LAS VEGAS – JUNE 19, 2017 – Approximately 1,000 Astellas employees attending the company’s National Sales Forum recently gathered to assemble almost 2,800 items for children’s charities in Southern Nevada as part of the company’s annual day of service program, Changing Tomorrow Day.

As part of the Changing Tomorrow Day event, Astellas served:

Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada: For a second year, Astellas employees decorated 500 backpacks and packed them with much-needed school supplies. As part of the “Backpacks for Kids” program, these backpacks will be provided to students through the Boys and Girls Club’s 14 locations throughout Southern Nevada.

Three Square Food Bank: Through the food bank’s “Feeding Las Vegas” initiative, Astellas employees assembled 2,000 backpacks filled with 12,000 meals to be delivered to children throughout Southern Nevada. Volunteers re-stocked non-perishable food and shrink-wrapped pallet containers for shipping. This partnership ensures that kids who are at risk of hunger, and count on meals during school for primary nourishment, have wholesome, nutritious meals over the weekend.

Clark County School District: Kid Lit “Little Free Libraries” provide exciting environments for children to access free books across Las Vegas – and Astellas employees helped the team work toward its goal of opening 100,000 Little Free Libraries in 2017. Astellas employees built, decorated and filled 30 Little Free Libraries to promote reading and spark imagination for Las Vegas’ youth.

Enchanted Makeovers: All children can be super heroes, and with Capes for Kids, Astellas employees helped homeless kids and those living in shelters become just that. Volunteers designed and created 250 unique and colorful super hero capes for children throughout Southern Nevada to give them strength and confidence.

“It is not only important that we care for the health and safety of children across Southern Nevada, but for their spirit, too,” said Terry Grahl CEO and Founder, Enchanted Makeovers. “We are so thankful that Astellas came to Las Vegas and helped us to inspire and uplift 250 more kids through our Capes for Kids program. Every child will be wrapped in an armor of strength, imagination and hope, a powerful reminder that you have everything within you to be your own superhero.''

Additionally, more than 500 Astellas employees participated in the company’s second annual “One Astellas Spirit Run,” and raised a total of nearly $60,000 for charity. The 5K race took place on the Las Vegas strip to benefit seven charities: Organization for Autism Research, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Nevada Women’s Fund, Fisher House, ASPIRA Association, ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer and Cancer Wellness Center.

“The One Astellas Spirit Run is a great example of Astellas’ employees’ passion for giving back,” said Jeff Winton, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Astellas. “Despite a packed meeting agenda, our employees were out at 6 a.m. running or walking to support seven charitable organizations that were chosen by our employee resource groups. In addition to events like the run, in 2016 alone, our employees volunteered 16,000 hours in the communities where they live and work.”

Astellas believes in creating resilient communities by preparing today for what can happen tomorrow and equipping our youth with tools to succeed. By contributing to these organizations, whether in-kind or financially, Astellas’ employees are supporting a shared vision to meet the unique needs of underserved communities with resources to face the future with confidence.

About Astellas
Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.us. You can also follow us on Twitter at @AstellasUS, Facebook at www.facebook.com/AstellasUS or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/astellas-pharma.