Coca-Cola Japan Reconstruction Fund Donates Five Buses to Schools
in Disaster-hit Areas of Iwate Prefecture and Debuts Buses with
School-specific Designs
TOKYO, Oct. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coca-Cola Japan
Reconstruction Fund held a ceremony in front of the Iwate
Prefectural Office on October 16 to
commemorate bus donations to three prefectural vocational high
schools (Taneichi High School, Kuji Higashi High School, and
Ofunato Higashi High School) and two special support schools (the
Miyako School for Children with Disabilities and the Kesen Koryo
School for Special Needs Education) in coastal areas that were
stricken by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
(Photo: http://prw.kyodonews.jp/opn/release/201210187702/ )
The fund donated the buses in response to a request from the
prefectural government to assist young people who will eventually
help the local fisheries industry recover from the tremendous
damage suffered in the quake.
The buses for the high schools are mid-sized models that can
carry around 45 passengers between school and coastal training
sites. The buses for the special support schools incorporate
wheelchair lifts and can carry 53 people. The fund supplied the
buses at a total cost of around 100 million
Japanese yen.
The shared objectives of the fund and the prefectural government
with this initiative are to encourage students to undertake
activities and to help revitalize the community. The two parties
thus arranged a bus design contest for current high school
students. The contest theme was "recovery." The fund chose the best
designs from students at three high schools for wrapping around
donated buses.
The bus donation ceremony began with opening remarks from
Kunihisa Yamura, director of the
Iwate chapter of the Coca-Cola Educational & Environmental
Foundation and president of Michinoku Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ltd.
Yamura said, "It is a great honor to present five buses based upon
the advice of the Iwate prefectural government, and we hope that
everyone is pleased with these vehicles. We wish to continue
contributing as much as possible to the community through the soft
drinks business."
Yamura presented five buses to Hiroki
Kanno, director of the Iwate Board of Education. Kanno then
gave a letter of appreciation from the Governor of Iwate Prefecture
to Yamura and expressed his own thanks to the Coca-Cola
official.
Keiichi Matsutaka, executive managing director of the Coca-Cola
Educational & Environmental Foundation, presented the bus
design awards of each school and showed video messages of
appreciation from the winners. He also handed out commemorative
gifts to prize winners. Kazuo
Takahashi, head of the Iwate Prefectural High Schools
Principals Association, expressed appreciation on behalf of these
winners for the buses and added that he hoped that the vehicles
would embody hopes for a recovery.
The Coca-Cola Japan Reconstruction Fund will continue supporting
quake-affected areas in Japan by
helping to construct educational and public facilities for local
children and otherwise foster their learning.
-- Stakeholder Comments
Hiroki Kanno, Director of the Iwate
Board of Education:
I would like to express our gratitude on this occasion and
reiterate our appreciation to the Coca-Cola Educational &
Environmental Foundation for its ongoing assistance to children in
areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
When students from the Miyako Fisheries High School visited, a year
three girl living in temporary housing after her home was destroyed
in a tsunami said that, "We have received tremendous support from
everyone around the nation. I have obtained employment with a local
enterprise. I am determined to do my little bit to assist with the
recovery of Miyako." I think that her statement was also a precious
gift from the Coca-Cola Educational & Environmental Foundation
and other parties to the high school students of Iwate Prefecture.
The children of Iwate Prefecture are deeply grateful for the great
kindness that they have received, and will do their utmost in
studying and engaging in club and other activities to help
reconstruct their region. Again, we are thankful for the tremendous
support.
Michinori Nakamura, Principal of
Ofunato Higashi High School:
We would like to thank Coca-Cola for donating a school bus to
transport our students to training sites. The bus used until now
was transferred from another high school when our high school was
merged to transport students to agricultural training sites. But
the bus's performance has deteriorated over the years, and has
broken down quite a few times. All of us are thrilled to receive
this wonderful new model, which I am sure that students will enjoy
riding. We will use this bus very carefully for many years to come.
Again, thank you!
Hiroyoshi Kanazawa, Principal of
Kuji Higashi High School:
We are deeply grateful to the Coca-Cola Company of the United States through Coca-Cola Japan and
Michinoku Coca-Cola Bottling for providing a new bus for students
as part of assistance for recovery from the Great East Japan
Earthquake.
We are a comprehensive school with seven key subject areas. With
the maritime studies and agricultural streams, we need to transport
students to training vessel and farm locations. We have repaired
our current bus numerous times but such fixes have reached their
limits.
Coca-Cola's support is a wondrous gift for our students, who
have studied so hard despite the challenges following the
earthquake.
I have heard that the design of our bus features a rainbow of seven
colors to represent our seven academic streams rising into the
skies. I am confident that our students will improve their
capabilities and move onward and upward in driving a recovery from
the disaster, as the bus design implies. Once again, I would like
to convey our sincere appreciation for Coca-Cola's assistance. We
pledge that our students will do their best in their positions to
ensure a recovery.
Masahiro Watanabe, Principal of
Taneichi High School:
Thank you very much for the wonderful bus.
We are the sole school in Japan
with a curriculum that combines ocean development and regular
studies for budding aquanauts. More than 6,000 individuals have
graduated from our institution over the past 64 years. We will use
this bus to help streamline dive practices and other educational
activities.
Our entire institution is committed to producing people who can
contribute enthusiastically to society by drawing on a balance of
knowledge, virtue, and physical fitness.
Yuko Miura, Principal of Kesen
Koryo School for Special Needs Education:
We have long dreamed of having a bus in which people can remain in
their wheelchairs.
Using narrow exits can be hazardous, increasing the burdens on
teachers. As wheelchairs are customized, they have very delicate
structures that make it undesirable to fold them a lot. We are
deeply thankful that the new bus resolves these issues.
Our bus usage will increase a lot because of the lift feature, so
thank you.
Hajime Hamada, Principal of
Miyako School for Children with Disabilities:
Thank you very much for your gift to our school.
The number of high school students has surged in recent years,
making it difficult to accommodate the wishes of those wishing to
be driven to school. A rising number of students in wheelchairs has
resulted in many challenging hours spent putting these individuals
on and off the bus.
So, the bus from Coca-Cola has been a salvation indeed. It is the
first bus in the prefecture to incorporate an electrical lift. It
can also carry more passengers, instantly addressing issues we have
faced to date. Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, rail services
have been cut off. I believe that the new bus will enhance the
start of each day for students by improving the comfort of their
commute.
The new bus will be full of smiling children. We will care for this
bus for many years to come to bolster our educational activities.
Again, thank you very much for your support.
-- Comments from Bus Design Contest Winners:
Moka Niinuma, Year Two Agricultural Science Student, Ofunato
Higashi High School:
For me, it all began when my teacher suggested that I try bus
design. I was somewhat anxious, but I decided to enter the contest
because I was interested in drawing. I gave my take on the theme of
"everyone feeling better." I considered balloons, flowers, and
feathers as motifs because they are easy for people of all ages to
understand. I was very surprised and gratified that my design was
adopted.
Daisuke Sakashita, Year Three
General Studies Student, Kuji Higashi High School:
When I heard about the contest to design the exterior of the
donated bus, I pictured my school in my mind to make it easier to
identify the vehicle as a school bus.
I made the bottom of the bus blue to represent the ocean, using
diagonal lines to represent a rainbow. Our school is located near
the sea. We have seven academic streams. I used a seven-color
rainbow to represent those streams and symbolize the school.
My original design was for a rainbow with straight lines, but I
changed my mind and reoriented the rainbow toward the sky in
keeping with my wish for a school to continue progressing.
Around a year and a half has passed since the Great East Japan
Earthquake. I hope that people seeing our bus on the streets will
feel a little happier.
Shigenori Fukkiri, Ocean Development Studies Staffer, Taneichi
High School:
Our design resulted from the efforts of the entire Ocean
Development Department.
The staff and students routinely use this design, so I thought it
was a perfect match for us. The design highlights the desire for
unity within the department and the school, which is why we decided
to use it for our bus.
The school uses two types of symbol. Separate from the design
adopted for the bus is one that includes a map of Japan. We decided to use a design with a map
of Japan that clearly shows Iwate
Prefecture and, in keeping with the theme of "recovery," reflects
our desire to cultivate the seas of Japan and encourage students to continue our
diving heritage.
-- Buses Donated to Each of the Following Five Schools
- School (High schools): Taneichi High School (Kunohe-gun,
Hirono-cho), Kuji Higashi
High
School (Kuji), Ofunato Higashi High School (Ofunato)
- Manufacturer: Hino Motors
- Specifications: Mid-sized model, Can carry 43 to 45
passengers, Showing school names
- Remarks: Buses with school-specific design wraps
- School (Special support schools): Miyako School for Children
with Disabilities (Miyako),
Kesen
Koryo School for Special Needs Education (Ofunato)
- Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus
sales
- Specifications: Large model, Can carry 53 passengers, With
wheelchair lift, Showing school names
-- Overview of Bus Design Contest
- For Three high
schools
- Description Design contest for exteriors of donated buses
- Theme Recovery
1. Design to help
make students and communities happier
2. Locally oriented
design
3. Include a text
message
- Submissions Three
designs of bus width and length
-
Adjudication Deliberations
within each school on internally submitted work
Reference Materials
About Coca-Cola Japan Reconstruction Fund
The Coca-Cola Company set up the fund within the Coca-Cola
Education and Environmental Foundation on March 24, 2011, to assist areas stricken by the
Great East Japan Earthquake. The fund seeks to help rebuild lives
by supporting the construction of public facilities, particularly
those for educating children, in keeping with the philosophy of the
Coca-Cola Educational and Environment Foundation. The fund
determines its specific initiatives after liaising closely with
relevant organizations in disaster area, reporting on its
activities through its website. The Coca-Cola Company created the
fund to augment the support efforts of the Coca-Cola (Japan) Company, Limited, and 12 bottlers. They
collectively donated money and the equivalent of more than seven
million 500-milliliter PET bottles of beverages to assist victims.
Total disaster support from the Coca-Cola Company exceeded
2.5 billion Japanese yen by
August 29, 2011).
The following website details the activities of the Coca-Cola
Japan Reconstruction Fund:
(http://www.cocacola.co.jp/info/donation/en_index.html)
About Coca-Cola System in Japan
This system encompasses several entities. One is Coca-Cola
(Japan) Company, Limited, which
supplies, manufactures, and sells concentrates and undertakes
marketing, including product planning and development and
advertising. The other entities are 12 regional bottlers and other
affiliates. All Coca-Cola System companies have collaborated in
aiding recoveries from the Great East Japan Earthquake since the
emergency assistance stage.
About Coca-Cola Educational and Environmental Foundation
The Coca-Cola Educational and Environmental Foundation was
established in June 2007 to integrate
the activities of two predecessors. One was the Coca-Cola Bottlers
Japan Scholarship Foundation, which operated for 37 years. The
other was the Coca-Cola Environmental Education Foundation, which
served for 14 years. In keeping with its guiding principle of
"Healthy Active Life," the foundation engages in diverse
environmental, educational, and sports initiatives so young people
can ultimately build a better world.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage
company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and
still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand,
our Company's portfolio features 15 billion
dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola
Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del
Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling
beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks.
Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers
in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of more
than 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to
building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on
initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support
active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment
for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the
communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners,
we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than
700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit
www.thecoca-colacompany.com or follow us on Twitter at
twitter.com/CocaColaCo.
Contact:
Yusuke Yamanaka
Public Affairs and Communications
Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd.
Tel: +81-3-5466-8120
Fax: +81-3-3797-1481
Email: yuyamanaka@coca-cola.com
SOURCE Coca-Cola (Japan)
Company, Limited; Coca-Cola Educational & Environmental
Foundation