THE XEROX RESPONSE
Xerox starts
victims’ fund
with $50,000
Besides its own people, the firm
wants to help other island families
whose lives have been shattered
by violent crimeBy Russ Lynch
More coverage
Star-BulletinXEROX Corp has promised financial help for the families of Tuesday's shooting victims plus assistance for the families of other victims of violent crimes in Hawaii.
Xerox announced a new fund yesterday, saying it is putting up $50,000 to get it started. First Hawaiian Bank, a partner in the fund arrangement, said it will put in an initial $5,000. Members of the public, businesses and other interested donors can make their own contributions through the Hawaii Community Foundation.
"This obviously is a situation we have never faced before as a company," said Rick Thoman, president and chief executive officer of the worldwide Xerox business, who came to Hawaii on a corporate aircraft Tuesday night.
He said the company is working out ways of providing for the longer-term financial needs of the victims' families and he hopes to meet with all of them over the next couple of days to find out what those needs might be.The company will help cover funeral expenses and help pay college expenses for the victims' children. The employees were covered by life insurance through the company, Thoman said, adding that Xerox is known as a leader in employee benefits.
Glenn Sexton, vice president and general manager of Xerox Hawaii, said the new Fund for Victims of Violent Crimes in Hawaii, is being set up as a nonprofit fund to help people hurt by "not only this terrible tragedy" but violent crime in general.
Thoman was returning to corporate offices in Rochester, N.Y., after meeting with international trade experts in Germany when he heard about the shooting and decided to come to Hawaii.
He said the Xerox contribution of $50,000 will be "a very small part of what the foundation will get."
Kelvin Taketa, president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii Community Foundation, said the foundation has been in existence in one form or another since 1916. It is very broadly based, accepting money from a wide variety of sources and making grants of an equally wide variety.
The Fund for Victims of Violent Crimes in Hawaii has been established by Xerox Corp. HOW TO DONATE
The fund will provide scholarships and other forms of assistance for the victims of violent crimes in Hawaii, and their dependents.
To donate, send checks to:
Hawaii Community Foundation
The Fund for Victims of Violent Crimes in Hawaii
900 Fort Street Mall, Suite 1300
Honolulu, HI 96813Donations are also being accepted at First Hawaiian Bank.
For more information, call 566-5560.
The foundation has assets of about $270 million and gives out about $10 million a year, he said.
Taketa said he expects to meet with Xerox officials to work out in more detail how they think the crime victims' fund should be used.
Meanwhile, Thoman and Sexton said Xerox will open its office doors, closed since the shooting, tomorrow and begin a round of counseling for employees. Early in the day there will be an "all-hands" meeting for as many staffers as can make it and that will be followed by counseling for small groups individuals.
He said the company means to be "proactive," checking with employees as they come to work and seeing what their needs are.
Thoman said he will stay in Honolulu for the next several days.
Sexton said there was "minimal, if any" effect on Xerox Hawaii from the corporate restructuring last year that cut some 9,000 jobs from Xerox's worldwide payroll of more than 90,000.
He said, however, some 14 Xerox Hawaii employees did leave the company last year for various reasons, including some taking early retirement packages. Sexton and Thoman said it did not appear that the workload of individual employees in Hawaii was any different from that of Xerox employees across the country.
They both said they could not speculate on what may have caused Uyesugi to come to the warehouse and shoot fellow employees.
