Sega Foundation

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The Sega Youth Education and Health Foundation, also known as simply the Sega Foundation,[5] was a charitable foundation established by Sega of America as the official face of the company's philanthropic efforts. Founded by Tom Kalinske in December 1992[1][2] and headed by Trizia Hill Magagnini,[5][3] the Sega Foundation contributed money to a number of charitable organizations, and was a notable early supporter of pediatric AIDS.[6]

History

“ Since 1992 the Sega Foundation has been committed to supporting those youth education and health organizations seeking the next level of success and well-being for American youth. „

— Sega Foundation[1]


The Sega Foundation was officially established in December 1992[1][2] as the official front for Sega of America's charitable contributions. When Tom Kalinske was first brought onboard as the new CEO in October 1990, he recalls the company not having any dedicated charitable fronts. Having previously worked firsthand with Mattel's groundbreaking Mattel Children's Foundation, he was inspired to create something similar at Sega. It was headed by Trizia Hill Magagnini, who was responsible for managing and reviewing proposals from charity organizations regarding potential monetary contributions (as well as the occasional donation of Sega product), as well as various fundraising and awareness programs programs. During its existence, the two most notable organizations the Foundation supported were the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education.[5] The Sega Foundation also sponsored a number of art projects around the mid 1990s (such as those from students at Pasadena's ArtCenter College of Design)[7] and had more direct charitable contributions through larger projects like the Sega Media Center at Los Angeles' Puente Learning Center.[3] Information regarding the Foundation is often found at the end of first-party Sega of America game manuals, such as the Mega Hit Series version of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Tom Kalinske, various celebrities, and Anique Kasper at 1992's KIIS and Unite concert.

Most notable among their efforts was their early support of children with pediatric AIDS, particularly through the Pediatric AIDS Foundation[5] At the time, AIDS was a taboo subject and poorly-understood, with many Americans seeing the condition as toxic or infectious. As a result, many companies of the era tended to shy away from HIV/AIDS-related charity. KIIS FM, a Southern Californian radio station with ties to Sega of America, wanted to change this perception. However, they were struggling to acquire corporate sponsors due to the stigma surrounding the condition, and reached out to Sega of America in the hope they'd understand. Thankfully, Al Nilsen liked the idea and agreed on behalf of the company to sponsor a charity concert. President Tom Kalinske agreed; his family had been neighbors to the family of a young AIDS-stricken girl by the name Anique Kasper, with Kalinske having no issues with his daughters playing with Anique. He had no problem giving the sponsorship the green light to proceed with what would become 1992's KIIS and Unite.[8]

The Sega Foundation's support of HIV/AIDS awareness would continue in the form of an information pamphlet produced in collaboration with NBA star Magic Johnson. In 1991, Johnson had announced he had contracted HIV, and was ostracized in both the association and his personal life. He subsequently became one of the most visible and well-known advocates for HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness, and through this work teamed up with the Sega Foundation to produce an officially-sponsored pamphlet educating readers about the disease.[5]

Kalinske recalls that his superiors at Sega of Japan weren't overly pleased to hear that Sega of America was supporting pediatric AIDS, as the stigma around the topic extended even to corporations in Japan. "But they didn't stop me. So that's the good news." On the topic of the challenges faced by this taboo endorsement, Kalinske says, "It was just both inside and outside. In those days, businesses, American businesses, just did not even mention the word AIDS. I mean it was literally a taboo subject. And I know it sounds strange today but it was. And so a lot of people were critical of our support of the Pediatric AIDS Foundation."[5]

List of supported organizations

Magazine articles

Main article: Sega Foundation/Magazine articles.

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.sega.com/central/foundation/ (Wayback Machine: 1998-02-02 03:35)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://www.nonprofitfacts.com/CA/Sega-Youth-Education-Health-Foundation-Charitable-Tr-032392-Rioux-Paul-Ttee.html
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 https://www.linkedin.com/in/triziahill/details/experience/
  4. ↑ http://www.sega.com/central/foundation/gonna/ (Wayback Machine: 1997-06-30 06:44)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Interview: Tom Kalinske (2025-02-20) by Alexander Rojas
  6. ↑ KIIS and Unite
  7. ↑ https://archives.artcenter.edu/informationobject/browse?topLod=0&sort=relevance&query=sega
  8. ↑ B Harris (2014). Console Wars, pg. 255
  9. ↑ http://www.sega.com/central/foundation/gift.html
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