News

Kyocera Mita America, Inc. Partners with Oracle® “Help Us Help” Foundation in Donation

1,000 Computers and 200 Laser Printers Donated to 20 Struggling New Orleans Public Schools

Fairfield, New Jersey -- February 12, 2002 -- Kyocera Mita America, Inc., one of the world's leading document imaging companies announced that beginning on January 21, 2002, the Oracle Help Us Help Foundation, established by Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL), the world's largest enterprise software company, began the installation of equipment included in the award of technology grants to all 20 public schools in New Orleans, Louisiana which included 200 Kyocera Mita laser printers.

 

 

The California-based Foundation staff and Oracle volunteers from the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas joined volunteers from Kyocera Mita America, Inc. and the staff of New Orleans Public Schools to install the equipment in the schools from January 21-30.

 

In addition to donated equipment, the Foundation's support in the current year includes a $10,500 cash grant toward the purchase of server hardware for the district, as well as the underwriting of advanced technology training for five high school teachers, valued at over $500,000. The Oracle Help Us Help Foundation grants mark the beginning of a larger, multi-year investment that the Foundation plans to make in support of New Orleans Public Schools.

 

We are delighted to be a corporate partner of the Oracle Help Us Help Foundation and to support its mission," said James Upham, senior vice president of Marketing for Kyocera Mita America, Inc. "Kyocera Mita helps through donations of equipment, by providing discounts to the Foundation, and by volunteering our employee resources. We're especially pleased to be able to help in New Orleans where students are struggling and there is such a clear need for investment in education."

 

"We have an opportunity to make a difference in the New Orleans school district by making a major investment in equipment grants and professional development for teachers," said Lori Facey, vice president, Oracle Education Initiatives. "We envision this as a two to four year project, with the Foundation making multiple grants over time. We hope to develop a genuine partnership with the school district and, ultimately, we hope to see students develop technology skills that help them succeed in school and in life."

 

"We are tremendously excited that the Oracle Help Us Help Foundation is investing time, equipment, and funding to help increase the academic performance of our students," said Dr. Alonzo Luce, chief information officer for New Orleans Public Schools. "Oracle has been a strategic business systems partner with New Orleans Public Schools for a number of years. We use the Oracle Database, and the Oracle E-Business Suite, including Human Resources, Payroll and Financial application software. Now, through the Foundation and its other education programs, Oracle is providing tools needed to meet the requirements of our core business -- educating students. We're delighted and look forward to seeing our partnership grow."

 

A portion of the grant includes advanced technology training for five high school teachers. The teachers will travel to California to participate in the Oracle Internet Academy's Training Institute this summer, where they will learn to teach database technology and Internet application programming using the latest Oracle courseware. The Foundation will fund travel, lodging and training, plus the cutting-edge curriculum the teachers will take home to their students.

 

Oracle Corporation will also make "Think.com" available to every school in the district and provide training for teachers in New Orleans. Think.com is an Oracle-hosted, advertising-free, web-based educational environment that provides elementary and secondary students and teachers with their own web pages and a set of powerful learning and collaboration tools. This service is free to public schools that sign up and currently available in Chile, Great Britain, New Zealand and the Unites States.

 

Finally, the Oracle Help Us Help Foundation facilitates on-going volunteerism by Oracle employees in New Orleans Public Schools. "Beyond their initial involvement in the installation of the donated equipment, we hope to see Oracle employees build long term relationships with schools and volunteer their time and talents in any way that will help, whether that's serving as a reading tutor or teaching technology skills," Facey stated.

 

GRANT PACKAGE
The Oracle Help Us Help Foundation donated 1,000 new Internet appliances manufactured by The New Internet Computer Company, and 150 laser printers manufactured by Kyocera Mita. In addition to the 150 printers purchased by the foundation, Kyocera Mita America, Inc. is donating 50 additional printers, increasing the number of new classroom printers to 200. The total grant package will outfit 10 classrooms at each school with five computers and one printer each. All ancillary equipment needed to connect the devices, including network hubs, cables and electrical surge protectors, is included in the grant package.

 

"This year, the Oracle Help Us Help Foundation will donate equipment to schools and youth organizations valued at more than six million dollars," Facey concluded. "The donations will deploy more than 10,000 computers, helping us to reach our ultimate goal of making sure all students have access to Internet technology and learning opportunities that will enable them to succeed in the information age."

 

ABOUT ORACLE
Oracle is the world's largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle visit their website at http://www.oracle.com.

 

TRADEMARKS
Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation.

 

About Kyocera Mita
Kyocera Mita, with USA headquarters in Fairfield, New Jersey and worldwide headquarters in Osaka, Japan is one of the world's leading digital imaging and document management products and services companies. Kyocera Mita is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of digital copier/printers that run on computer networks and a leading provider of computer-connectable peripherals including network-ready laser printers, color copier/printers, digital laser facsimiles, multi-functional and wide-format laser imaging solutions. For more information on Kyocera Mita America and Kyocera Mita products, please visit http://www.kyoceramita.com.

 

Contact:
Ana Rincon, KMA
Phone: 973-882-4480
Fax: 973-882-6048
Email: Ana_Rincon@kyoceramita.com