Manulife Financial Corporation is donating US$500,000 to a number of relief agencies including the American Red Cross and the September 11th Fund. The donation is being made on behalf of the 28,000 employees and agents of Manulife Financial worldwide.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic events of last week, and many of our colleagues have been affected by this horrific event,” says John DesPrez, head of Manulife Financial’s U.S. Operations. “We are gratified by the dedication of the volunteer and public safety workers and pleased by the outpouring of support from our counterparts in businesses around the globe. We hope that in some way, this donation will help with the ongoing efforts in both New York and Washington.”

The American Red Cross is providing immediate disaster care in both Washington and New York. This care includes: relief supplies, blood donations and distribution, victim and family support, counseling services, and volunteer mobilization.

The September 11th Fund was created by the United Way and The New York Community Trust to receive donations from concerned Americans across the country. Funds will be administered by the two organizations, which will form a distribution committee to ensure that resources are deployed
effectively in New York and other cities affected by these tragic events.

Employees have been provided additional information to facilitate individual donations. Manulife’s U.S. employees will have all of their personal donations matched by the company.