FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2005

MITSUI USA ROUNDS OUT ITS COMMUNITY WELFARE GIVING:
SUPPORTING THE DIFFERENTLY ABLED

This month, The Mitsui USA Foundation presented first grants of support to two community-oriented organizations, Mercy Home of Brooklyn and Special Olympics New York, involved in the residential and recreational lives, respectively, of persons with developmental disabilities, those of us differently abled.

This Mitsui USA support is to help Mercy Home's 90 residential consumers live as independently as possible in their 11 group homes across Brooklyn and Queens, and assist the New York delegation of Special Olympics inclusion through sports programs, all geared for changing people's lives and attitudes.

When a special Advisory Board was formed in 2004 in preparation for the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games, Nagano, Japan (a first for Asia), Mitsui USA's senior management immediately joined to help raise awareness and funding for the intellectually disabled population and the Games. Additionally, Mitsui USA began to develop "Special Olympics Volunteer" programs, and took lead in January 2005 for a half-day "Japanese Cultural Orientation" which was held at The Nippon Club for the New York Special Olympics' athletes, their family members, and volunteer coaches all headed for Nagano.

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Mercy Home was founded in 1862 by the Sisters of Mercy who housed five young boys orphaned by fire and a tradition of caring was born. Specializing since 1976 with those with disabilities, Mercy Home is now under the aegis of the New York State OMRDD (Office of Mental Retardation and Developmentally Disabled). For more see www.mercyhomeny.org.

Special Olympics was organized in New York State in 1969, and today serves nearly 40,000 athletes with the support of over 30,000 volunteers, the largest program of its type in the U.S., with no charge for its athletes or their families to participate. For more see www.nyso.org.

The Mitsui USA Foundation, established in 1987 as the charitable arm of Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. in New York, endeavors to promote the company's good corporate citizenship through various "giving back" programs in communities across America. Annually, the Foundation donates to promote about 60 U.S. programs, many of which are "named" Mitsui USA projects that have been developed to deepen a global perspective and U.S.-Japan relations. In fiscal 2005, these grants amounted to about $600,000 in the areas of education, arts and culture, community welfare, and volunteerism.

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