Olympus Marks 100th Anniversary on October 11th with Yearlong Calendar of Social Responsibility Initiatives

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., Sept. 26, 2019

Olympus has been a pioneer in the advent of colonoscopy, which is considered the "gold standard" for colorectal cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Through support of leading colorectal cancer advocacy organizations, Olympus is funding a series of awareness-building national events organized by the Colon Cancer Alliance and the Colon Cancer Coalition and providing free colonoscopies to 100 at-risk community members. Additionally, Olympus is gathering and presenting 100 colorectal cancer survivor video stories to help put a face to the more than one million survivors of the disease.

Locally, within the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania where Olympus Corporation of the Americas is headquartered, the Bradbury Sullivan LGBT Community Center is using financial support from Olympus to fund a colorectal cancer screening campaign that will promote awareness and bridge healthcare disparity gaps amongst the LGBT community members. Other local Olympus support for cancer screening and awareness includes sponsorship of the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley's 30 Days, 30 Stories, taking place during Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. This campaign celebrates the lives of children who are fighting or have fought cancer diagnoses and spreads awareness about resources for families affected by childhood cancer.

Because eradicating diseases such as colon cancer will depend on the preparation of younger generations to address scientific challenges, Olympus is supporting youth education campaigns that further knowledge and opportunities, with a special focus on those who are underserved. Through the BioBus program, Olympus is giving underserved students in New York City the chance to discover, explore and pursue science. Two mobile science laboratories, equipped with Olympus microscopes, various specimens and artifacts, and staffed by scientists, visit pre-K through 12^th-grade classes for inquiry-based, hands-on, standards-aligned lab sessions. These targeted interventions nurture interest and foster science identity in underserved populations where science achievement gaps are large. BioBus has reached a quarter-million students in the past decade and plans to reach another 750,000 in the next ten years.

Additionally in support of youth education, Olympus is supporting a range of Lehigh Valley, PA, nonprofit youth organizations and initiatives including the Fé Foundation for students advancing to college or vocational school and the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Programming of the Girl Scouts of Eastern PA (GSEP).

"Olympus is looking ahead to the next 100 years of innovation, and through our partnerships with nonprofit organizations, we are helping communities fight a disease that prematurely takes lives, and we are helping to cultivate young minds for the work that lies ahead," said Nacho Abia, President and CEO of Olympus Corporation of the Americas. "I am proud to help lead a company that for so long has helped illuminate the details of our world for scientists, doctors, engineers, artists, and many others, and in doing so, has brought healing, relief, hope, and joy to the world."