{"id":6587,"date":"2015-06-22T22:53:22","date_gmt":"2015-06-23T02:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=6587"},"modified":"2015-07-15T10:38:06","modified_gmt":"2015-07-15T14:38:06","slug":"httpallentownjazzfest-org-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=6587","title":{"rendered":"Olympus Partners with Habitat for Humanity for Legacy \u201cDay of Caring\u201d @HFHLehighValley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo Caption<\/strong>: Luke Calcraft volunteering at a Habitat Lehigh Valley construction site last year – June 2014 – at a Bethlehem construction site on Aaron St.<\/p>\n

Allentown, June 22, 2015<\/strong> \u2013 Olympus has partnered with Habitat for Humanity for an annual June \u201cDay of Caring\u201d in memory of the late Luke Calcraft, former Olympus Medical Systems Group President, who was very dedicated to the Habitat Lehigh Valley mission. This year, Olympus employees will be volunteering for three \u201cDay of Caring\u201d events \u2013 June 23, 25, and 30 \u2013 with Habitat Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n

Volunteering during the month of June on a Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley site build plays an important role in Olympus\u2019 Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives for a very special reason. In June 2014, Olympus Medical Systems Group President, Luke Calcraft, rallied 15 members of Olympus\u2019 senior executive leadership team to participate in the first-ever \u201cOlympus Day of Caring\u201d at a Habitat build site in Bethlehem, PA. Calcraft, in his capacity as the President of the Medical Group and a member of the Company\u2019s Board of Directors, led the charge for Olympus\u2019 revitalized community outreach and philanthropic efforts because he strongly believed that giving back to those in need, active employee engagement and volunteering were cornerstone principles of the organization. His active participation and support for such volunteering inspired hundreds of employees to volunteer for local non-profits through similar \u201cOlympus Day of Caring\u201d initiatives. He had selected Habitat for Humanity for his own team\u2019s experience because of the potential for direct interaction with Habitat clients, the results-oriented potential of the builds, and the team-building opportunity it provided for employees.<\/p>\n

Very tragically, just a few short weeks following Olympus\u2019 inaugural Habitat volunteer day, Calcraft passed away at age 46 following a short but serious illness. His legacy with Olympus, family and friends was that as a down-to-earth, genuine and inspiring leader that supported philanthropy and community outreach through actions and deeds rather than token support. In an effort to honor his legacy, Olympus employees dedicated proceeds from their 2014 Employee Raffle Event to Habitat, yielding donations of $10,000 for the local chapter. The Corporate Social Responsibility department likewise coordinated numerous special \u201cDay of Caring\u201d events with Habitat for the week of June 22, 2015, to commemorate the anniversary of Luke\u2019s \u201cDay of Caring\u201d experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cOlympus employees are humbled by the opportunity to build and volunteer with Habitat teams. There is special meaning to scheduling these events in June since that was the start of our relationship with Habitat as chosen by our beloved Luke Calcraft. His spirit is alive and we know he\u2019d be pleased with the legacy of community outreach combined with employee camaraderie that will occur during Olympus\u2019 June builds,\u201d stated Lauren Goff, Executive Director, Corporate Social Responsibility.<\/p>\n

Habitat for Humanity\u2019s mission is to provide affordable housing for hardworking low-income families. Homeowners commit to 250 hours of \u201csweat equity\u201d to be eligible for a Habitat home.\u00a0 Partner families repay a no-interest mortgage as part of Habitat\u2019s philosophy of giving potential homeowners a \u201chand up\u201d instead of a \u201chand out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 1989, Habitat has built and renovated over 100 homes in the Lehigh Valley and has dedicated its 100th<\/sup> home last year.\u00a0 Contact Habitat Lehigh Valley at 610-776-7737 for additional information or explore its initiatives by visiting the website at http:\/\/www.habitatlv.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley contact:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Debrah N. Cummins, Executive Director, <\/span><\/span>deb@habitatlv.org<\/span><\/span><\/a>, 610-776-7737<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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