Yamaha Pitches In to Help Storm-Ravaged Gulf Region
BUENA PARK, CA (September 16, 2005) — Yamaha Corporation of America and its employees are doing their part not only to contribute to the enormous task of recovering from Hurricane Katrina, but to restore the music to America’s culturally rich Gulf Coast communities.
In the days after the storm flooded New Orleans and devastated towns elsewhere in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, several initiatives were put into place. Through its employee-based charitable program, “Yamaha Cares,” the company is collecting and matching individual cash donations by its employees to the American Red Cross. In Thomaston, Ga., employees at the Yamaha Music Manufacturing (YMM) piano and speaker assembly plant have loaded a company tractor-trailer with infant supplies and necessities for delivery into the disaster zone.
In part because of the affected region’s deep musical heritage, Yamaha feels a close tie with many of the people and businesses who have suffered. For example, one artist who has lost everything is drummer Adonis Rose, who plays with Nicholas Payton and Harry Connick Jr. Similarly, Ray Fransen’s Drum Shop, the home of frequent community percussion clinics and drum provider for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival stages, has suffered significant damage. The Yamaha Drums Department has made a special appeal to fellow drum artists on their behalf, and is collecting donations.
A number of Yamaha artists have been generously donating their time and talents to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the ravaged Gulf Coast. Yamaha supplied an MPC7 grand piano for the set of Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, which aired on all major television networks and throughout the world. Special performances included those by Yamaha artists Alicia Keys and Sheryl Crow. A Yamaha MPC2 grand was used on the set of ReAct Now: Music & Relief, which aired on all MTV Networks and featured performances by Yamaha artists such as Keys, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson. Keys also participated in S.O.S.: Saving OurSelves – The BET Relief Telethon, which raised more than $10 million in telephone and on-air donations. John is also scheduled to perform at The Big Apple to The Big Easy fundraising concert set for Sept. 20 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
“We are truly saddened by the disaster and the loss of life,” says Yamaha Senior Vice President Terry Lewis. “We feel a special kinship with the region because of its musically rich heritage. The Yamaha family is doing, and will do, everything that it can do to help.”
While music is not a natural priority compared to the restoration of food, clothing, shelter, water or electricity, Yamaha is also making plans to assist music retailers, school music programs and other local institutions that, in time, will play a role in the region’s cultural revival. Yamaha Vice President for Human Resources Carol Baker, who oversees Yamaha Cares, also noted that the healing power of music can be a powerful tonic in times of emotional distress. Yamaha is exploring ways to help in this regard, including potential cooperation with other music industry organizations.
“In matching our employees’ donations to the Red Cross, I’ve been authorized to exceed our budgeted allotment for Yamaha Cares giving,” Baker says. “We’ve already surpassed it, and employees are continuing to make donations. Several Yamaha employees’ family members have also lost their homes, or suffered serious damage in the storm’s aftermath, and individuals within the company have made personal contributions toward their recovery as well.”
For more information on Yamaha, write Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
 While Yamaha's corporate headquarters in California matches employee contributions to the Red Cross, staff members at the company's Georgia assembly plant filled a truck with badly needed supplies.
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In part because of the affected region’s deep musical heritage, Yamaha feels a close tie with many of the people and businesses who have suffered. For example, one artist who has lost everything is drummer Adonis Rose, who plays with Nicholas Payton and Harry Connick Jr. Similarly, Ray Fransen’s Drum Shop, the home of frequent community percussion clinics and drum provider for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival stages, has suffered significant damage. The Yamaha Drums Department has made a special appeal to fellow drum artists on their behalf, and is collecting donations.
A number of Yamaha artists have been generously donating their time and talents to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the ravaged Gulf Coast. Yamaha supplied an MPC7 grand piano for the set of Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, which aired on all major television networks and throughout the world. Special performances included those by Yamaha artists Alicia Keys and Sheryl Crow. A Yamaha MPC2 grand was used on the set of ReAct Now: Music & Relief, which aired on all MTV Networks and featured performances by Yamaha artists such as Keys, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson. Keys also participated in S.O.S.: Saving OurSelves – The BET Relief Telethon, which raised more than $10 million in telephone and on-air donations. John is also scheduled to perform at The Big Apple to The Big Easy fundraising concert set for Sept. 20 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
“We are truly saddened by the disaster and the loss of life,” says Yamaha Senior Vice President Terry Lewis. “We feel a special kinship with the region because of its musically rich heritage. The Yamaha family is doing, and will do, everything that it can do to help.”
While music is not a natural priority compared to the restoration of food, clothing, shelter, water or electricity, Yamaha is also making plans to assist music retailers, school music programs and other local institutions that, in time, will play a role in the region’s cultural revival. Yamaha Vice President for Human Resources Carol Baker, who oversees Yamaha Cares, also noted that the healing power of music can be a powerful tonic in times of emotional distress. Yamaha is exploring ways to help in this regard, including potential cooperation with other music industry organizations.
“In matching our employees’ donations to the Red Cross, I’ve been authorized to exceed our budgeted allotment for Yamaha Cares giving,” Baker says. “We’ve already surpassed it, and employees are continuing to make donations. Several Yamaha employees’ family members have also lost their homes, or suffered serious damage in the storm’s aftermath, and individuals within the company have made personal contributions toward their recovery as well.”
For more information on Yamaha, write Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
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© 2009 Yamaha Corporation of America
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