MELBOURNE, Australia – For the third consecutive year, staff at Nissan Casting Australia have generously donated their annual company Christmas gifts to charity.
The 160-strong team at Nissan's Australian vehicle component manufacturing plant, located in Melbourne's Dandenong South, has again elected to forgo their company-provided Christmas gifts and have the cash equivalent donated to The Royal Children's Hospital Breaths for Alexander fund, this time to buy much-needed BIPAP ventilator machines for respiratory patients.
When Nissan Casting staff learnt that Alexander Galway, the five-year-old son of colleague Philip Galway, Nissan Australia's Executive General Manager of After Sales, who was born with a rare genetic neurological condition called KCNQ2, died earlier this year with pneumonia, the team collectively decided to donate to Breaths for Alexander. The charity fund was set up in Alexander Galway's honour to establish a specialist section of the Royal Children's Hospital's "Sugar Glider" Medical and Respiratory ward to treat children with chronic respiratory illnesses like Alexander's.
"This is the third year that staff have decided to forgo their employer Christmas gifts to support a charity of their choice," said Peter Jones, Managing Director of Nissan Casting Australia. "This year the team wanted to show their support to the Galway family and to help raise much-needed funds to buy this lifesaving equipment for the Royal Children's Hospital."
Alexander's mother Daniela Galway cared tirelessly for her son's life for many years but ultimately lost the battle.
"Our goal with the Breaths for Alexander Fund is to help raise money for a specialist unit at the Royal Children's Hospital that will facilitate treatment of respiratory conditions that are common in children like Alexander who have either profound disabilities or chronic lung illnesses.
"Alexander relied on the BIPAP machine with every intensive care admission to help keep his sick lungs open every time he got pneumonia. The establishment of a BIPAP specialist section on the ward outside of the Intensive Care Unit is critical for children with respiratory and lung disease. It will result in better treatment plans and is more comfortable for children and families, especially in end of life."
To find out more about the Breath for Alexander fund visit http://www.breathsforalexander.com.au/
About Nissan Casting Australia
Located in outer Dandenong, situated south-east of Melbourne, Nissan Casting Australia's main business activities are high-pressure aluminium die casting; low-pressure metal die casting and CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining, assembly and fabrication of a range of accessories. Founded in 1982, the plant reinvented itself as a stand-alone supplier following Nissan's withdrawal from local automotive manufacturing in 1991. This year, the plant will produce more than two million aluminium castings. The plant exports most of its parts to Nissan factories in Japan, Thailand, Mexico and the US. It currently produces eight core aluminium castings including transmission housings, clutch housings, cylinder heads and oil pan assemblies, some of which eventually return to Australia included in Nissan models such as the innovative Nissan LEAF electric vehicle, Navara pick-up and QASHQAI, Pathfinder, Murano and X-TRAIL SUV vehicles. The castings made by Nissan Casting Australia can be identified by a small kangaroo stamped on the component. The Nissan casting plant currently operates three shifts, six days a week and employs 143 full time and 21 casual employees.
About Nissan Motor Co.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 244,500 employees globally, Nissan sold almost 5.2 million vehicles and generated revenue of 10.5 trillion yen (USD 105 billion) in fiscal 2013. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.
For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN
