AFL Surrey Presents $15,000 for Diabetes Research

08/10/2017

Surrey, B.C., and Spartanburg, SC – AFL, a leading fiber optic manufacturer and provider of services, presented a $15,000 cheque to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Canada. The donation was part of AFL’s worldwide Imagine That! annual giving campaign that engages and educates associates around the world about the needs in the community. During this campaign, associates are asked to consider making a personal financial contribution.

“We are very proud to have JDRF as our 2018 charity of choice,” stated Joe Grech, President of AFL’s (network) services division. “We are very aware of the great research being conducted to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes, but also important to AFL, is that much of the research done by JDRF has benefits for advancing other genetic diseases as well.”

The annual campaign was driven by AFL associates and involved many fundraising initiatives including BBQs and team social events. AFL’s Community Outreach Program also added a corporate matching element by matching individual donations. The campaign kicked-off with a presentation by a JDRF Youth Ambassador living with Type 1 who described her daily regime of living with the disease while trying to be an active kid.
 
“This year’s theme was ‘Be Someone’s Hero,’" explained Dee Sharma, Director of Human Resources and Community Engagement. “The presentation by the JDRF Youth Ambassador was very inspiring and encouraged our associates to speak about their experiences with Type 1. I am so proud of our associates across Canada and the synergy, dedication and commitment they gave to this project.”
 
"It is always inspiring seeing employee-driven fundraising campaigns be as successful as AFL's," stated Kim Findlay, Regional Manager, BC & Yukon Division. "Each day we are getting closer and closer to finding a cure and funds like what AFL donates make a big difference."
 
There are more than 300,000 Canadian children and adults living with Type 1 Diabetes and the average incidence rate of 5.1 percent is growing faster than the global rate according to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Canada.
 
AFL and AFL associates generated $290,000 to organizations worldwide through its first annual Imagine That! campaign. To learn more about AFL, its products and services, and its community outreach initiatives, visit www.AFLglobal.com.
 
About AFL
Founded in 1984, AFL is an international manufacturer providing end-to-end solutions to the energy, service provider, enterprise and industrial markets as well as several emerging markets. The company’s products are in use in over 130 countries and include fiber optic cable and hardware, transmission and substation accessories, outside plant equipment, connectivity, test and inspection equipment, fusion splicers and training. AFL also offers a wide variety of services supporting data center, enterprise, wireless, and outside plant applications.
 
Headquartered in Spartanburg, SC, AFL has operations in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujikura Ltd. of Japan. For more information, visit www.AFLglobal.com.  
 
Contacts
Dee Sharma
Director of Human Resources and Community Engagement, Canada
AFL
778.590.2150
Dee.Sharma@AFLglobal.com

Corie Culp
Community Relations Manager
AFL
864.433.5409
Corie.Culp@AFLglobal.com