- Vehicles, patents and even cell phones assist various educational and community programs
- Trucks For Texas campaign began in September 2004
From helping young people learn the automotive business to supplying funds to preserve the environment to giving abused women a safety net, products that General Motors donates are making a difference in communities across the U.S. and Canada.
Gifts In Kind International manages and organizes the GM donations, distributing the products to eligible colleges, schools and qualified charitable agencies.
“General Motors believes in making contributions that help improve people’s quality of life,” said Greg Hall, GM corporate relations manager. “Our partner in this effort, Gifts In Kind International, helps us ensure that our donations get to the people who need them.”
For example, future automotive service technicians across Oklahoma are training on a fleet of 22 2003 Envoy XLs and Chevrolet Trailblazers EXTs that GM donated to CareerTech technology centers. College students will use the vehicles to learn how to diagnose and repair vehicles.
The vehicles, worth $36,000 each, were damaged when a tornado hit the Oklahoma City GM assembly plant lot where they were parked.
“GM’s donation of these damaged vehicles, along with the rebuilding of the plant, is evidence of GM’s commitment to this state, to its people and its future,” said Tyree Minner, plant manager.
The Vocational Automotive program at Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., received a 2004 Pontiac Vibe for its automotive program. Studying the vehicle gave students an opportunity to achieve a greater understanding of advanced automotive technology.
Though a large share of GM’s gifts were engines and vehicles for automotive training programs, many other gifts were non-automotive and provided relief to educational institutions and community organizations in need.
Turning Point Inc.
GM donated cell phones, chargers, batteries, power
cords and other related accessories to Turning Point
Inc., a 25-year-old organization dedicated to providing
services to end domestic and sexual violence.
One of the first programs of its kind, Turning Point was started by a group of community volunteers who wanted to establish a supportive and safe environment for victims of violence in the community. Turning Point plans to use GM’s phone donation to provide a lifeline to survivors of domestic violence.
“The offering of cell phones to the people who seek our services gives them a real sense of security,” said Suzanne Coats, executive director of Turning Point. “Excess cell phones are re-donated to a recycling company which gives $1 to $5 per phone to our cause.”
In addition to the donation of non-automotive products, GM donated five patents with a combined total of more than $3.2 million to Michigan State University (MSU) that will assist in technology development to clean contaminated soil and groundwater without transporting it for treatment.
“The inclusion of the technologies represented by these patents, and the research already underway by our faculty, will spark more rapid progress in the development of ways to improve the quality of our land and water,” said MSU Provost Lou Anna K. Simon.
More information:
- If you are a registered non-profit seeking an in-kind donation, register through the Gifts in Kind web site >>*
*Non-GM web site. Before supplying personal information, please check that site's privacy policy.
