the good stuff
MI INDUSTRY GIVES BACK AFTER UNPRECEDENTED YEAR
By Brian Berk During the past year, MI manufacturers and retailers alike have stepped up in ways like never before to help charities, their local communities and more. Here are some examples of these efforts. MANUFACTURERS
D’ADDA RI O & C O. D’Addario donated 40,000 Dynatomy Face Shields to help safeguard organiza-
used their resources to help with the tremendous lift that is fighting this pandemic.
tions across Long Island, N.Y. It gave back to its community and provided
D’Addario’s pivot from producing drumheads to engineering face shields is an
much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) to everyone, especially
extraordinary example of ingenuity and goodwill in the face of dire challenges. This
those who need specific accommodations. On Feb. 26, Suffolk County Legisla-
collaborative spirit is a hallmark of Long Island’s exceptional business community.”
tor Tom Cilmi and presiding officer Robert Calarco met with D’Addario CEO
A year ago, D’Addario was directed to close its Farmingdale factories by the State
John D’Addario III to accept a portion of the donated face shields on behalf of
of New York. A small group of D’Addario product development and manufacturing
Suffolk County’s (N.Y.) 18 legislative districts.
engineers, led by chief innovation officer, Jim D’Addario, met to find a way to make
“The Suffolk County Legislature has been heavily involved with securing and
medical face shields from materials normally used to make Evans Drumheads. By
distributing PPE to constituents in need. We are grateful to D’Addario for this
working with Mylar film, D’Addario’s own drumhead manufacturing equipment and
generous donation and to legislator Tom Cilmi for helping to arrange it,” said
in coordination with nearby suppliers for a few essential materials, the D’Addario
Calarco. “It has been truly incredible to see how companies like D’Addario have
team had working prototypes within several days, gaining permission from the state of New York to reopen the Evans Drumhead factory. Production began within weeks, and today, two million face shields have been shipped to medical professionals, small business owners and consumers across North America. “I am incredibly proud of the way our family of employees stepped up to manufacture PPE when it was needed,” said D’Addario CEO John D’Addario III. “On a more personal note, being able to donate our face shields across Long Island is a particular source of pride given this is our home, and we’re helping to protect our neighbors and their families.” D’Addario has also focused donation efforts on organizations servicing the autistic, deaf and hard-of-hearing communities that cannot wear masks. These organizations include: The Mill Neck Family of Organizations, made up of a group of nonprofits dedicated to helping create a world in which deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals are included, empowered, celebrated and embraced as equals; Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism, dedicated to the education and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorders; Cleary School for the Deaf, a private, statesupported program that has served the deaf community of Long Island since 1925; The EJ Autism Foundation, dedicated to creating awareness around Autism and supporting programs and schools on Long Island that currently work with children on the spectrum; and AHRC Suffolk, which provides support and advocates for individuals of all ages with unique abilities and challenges, providing individualized, high-quality services utilizing person-centered approaches assisting them to discover and define their own quality of life. Other organizations who’ve received donations include the Long Island State Veterans Home, Northwell Health/Huntington Hospital and Catholic Health Good Samaritan Hospital.
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JUNE 2021
