Ford Volunteer Corps Begins Global Caring Month with Transformational Clean Water Project, Challenge Grants
29 August 2016 - 2:01PM
Business Wire
- Ford Motor Company awards $200,000
grant for Thailand Clean Water Community project, a winner in the
inaugural Bill Ford Better World Challenge
- Ford volunteers in Thailand are among
thousands taking part in community service projects around the
world as part of Ford Global Caring Month
- Ford Motor Company Fund will contribute
$700,000 to purchase supplies for volunteer projects, as Ford sees
increasing participation in emerging markets
Ford Motor Company kicks off Global Caring Month in September
with a transformational undertaking by the Ford Volunteer Corps —
the Thailand Clean Water Community Project, winner of a $200,000
grant from the Bill Ford Better World Challenge.
Hundreds of Ford volunteers will help rebuild a water system in
the town of Chanthaburi that serves a school and more than 3,300
local residents. Ford volunteers will repair storage tanks and
install new water purifiers, sinks and other restroom fixtures. In
addition, the water will be used to help irrigate crops and sustain
community gardens, also providing a hands-on learning experience
for students and families.
“Clean water is a necessity – a basic human right – that is not
always readily available in parts of the world,” said Jim Vella,
president, Ford Motor Company Fund. “This project goes to the heart
of making people’s lives better as we start Global Caring Month by
harnessing the power of our volunteers to improve their
communities.”
The Bill Ford Better World Challenge was launched last year as
part of the celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the Ford
Volunteer Corps. The initiative also awarded a $200,000 grant for
the Nonprofit Mobility App, a mobile software application that
works like a ride-sharing app and can be used to connect Ford
volunteers and nonprofits with drivers and vehicles that can move
food, building materials and other supplies to where they can do
the most good for people in the community. The idea — proposed by
Ford employees — will be created by the University of Detroit-Mercy
and used by organizations in the United Kingdom and southeast
Michigan.
“I am proud of the tremendous response we received when we
challenged our employees to help build a better world,” said Bill
Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “These initiatives
will help meet critical community needs and have a positive impact
on the quality of people’s lives.”
During Ford Global Caring Month in September, some 20,000 Ford
volunteers will participate in hundreds of community service
projects around the world. Global Caring Month is the signature
annual event of the Ford Volunteer Corps. Since it was launched in
2005, Ford Volunteer Corps members have contributed more than one
million hours of community service in 48 countries, representing
$29 million of in-kind community investments.
This year, Global Caring Month projects include:
- Angola - Paint, repair and renovate a
secondary school
- Australia - Beautify the grounds
surrounding a family retreat run by the Salvation Army
- Brazil - Make repairs and renovate a
nursery, daycare and library for children
- Colombia - Overhaul food bank delivery
area and sort donations
- Germany - Design and develop urban
gardens, help with construction work at a high school
- India - Make renovations at a home for
senior citizens
- Mexico - Make improvements at an
orphanage, build water storage and feed the hungry
- South Africa - Renovate bathrooms,
repair ceilings and doors, and paint homes for children
- United Kingdom - Modernize and make
extensive improvements at a mental health facility
Ford volunteers from more than three dozen countries have signed
up for community projects, including a growing number in emerging
markets from Cambodia and Malaysia to Guam and Samoa. In the United
States, Ford employees will participate in more than 160 volunteer
activities across 16 states throughout the month, including a Ford
Accelerated Action Day on Sept. 16.
Ford Fund is also increasing its financial contributions to
non-profit agencies during Ford Global Caring Month. Grants
totaling $700,000 will be used to purchase tools and other supplies
needed to complete many of this month’s community service
projects.
“The positive, powerful impact this work has on people and
communities is remarkable,” said Janet Lawson, director, Ford
Volunteer Corps. “Each year a better world comes into sharper focus
through the caring efforts of Ford employees and our nonprofit
partners.”
About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with
community and global partners to advance driving safety, education
and community life. Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more
than 65 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. Ford
Driving Skills for Life is free, interactive, hands-on safety
training focused on skill development and driving techniques, while
addressing inexperience, distractions and impaired driving.
Innovation in education is encouraged through Ford Blue Oval
Scholars, Ford Next Generation Learning and other inspiring
programs that enhance high school learning and provide college
scholarships and university grants. The Ford Volunteer Corps
enlists more than 30,000 Ford employees and retirees each year to
work on local projects that strengthen their communities and
improve people’s lives in more than 40 countries around the world.
For more information, visit http://community.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
Follow at www.facebook.com/ford,
www.twitter.com/ford or www.youtube.com/fordvideo1
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160828005033/en/
Ford Motor Company FundTodd Nissen,
313-322-4898tnissen@ford.comorFord Motor Company FundEric Mitchell,
734-612-8267emitch15@ford.com
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