Community Matters

Whether it’s walking in the Susan G. Komen 5k, riding in the MS bike event, or supporting programs that benefit families and kids of the YMCA – look around – you’ll see the Aisin logo, an Aisin team member, and Aisin spirit.

“It’s who we are,” says AWA’s Mike Lapinski, vice president, HR and External Affairs. “It’s part of our corporate culture, and part of being a good corporate citizen.”

There is no shortage of need in the Southeastern Michigan area; hundreds of worthy organizations depend on individual and corporate support. Each year AWA’s Community Relations Committee evaluates many of these organizations and their goals and missions, then discusses and selects which to support.

In some cases, the company supports a charitable organization on behalf of a customer request. While many others are supported – either in donation of time or funds – because of employee involvement.

“The bottom line: Aisin is a good neighbor, and our team members work hard to make our communities a better place.”

Here are some of the organizations Aisin supported in 2013:

• American Cancer Society
• Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce
• Arthritis Foundation
• Crime Stoppers
• Detroit Hispanic Development Corp.
• Detroit PAL (former Police Athletic League)
• First Robotics
• Japanese Business Society of Detroit March of Dimes
• Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council
• Multiple Sclerosis Michigan
• National Minority Supplier Development Council
• Plymouth Chamber of Commerce Programs
• Plymouth Historical Museum
• Rouge River Rescue
• YMCA’s “Send a Kid to Camp” program

 

Supporting the Plymouth YMCA Father’s Day Run

You can’t say YMCA with out a certain tune running through your head, but the truth is, the YMCA has, for 160 years, engaged neighborhoods across the U.S. to help people and communities to learn, grow and thrive.

That’s also true in Plymouth, Mich., where the Plymouth Family YMCA held its 34th annual Father’s Day Run on Sunday, June 16, on the streets of Downtown Plymouth. And, as might be expected, Team Members from AWA and ATCA participated, including ATC-A president Takashi Aoyoma, left. (Photo courtesy of All Star Productions.)

The race is a great way for families to come together to celebrate fathers, but it's also a major fundraiser for the Plymouth Family YMCA’s Strong Kids Campaign, part of the Y’s mission for youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.

Several team members from AWA/ATC-A participated in the Father’s Day event as runners/walkers or water/aid station volunteers. Runners and walkers had the option to participate in either the 1M or 5K; while runners only participated in the 10K.

Runners/walkers included:

• Takashi Aoyama
• Isaiah Dahlman
• Sunny Hayashi & wife
• Cody Holn
• Takashi Kitano
• Tetsuki Nishizaka
• Steve Olech
• Takahiro Tsuchiya

Water/aid station volunteers included:

• Megan St. Aubin
• Santosh Sarang
• Erik Ronse

In keeping with the spirit of the event, participants enjoyed the day with their families and friends. Spearheading the event for AWA/ATCA was Quality Manager Erik Ronse, an accomplished triathlete, who has organized Aisin's participation for several years.

Plymouth–Canton STEM students in action

Danielle Ramos, Canton High School’s STEM Academy Leader, Honors Biology, recently invited representatives from Plymouth–Canton area companies, including Aisin, to act as judges for presentations delivered by STEM students in the Biomedical Pathway.

Five teams made up of about five students per team delivered presentations. Topics, which centered around the Pathway, included drug addiction, teen pregnancy, health foods and healthy school lunches, and handling stress as a student. Presentations included data to support the chosen topic. The project was designed to both educate the students about a real, social issue, and as a tool for the students to develop teambuilding skills.

Having local, adult volunteers judge the presentations emphasized to the students the need for professionalism in both the presentation materials and the actual delivery. To that end, according to Steve Olech, AWA's representative, the students dressed in business attire and delivered the presentation from a stage, complete with podium and microphone. Each presentation ranged approximately 10 minutes in length.

“I had originally volunteered for just one session,” said Olech. “But the student presentations were so impressive that I skipped my lunch hour in order to participate in a second session.”

During the program, AWA and ATCA were recognized as strong supporters of education and and the local schools of the Plymouth-Canton school District.