SIGMA America and authorized SIGMA dealers contribute $50,000 to local schools—
SIGMA Corporation of America, a leading camera and lens manufacturer for both photography and cinema applications, announced today the results of its 4th Annual “Focused on the Fight” Charitable Giving Campaign. The initiative kicked off the new academic school year with a $50,000 contribution to schools selected by participating SIGMA dealers through DonorsChoose, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting teachers and students by funding educational projects that go beyond traditional school budgets.
While this year’s charitable giving program is expected to cover 90% of U.S. states once fully funded later this month, SIGMA America’s long-term goal is to fund school projects in every state.
To date, SIGMA dealers have donated to 68 schools and funded 70 school projects and will continue to grow as more projects are funded. Participating dealers are:
- Bedford Camera & Video, numerous locations in AK, OK, MO
- F32 Photo, Knoxville, TN
- Garland Camera Repair & Photo Imaging, Garland, TX
- Glazer’s, Seattle, WA
- Hot Rod Cameras, Burbank, CA
- Houston Camera Exchange, Houston, TX
- Nuzira, Scottsdale, AZ
- Pixel Connection, Avon, OH and Nashville, TN
- PROCAM, Detroit, MI; Chicago, IL; and Cincinnati, OH
SIGMA America is grateful for and dedicated to the Long Island community which has supported its headquarters for nearly 40 years, and to the Los Angeles community that welcomed its Burbank office and showroom in 2018. As part of this charitable giving campaign, SIGMA served a total of 44 schools and funded a total of 46 projects, including the following in the Long Island and Los Angeles communities:
- East Islip High School, Islip, NY, “Strobe Lighting for Photography Students” project
- Martin Luther King Junior Elementary, Wyandanch, NY, “Strike a Pose It’s Camera Time” project
- Sotomayar Arts and Science Magnet School, Los Angeles, CA, “Empowering Student Filmmakers” project
- Logan Academy of Global Ecology, Los Angeles, CA, “Make a Statement without Saying a Word” project
“We strongly believe that Sigma’s ‘picture’ – or actions – must match our words,” says Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of SIGMA America. “Photography, by its creative nature, promotes awareness, compassion, and empathy; it is the heart of all we do as photographers. Nurturing and cultivating the next generation of creatives starts in the school, and it’s often the creative programs that are the first to fall victim to underfunding. We look forward to the impact this initiative will have on our communities now, and in the years to come.”
For the full list of funded projects and participating partners, please click here.
SIGMA’s “Focused On the Fight” Charitable Giving Campaign was started in 2020 to assist in alleviating and eradicating Covid-19 after-effects, and in 2022 turned its focused to supporting humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Since its inception, a generous $343,000 has been donated to charities in the United States and Ukraine, including local charities selected by 53 SIGMA participating dealers.