Every year, in association with the Red Cross Japan, Manulife Japan Head Office employees participate in a blood donation campaign, and Manulife Japan’s nationwide sales offices are called upon to participate as well. These efforts give Manulife Japan employees both an opportunity to contribute to their communities as well as a heightened sense of the importance of donating blood.

Since 2003, Manulife Japan has supported the Terry Fox Run, which is held annually in Tokyo with the goal of raising funds for the elimination of cancer. Manulife Japan employees support this goal through their monetary donations and their active participation as volunteers.

In order to support the area affected by the Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake in October 2004, Manulife Japan employees held a fundraising campaign following the disaster. The money raised was donated via Central Community Chest of Japan and was put to practical use by disaster victims as well as volunteer aid workers. Manulife Japan also donated 700 specially-made Manulife T-shirts to the volunteers engaged in the recovery efforts.

All the executives and employees from Manulife Japan who participated, wearing the special Manulife T-shirts.

The Aichi World Expo was held in Japan starting in March 2005, and Manulife Japan took part as a sponsor of the Canada Pavilion. As a good corporate citizen, Manulife Japan contributed to Japanese society and promoted better relations between Japan, Canada, and the other countries of the world through support of activities related to the nurturing of today’s youth. Manulife Japan held four events at the Expo, including an event for seriously ill children, an event for physically challenged children who use wheelchairs, a workshop for senior high school students to provide them with strategies for achieving their life goals and aspirations, and a model UN conference run by university students.

In connection with these Expo initiatives, Manulife Japan also held a “Manulife Paper Crane Fundraising Campaign.” Through this campaign, Manulife Plan Right Advisors throughout Japan called on their clients to make paper cranes. Manulife Japan made a donation based on the number of cranes made, and these funds, in addition to donations given by individual employees, were presented to a Japanese NPO to promote improvements in the hospital recuperation environments of children in Japan. Nearly 100,000 Manulife Japan clients nationwide participated in this paper crane campaign, with approximately 1.3 million yen raised for the NPO.

Manulife Japan CEO Geoff Crickmay and Justin display the first crane of the fundraising campaign made during the Opening Ceremony.