Microsoft GCR Internal Comm regarding the Quake

We are donating!  1M RMB from MS China, 139 employees donated personally in 14 minutes and counting...

From: Ya-Qin Zhang & Eugenio Beaufrand
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 11:22
To: GCR FTE (SMSG+RD)
Subject: Update #2 -- Greater China Region

Hi everyone,

We are saddened by the devastation caused by the earthquake in the Sichuan province. Our hearts go out to the many people impacted by these tragedies. The 7.9-magnitude quake devastated the region by collapsing buildings, schools and plants, killing more than 10,000 people and injuring untold numbers more.

Based on our current information, we can confirm that our staff in Chengdu, Chongqing and all over the country are safe and accounted for.  Our office is closed in Chengdu. We are advising our employees not to report to the office but to stay in a safe location and attend to personal matters. The Chengdu building suffered some damage, and the communications infrastructure in the area has been partially disrupted. We are in contact with many of our employees through multiple channels and are providing them with updates on regular bases.

As a company, we have initiated a comprehensive response effort and are taking actions in the following areas:

1. Ensure the safety of our employees

2. Provide customer support and ensure business continuity

3. Set up disaster relief efforts which include coordination for donations and technical support to relief agencies

Fengming Liu has been designated as the executive leader of this overall effort and is working with a group of employees across China and Microsoft to coordinate our effort.

The company has pledged an initial 1 million Yuan to assist the relief efforts. We will also have additional funding to match donations from employees in China. We encourage employees who wish to donate to visit the site Donation.

If you have ideas how to support these relief efforts or would like to be involved in our response, please contact alias: ****@microsoft.com

We hope your family and friends are safe and I want you all to know that our company stands ready to help.

Thank you,

Ya-Qin and Eugenio