Ford and North Texas Ford Dealers Accelerate Education and Invest more than $800,000 in Innovative Local Initiatives
January 28 2015 - 11:15AM
Business Wire
- Ford Motor Company Fund and North Texas
Ford Dealers make education a priority by launching initiatives
that will help 14,000 students.
- Unique collaboration to award $350,000
in scholarships, more than doubling last year’s support. Every
dollar invested by Ford dealers is matched by Ford Fund.
- Ford Driving Dreams Tour is launched
for the third year in North Texas, helping prepare students for
college and donating 10,000 new books to children in need.
The North Texas Ford Dealers and Ford Motor Company Fund
announced plans today to deliver more than $800,000 in education
programs and awareness this year to prepare students for a stronger
future. This brings Ford’s community investment in North Texas to
nearly $2 million since the Ford Fund and area Ford dealers
launched their unique collaboration in 2013.
The new initiatives focus on promoting reading at an early age
and helping students graduate from high school on time, and go to
college. This year, scholarships will be available in nearly 100
high schools throughout North Texas.
“We are very excited to continue this program in North Texas,”
said Sam Pack, chairman of the North Texas Ford Dealers. “Education
is a top priority for Ford and its dealers and we believe this is
an excellent opportunity to support student achievement in our
communities.”
Today, nationally recognized empowerment speaker Roy Juarez, Jr.
whose powerful story was featured in Chicken Soup for the
Soul: Extraordinary Teens, kicked off the program at a pep rally at
Moisés E. Molina High School in the Dallas Independent School
District. It will be followed by motivational rallies at Diamond
Hill-Jarvis High School (Dallas), H. Grady Spruce High School and
South Hills High School, both in the Fort Worth Independent School
District.
Jim Vella, president of Ford Motor Company Fund, who was also in
attendance, said, “Our goal is to accelerate our efforts in
innovative ways. By working with our dealers to take a more focused
approach in the neighborhoods where we operate, we are building on
our previous success to drive a brighter future for our young
people.”
Key initiatives that are part of this effort are:
Ford Dealers Scholarship Matching
Program
The North Texas Ford Dealers and Ford Motor Company Fund have
joined forces to create the North Texas Ford Dealers Scholarship
Program to help youth in North Texas achieve a college education.
This is a unique collaboration where every dollar invested by Ford
dealers has been matched by Ford Motor Company Fund, making it
possible to award $350,000 in scholarships to students who live
where Ford operates – from Dallas and Farmers Branch to Palestine.
Participating dealers will award $2,000 in scholarships to high
schools seniors attending schools in their neighborhoods. Nearly
100 high schools will benefit. The program enables Ford dealers to
connect with their communities by supporting their local high
schools. It also ensures that Ford’s educational efforts are
reaching the expansive North Texas community. The scholarships will
be administered by Stars on the Rise, an education initiative by
the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Students can apply
at www.gdhcc.com and the deadline is March 27.
Ford Driving Dreams Tour
For the third consecutive year, Ford Fund will implement the
Ford Driving Dreams Tour in North Texas. This program was piloted
in North Texas with the Irving Independent School District. It is
designed to help Latino youth stay in school and pursue higher
education. The program empowers students to plan and develop a road
map for their college future through multiple resources. Resources
include: financial assistance through scholarships and grants; high
energy, student assemblies; and an essay contest in which thousands
of students are invited to share their dream. The Tour will be
implemented in partnership with Dallas ISD and Fort Worth ISD at
Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School, H. Grady Spruce High School,
Moisés E. Molina High School, and South Hills High School.
Inspiring the Love of Reading
The ability to read by the third grade determines a child’s
future. Yet, research shows that in some of the lowest-income
communities, there is only one book per 300 children. For children
to become proficient readers, they need ongoing access to quality
books and educational resources. With this in mind, Ford is
partnering with First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise, to
provide 10,000 new books to North Texas elementary school children
in need.
North Texas is a Ford Operation Better World market. Operation
Better World is designed to increase Ford's philanthropic and
community-related commitment in select communities around the
world. In North Texas, Ford’s main focus is education, but it also
supports other community needs such as hunger relief efforts and
teen driver safety. Ford’s local partners include the Dallas
Independent School District, the Fort Worth Independent School
District, Stars on the Rise, Parents Step Ahead, SER Jobs for
Progress, University of Cross Roads and the North Texas Food Bank.
Statewide, Ford has invested more than $22 million in community
building initiatives since 2000.
For more information, visit
www.fordscholars.org/drivingdreams
About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with
community partners to advance driving safety, education and
community life. Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than
60 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. Ford Driving
Skills for Life teaches new drivers through a variety of hands-on
and interactive methods. Innovation in education is encouraged
through programs that enhance high school learning and provide
college scholarships and university grants. Through Ford Volunteer
Corps, more than 25,000 Ford employees and retirees each year work
on projects that better their communities in 30 countries. For more
information, visit http://community.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
Ford Motor CompanyRob Beaird,
210.392.6391rbeaird@bradfordpr.comorMinerva Rodriguez,
214.632.9035minerva@mrrpr.com
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