Since the early 1980s, the American Honda Motor Co., Inc. has maintained a long and vibrant tradition of supporting Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers. Along the way, those efforts have been led by Stephan (Steve) Morikawa, who retired last summer from his role as the company’s vice president of corporate relations and social responsibility.

Over more than four decades with American Honda, Steve has nurtured the company’s community gift and regional contribution programs while also reorganizing the associate volunteer program.

American Honda has demonstrated deep commitment to the vitality of our community in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In addition to producing vast quantities of hand sanitizer, PPE items and ventilator components, American Honda has pledged $1 million to address the immediate needs of our medical centers.

“We never just wanted to make a donation,” says Steve, who serves on the Providence Little Company of Mary Foundation Board of Trustees.

“We always wanted to make it where our company and our associates have a relationship with health care systems and other worthy causes. It’s not just about the amount of support, but the relationship we build and foster with the medical centers.”

Under Steve’s leadership, Honda has continued to support the medical centers in a variety of ways, including a $1 million gift that contributed to the successful completion of the Heart to Heart campaign and to the creation of the Del Vicario Cardiovascular Center of Excellence.

Honda’s generous support guaranteed Providence Little Company of Mary’s ability to offer the most comprehensive, state-of-the art cardiovascular care including a new electrophysiology lab, upgraded cardiac cath labs and the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) program.

“Honda’s leadership gift to the Heart to Heart campaign strengthened our community by enabling our medical center to provide the best cardiovascular care — right here in the South Bay — and eliminating the need to travel out of the community for quality care,” says Providence Little Company of Mary chief executive Garry Olney.

Over the years, the partnership between Honda and our medical center has continued to grow. The corporation received the medical centers’ Corporate Leadership Award for their long history of supporting the health and well-being of the South Bay community. In honor of the corporation’s exceptional philanthropic support, Providence Little Company of Mary renamed its cafeteria the Honda Café in 2015.

“The medical center reaches out to the entire community and welcomes everyone, and their services address the needs of every person in the South Bay,” says Steve. “We want to anticipate what our community will need and prepare for it today. We want to ensure that Providence Little Company of Mary remains at the forefront — just as they always have been.”