constant:

• The commitment of the Mitsubishi Electric US companies to corporate social responsibility, and
• The dedication of the Foundation to serve the critical needs of children and youth with disabilities.

Ours is a relatively small foundation, with limited material resources at a time when needs are great and growing. But we are blessed with the human resources of our thousands of company employees, many of whom contribute their time and talent to their communities. With their help, the Foundation has been able to serve many more young Americans than its funding alone could reach.

We are proud of our record of collective achievement in helping individuals and communities. But just as our companies continually strive to improve their products and services, so we work to expand and deepen our philanthropic impact.

As the Mitsubishi Electric's corporate logo states, our goal is Changes for the Better. The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation helps make such changes possible.

Akira Tasaki
President & CEO
Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA