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Important Message From Tom Gestrich
Senior Vice President, IP-Asia
Dear Fellow Employees,
Over the past week, we at IP-Asia have been seeing first-hand the suffering that the people of China have endured as a result of one of the most horrific disasters in the recent history of the area. As you know, a major earthquake rocked Sichuan Province, China, last weekend. While several of our sites, such as Chengdu and Chongqing, were near the epicenter, we felt the shocks as far away as our offices in Shanghai. Fortunately, none of our 4,000 employees in the region were injured or killed, but some have family members affected and experienced significant damages to their homes.
While we are very thankful that our team members are safe, the impact of the earthquake overall has been devastating. The death toll is currently 34,000 and projected to exceed 50,000. Many of the small villages and towns close to the epicenter are just being reached as bridges are out and roads are blocked. In addition to reported fatalities, an estimated 40,000 people remain trapped under collapsed structures and buildings, 65,000 are injured and more than four million homes have been destroyed. Ten million people could be impacted by this earthquake.
Given the scale of this disaster, I wanted to let you know that we as a company are taking several steps to help relieve some of the suffering. The first thing we will be doing is making a $143,000 U.S. dollars (1 million Rmb) donation to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation). Also, the IP-Asia team is collecting donations from employees and will match these donations dollar for dollar.
For anyone throughout the company who wants to contribute personally, we are opening the company's Employee Relief Fund for this purpose, and will match employee donations dollar for dollar up to $100,000 U.S. To make a tax deductible contribution to the China Earthquake Relief Fund, please click on "Make an Online Donation" or the "Print Donation Card to Pay by Cash, Check, or Payroll Deduction" links at the top of the page. By working through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation), we can be sure that the money will go to those who need help the most.
As some of the details of these plans are being worked out, I want to assure you that we are committed to helping the people of China as they deal with the suffering the earthquake has caused. Although the damage is overwhelming, I believe our support combined with that of many others can truly make a difference.
Best regards,
Tom Gestrich
Senior Vice President, IP-Asia |
