Irvine, Calif. – Irvine’s Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) and Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS) recently received a shared ASHITA Award from Toshiba Corporation in Japan, for the outstanding work performed within the last year for Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. The ASHITA Awards were established in 2005 to highlight the social contributions of Toshiba employees and are presented annually, each December, at the Toshiba President Awards in Japan.

“We are humbled to be honored with this award for the third time,” said Mark Mathews, president and chief operating officer (COO), TABS. “Not only do we share this award with TAIS, but we share it with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, as well. They work tirelessly to eradicate substandard housing, and transform lives and communities by helping families purchase or renovate a home.”

TABS and TAIS are Whole House Sponsors of the Habitat for Heroes and Foundations For Families™ program in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., contributing $250,000 in addition to employee volunteer time to help build homes. The pilot program focused on creating a kid-friendly and mutually supportive environment for active military, veterans, disabled veterans, surviving families of fallen military men and women and local families. TAIS also is an Official Technology Sponsor of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. To date, the company has donated nearly 100 laptops to families in the community, as well as provided in-person, hands-on training for many of them. Mark Mathews serves as chairman of the board of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County.

“We believe that exposure to technology is a key factor in enabling families to develop necessary skill sets for the future,” said Mark Simons, president and chief executive officer (CEO), Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.  “By donating notebooks to Habitat for Humanity and providing free, hands-on training to build a level of comfort with these products, we are helping to bridge the gap between the economy and opportunity.”

“We are delighted to offer our congratulations to our valued partners Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) and Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS),” said Sharon Ellis, executive director, Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. “Toshiba’s support helped build the first Habitat neighborhood in the United States that welcomes military, veterans and local families. With Toshiba’s help, these families now have an affordable home in which to live.  And, their children have a safe place in which to play, and a strong foundation from which they can focus on their education and achieve their goals.  We are so grateful to Toshiba for their generous support.”

Toshiba employees rank among the most socially active workforces on the globe. The ASHITA Awards are aimed to strengthen and promote good corporate citizenship, encourage social awareness, earn the trust of society and promote sustained development throughout the Toshiba Group. Past winners of the ASHITA Awards have been recognized for community service programs, cultural exhibitions and charitable fund drives. The ASHITA Awards are another way that Toshiba looks to proactively encourage exemplary corporate citizenship on a global scale.