Reconstruction Assistance Activities for the Great East Japan Earthquake

40 million yen from the collected admission fees were donated to scholarship funds or the like in the affected areas, Miyagi, Fukushima, Iwate prefectures, to support those children who lost their parents due to the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Tournament Proceeds Donated to Afflicted Areas

Of the admission fees, 80% of the entire fees were donated to scholarship funds for those children who lost their parents due to the Great East Japan Earthquake (as usual the remaining fees will be utilized for the enhancement of educational equipment used in the tournament site).

Invitation to the Panasonic Open

We invited 425 people who moved to Shiga Prefecture from eastern Japan to the Panasonic Open free of charge. Of those invited to participate, six children were selected as escort kids.

Green Tee Charity

Green Tee Charity is a project jointly operated by 16 domestic golf organizations including the Japan Golf Association with the purpose directed toward recovery efforts related to the Great East Japan Earthquake. As part of activities, the Panasonic Open took part in this project by placing donation boxes at the tournament site as well as holding charity sales.

Green Tee Chariyt Logo Mark

Green Tee Chariyt Goods
（Clip Marker＆Wood Tee）

Panasonic donates their products to all public elementary and junior-high schools of Ritto City and Kusatsu City of Shiga Pref. based on part of gate money.

From left to right:Managing Executive Officer Kajisha of Panasonic ,Mayor Hashikawa of Kusatsu City ,Mayor Nomura of Ritto City ,Manager Tamura of BIWAKO COUNTRY CLUB .
In the front row are six children in Ritto City and Kusatsu City who participated in the championship as the escort kids, the junior golf lecture event, and other field trips.

Upon the start of the Panasonic OPEN championship, Ritto City and Kusatsu City kindly offer support as the supporting organizations. In token of thanks, Panasonic, the host of this championship, has decided to donate following products to public schools of both cities based on part of gate money: two electronic blackboards, elite Panaboard UB-T880W, to each of all 12 elementary and junior-high schools of Ritto City where the championship was held (a total of 24 blackboards) along with one liquid-crystal projector, PT-LW25H, to each of those schools (a total of 12 projectors), and 15 digital video cameras, HX-DC15, to each of all 19 elementary and junior-high schools of Kusatsu City (a total of 285 video cameras). We hope these schools will make good use of these products in their educational activities.
The presentation ceremony was held at BIWAKO COUNTRY CLUB, where Managing Executive Officer Kajisha of Panasonic handed a list of the products donated to Mayor Nomura of Ritto City and Mayor Hashikawa of Kusatsu City. Both mayors gave a certificate of gratitude to Panasonic. This warm presentation ceremony was observed by some participants, such as Mr. Tamura, Manager of BIWAKO COUNTRY CLUB, and six children living in Ritto City and Kusatsu City who participated in the championship as the escort kids, the junior golf lecture event, and other field trips.

Support Activities for Development of the Next Generation

Through the Panasonic Open, we offered opportunities for children to discover possibilities for their dreams and the future.

Field Trip

Field Trip

On September 22 (Thurs), 73 fifth graders in Ritto City and 78 sixth graders in Kusatsu City, a total of 151 elementary school students were invited to a Field Trip where they could observe golf tournaments and workers at the tournament site. In the practice area, a professional golfer, Sushi Ishigaki, and a 15-year-old Thai professional golfer, Atiwit Janewattananond (Jazz) appeared and participated in this Field Trip. Children could observe the swing of these professional golfers up close. They also could spend time with these golfers by asking them questions.

Junior Lesson Session

Junior Lesson Session

On September 24 (Sat), for local junior golfers, the Junior Lesson Session session was held by golfers who took part in the tournament and 28 junior golfers participated in this lesson. Anirban Lahiri, the winner of the Panasonic Open India of the Asian Tour held this year for the first time, and Tadahiro Takayama, the winner of the Token Home Mate Cup 2011, taught the secrets of powerful swing. When it came to putting, Kazuhiro Yamashita and Yusaku Miyazato participated in the putting match between different teams of golfers. The children really enjoyed this lesson, and listened earnestly to the lesson given by professional golfers.

Kid Reporters

Kid Reporters

On September 24 (Sat), eight kid reporters between the fourth grade and the sixth grade were invited by the Panasonic Kids School to cover workers who did background work of this tournament at the TBS relay center, press center, and the tournament volunteer head office. An Indian golfer, A. Lahiri, enthusiastically answered questions during an interview conducted by the children.

Escort Kids

Escort Kids

On the final day of the tournament, September 25 (Sun), escort kids held their hands and entered the first tee with golfers who were about to make their starts. In this event, 13 local junior golfers, 6 children that moved to Shiga Prefecture from eastern Japan due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, and 15 other children recruited by the Panasonic Kids School participated. A total of 34 children took part in this event. When the escort kids who had moved to Shiga Prefecture were interviewed, they cheerfully answered with smiles, saying: "We got nervous, but it was fun to be escort kids, because the golfers were very kind. We want to do this again if given the chance".

Eco Activities

The Panasonic Open worked on social contribution activities based on the theme of the environment.

Eco Bus

Eco Bus Service

Eco Buses were operated during the tournament in order to drive visitors free of charge. These buses were biodiesel-fueled by reusing frying oil from Panasonic company cafeterias.

FSC Certified Paper

Use of Environment-Friendly FSC Certified Paper

As a rule, environment-friendly FSC certified paper is used for all printed materials, such as posters, flyers, and programs. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is one of the international institutions that evaluates and certifies whether forest management and deforestation are conducted under the consideration of environment and local communities. Purchasing products with the FSC logo can lead consumers to be involved in global forestry preservation programs.

See here for the details about FSC.

Forest Stewardship Council
・http://www.fsc.org/

Contribution Activities for Local Communities

 

Clean Up Campaign

Clean Up Campaign

On September 21 (Wed), just before the tournament opened, 48 workers of Panasonic Home Appliances voluntarily cleaned streets and roads in front of the JR Kusatsu Station. This campaign was conducted so that visitors could be welcomed with a refreshed feeling. On September 25 (Sun) too, 50 workers of the same company cleaned the same area in front of the JR Kusatsu Station again after the tournament finished.