Much-needed supplies of hard hats and respirators are being rushed to Ground Zero in New York City as the result of the partnership between Mine Safety Appliances Company (MSA), The PNC Financial Services Group and BlackRock Inc., executives announced today.
"The safety of the search and rescue workers is of utmost importance during this period in the recovery process," said John T. Ryan III, chairman and chief executive officer of MSA. "We hope that this contribution will help our ongoing supply efforts."
"Our country needs cooperation and teamwork now more than ever," said James E. Rohr, chairman, president and chief executive officer of PNC. "The nation is demonstrating its resilience this week, and so should we. PNC's deep roots of community service make us a natural place for people to turn for help."
MSA is a business customer of PNC. BlackRock is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group and is headquartered in New York City. The employees of these three companies are all believed to be safe, but friends, business partners and associates were among those impacted by this horrific tragedy.
Critical Supplies
The following supplies, underwritten by PNC, will be delivered this week to Ground Zero where MSA personnel maintain an emergency equipment distribution site:
-- Hard Hats: 5,000 hard hats emblazoned with an American flag and the
message "United We Stand" imprinted underneath it. The recovery
zone will remain a "hard hat mandatory" site for weeks to come.
-- Respirators: Hundreds of MSA's Advantage 200 half-mask respirators
will be distributed to search and rescue workers to protect them
from contaminated air. The much-needed equipment will support
recovery efforts because of the poor air quality at Ground Zero.
Support in Time of Crisis
These contributions are in addition to the fundraising efforts announced last week by MSA and PNC. MSA has established the MSA Company Charitable Foundation September 11th Fund to benefit the families of the tragedy's first responders, including firefighters, police and EMT personnel. Donations are being accepted from MSA associates worldwide, which will be matched by the company, along with individuals and organizations outside the company. Donations can be mailed to: MSA Company Charitable Foundation September 11th Fund, P.O. Box 426, Pittsburgh, PA, 15230.
Last week, The PNC Foundation announced it is supporting the United Way of New York's September 11th Fund for relief efforts and will match, dollar for dollar, the contributions of PNC's 24,000 employees. BlackRock is matching all employee contributions to the American Red Cross, the New York Firefighters' Memorial Fund, the Policemen's Benevolent Association's Widows' and Children's Fund and other charities supporting rescue and relief efforts.
PNC's 700-plus branches across six states also will accept monetary donations on behalf of the American Red Cross from customers and non- customers. Donations, cash or check, can be made in person or mailed to PNC Bank, National Financial Services Center, c/o PNC Bank Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 3489, Pittsburgh, PA 15230-9459.
About the Partners
MSA, established in 1914, is the world's leading provider of quality products and services that protect people's health, safety and the environment. The company has annual sales of more than $500 million, with manufacturing operations throughout the United States and 29 other countries.
BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) is one of the largest publicly traded investment management firms in the United States with $220.5 billion of assets under management as of July 31, 2001. BlackRock manages assets on behalf of more than 3,300 institutions and 200,000 individuals worldwide through a variety of equity, fixed income, liquidity and alternative investment separate accounts and mutual funds. BlackRock is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., and is majority-owned by PNC and by BlackRock employees.
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC), headquartered in Pittsburgh, is one of the nation's largest diversified financial services organizations, providing regional community banking, corporate banking, real estate finance, asset-based lending, wealth management, asset management and global fund services.
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000307/PHTU015
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SOURCE: The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
Contact: Patrick McMahon of The PNC Financial Services Group,
+1-412-762-2477, or patrick.mcmahon@pnc.com, or Benedict DeMaria of Mine
Safety Appliances, +1-412-967-3108, or ben.demaria@msanet.com
Website: http://www.msanet.com/
Website: http://www.pnc.com/
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/gh/cnoc/comp/701257.html
