car? Applications are now open for Toyota's 100 Cars for Good, a
major national philanthropy program in which the automaker is giving
away 100 cars to 100 nonprofits over the course of 100 days. Winners
will be selected each day through public voting on Facebook.
Last year, Charlotte-area had a great showing: Cindy's Hope Chest
nonprofit received a new Highlander Hybrid SUV to help transport local
women battling breast cancer to treatments and doctor's appointments.
Toyota encourages Charlotte residents to build on last year's success
and continue to help local nonprofits win new vehicles with their
nominations.
Application materials and complete information on the program are
available at www.100carsforgood.com.
· 100 Cars for Good video
· 100 Cars for Good logo and photos
"At Toyota, we appreciate what a big difference a new car or truck can
make for organizations that are doing so much to improve lives and
strengthen communities across America," said Jim Lentz, President and
Chief Operating Officer of Toyota Motor Sales. "Over the past 20
years, Toyota has contributed more than half a billion dollars to
nonprofits throughout the U.S. 100 Cars for Good allows us to build
on that commitment in new ways, putting the public in the 'driver's
seat' as we work to help community organizations broaden their impact
in neighborhoods nationwide."
Applying for the 2012 100 Cars for Good Program
· Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and non-profit
Native American or Alaskan tribes with sovereignty can apply online at www.100carsforgood.combeginning
on Monday, March 12. This address will link to the 100 Cars for
Good Facebook page.
· 100 Cars for Good applications will be open for two weeks
(until Monday, March 26 at 11:59 am PST]), or until 5,000 applications
are received. From this group, 500 finalists will be selected and
certified by an independent panel of experts. Finalists will be
notified in April.
· Each finalist will then submit a short video and explanation
on how a new vehicle would help further its work. Both will be
featured on the 100 Cars for Good site.
· Public voting on the finalists will begin on Monday, May 14
at www.100carsforgood.com with five organizations up for consideration
each day for 100 consecutive days.
· The four runners up each day will each receive a $1,000
grant from Toyota.
· Finalists will be eligible for one of six Toyota models,
including the Camry Hybrid, Highlander SUV, Prius v hybrid, Sienna
minivan, Sienna Mobility or Tundra full-sized pickup.
· A six-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty will also be
provided for each vehicle, compliments of Toyota Financial Services.
Making a Lasting Impact in Communities Nationwide
This is the second consecutive year for Toyota's 100 Cars for Good
program. 100 Cars for Good is the first Toyota initiative to engage
the public in determining how its corporate philanthropic donations
will be awarded. Vehicles from the first year of the program – which
were awarded to nonprofits in 31 states and the District of Columbia –
are making a significant difference across the country, including for:
· The Community Soup Kitchen of Morristown, NJ, which can now
pick up donations of food that used to be turned away due to a lack of
transportation, allowing it to provide meals and food to even more
people in need;
· Camp Casey, a program near Detroit that provides horseback
riding visits for kids with cancer that is now able to expand its
reach to families in other parts of the state; and
· Washington, DC's Aleethia Foundation, whose new minivan
enables it to transport wounded veterans recovering at the Walter Reed
National Military Medical Center to much needed social nights away
from the hospital.
Teresa Connolly, Executive Director of New Jersey's Community Soup
Kitchen, which was awarded a Toyota Sienna in last year's program,
commented, "Toyota's donation was a game changer for us, making it
possible to significantly expand our food programs at a time of
extraordinary need. This ability to serve more people and to bring
greater awareness to our mission simply wouldn't have happened without
Toyota."
More than Just Cars – Nonprofit Finalists Build Digital Marketing and
Social Media Skills
As part of the 100 Cars for Good program, Toyota will provide every
finalist with a digital video camera, training toolkit and free online
advertising credits to help them create or expand their presence in
social media and other digital platforms. The nonprofit finalists can
use these resources for their 100 Cars campaign and can continue to
build on them after the program.
Molly Reeser, Executive Director of Detroit's Camp Casey, one of the
2011 100 Cars recipients, noted, "In addition to a new truck, Toyota
gave us the training and resources we needed to get more sophisticated
about social media marketing for the long-term. This has had a real
impact, with our 'likes' on Facebook jumping five-fold in very short
order."
