IRVINE, Calif., March 14, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Proving that community service has far-reaching benefits, Hitachi, Ltd. identified and rewarded five Orange County area students for their commitment to improving the safety of their community. Reflecting President Bush's clarion call for service, the five high school seniors -- selected on the merits of a written application for the 2002 Hitachi Safety Scholarship -- delivered a final-round oral presentation on their community service efforts before a panel of local business and community leaders. The grand-prize winner received $5,000 in scholarship money, while the remaining four finalists each received $1,000. A similar event was held last week for Los Angeles, Ventura and Riverside Counties. On March 21, 2002, Hitachi, Ltd. will host the Bay Area competition in Brisbane, Calif.
This year's winner, Margaux Thomas of the Laguna Beach High School in Laguna Beach, delivered the winning presentation on her efforts to promote water safety awareness. She began a club at her high school that tests the water at local beaches and makes others aware of the high levels of bacteria present. She distributes her findings throughout the community and posts them on the Surfrider Foundation website.
"When I took on this project I wanted to make the community aware of the unsafe conditions of our local beaches. People should be aware of the unhealthy bacteria lurking in the water," Thomas said.
"Ms. Thomas gave a fantastic presentation today on her outstanding efforts to make our community a safer place through the promotion of water safety awareness," said Tetsuo Saito, senior representative for Hitachi, Ltd. "After seeing how hard all of these young men and women work to make a difference, I'm proud to be able to be a part of Hitachi's recognition of their success and community spirit at such a young age. I wish all of our participants the best as they enter college years undoubtedly filled with excitement."
The runner's up included Carly Geehr, from Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach; Deena Priyesh Patel from Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo; Pamela Pyfer from Esperanza High School in Anaheim and Robin Stout from Valhalla High School in El Cajon.
In addition to their prize money, Hitachi surprised each participant with a new VCR to help outfit his or her dorm room. Hitachi, Ltd. will continue the awarding of California Safety Scholarships at a Bay Area regional competition later this month.
For more than 15 years, Hitachi, Ltd. has been a demonstrated leader in the practice of corporate philanthropy and citizenship in California. Long on the cutting edge of new technologies and applications in many areas, including electronics, electrical equipment and systems technologies, Hitachi has 64 group companies operating in North America employing more than 13,000 people, including 4,000 in California.