10,000 Ford Volunteers Unite for Their Communities

About 10,000 members of the Ford Volunteer Corps – comprised of Ford employees, retirees and dealers – are joining together to tackle more than 200 projects on six continents during the eighth annual Ford Global Week of Caring.

The Ford Volunteer Corps is out in force from the Philippines to China to Australia and from Europe to the Americas in mid-September. Ford Global Week of Caring is the highlight of a year-round global campaign to flex the Company’s volunteer muscle.

“Ford employees tell us they’re thankful to work for a company that encourages and supports their desire to make a difference in their communities,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “It is gratifying to see how our Ford employees are eager to jump in, and the impact of their contributions.”

Ford employee volunteers are undertaking a wide variety of projects around the world. These projects include building temporary shelters for homeless children in China, renovating a community youth center in Germany, providing clean drinking water facilities in disadvantaged parts of India and South Africa, and participating in environmental restoration activities in Australia.

Across its ASEAN markets, employee volunteers came together to lend a hand in community outreach projects which included building houses and bamboo dams, renovating schools, planting seedlings in mangroves, and donating helmets and books to schools. Many of these projects will be expanded and continued during the coming months.

In the Philippines, more than 129 Ford employees, dealers and partners joined this year’s efforts, collectively accounting for more than 716 volunteer hours.

Together with American Chamber Foundation Philippines, Ford supported programs of Gawad Kalinga (GK), a group which builds homes and communities across the country.

The Dr. Jose Rizal GK Village in Laguna was the recipient of a USD 6,000 grant, which helped support house refurbishing activities as well as medical and dental services for the 300 families residing in the community. Additionally, Ford donated basic goods and spent time with the elderly at the Mary Mother of Mercy Home of the Elderly and Abandoned in San Pedro in Laguna.

“The annual Global Week of Caring brings out the very best in Ford and our team. It’s great to reach out and support our local communities in meaningful ways that provide long-lasting benefits,” said Kay Hart, managing director, Ford Philippines.

In the U.S., Ford employees in 16 states are building homes, rehabilitating shelters, feeding the hungry, planting urban vegetable gardens, and assisting military veterans including sponsoring an Honor Flight for World War II veterans from Kansas City to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Nonprofit organizations in Europe and the Asia Pacific region will share more than $200,000 in grants for their projects. Ford Motor Company Fund also is contributing more than $90,000 to support the U.S.-based activities.