Ford Global Week of Caring Draws 10,000 Employees for Ford Volunteer Corps Blitz in 20 Countries Worldwide

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

• Ford Volunteer Corps is tackling community projects around the world with about 10,000 Ford employees, retirees and dealers during the seventh annual Ford Global Week of Caring, Sept. 8-16
• Under a new initiative in Asia Pacific, $100,000 in grants is supporting many of the dozens of projects across the region
• A total of $240,000 in grants is funding volunteer projects worldwide

An army of 10,000 Ford employees, retirees and dealers have set their sights on more than 200 community projects on six continents for the seventh annual Ford Global Week of Caring.

From Sept. 8 through Sept. 16, the Ford Volunteer Corps will be out in force with hammers, shovels and paintbrushes in more than 20 countries to tackle community projects from Asia to Africa and from Europe to The Americas.

The volunteers will repair schools in Australia and South Africa, organize an anti-litter rally in India, construct community water projects in China and Thailand, install water desalinization equipment in Indonesia and build barn owl boxes on coastal marshes in the U.K.  

Ford volunteers in the U.S. will take on projects in 15 states including building houses, packing food and providing legal service to veterans.

Many of these projects will be expanded and continued during coming months.

"Around the world, Ford employees have built a reputation of making a difference with strong hands and huge hearts," said Jim Vella , president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "We now have the momentum and resources to start taking the next steps toward realizing our global vision of year-round volunteer activities."

More than 25 nonprofits in the Asia Pacific countries of Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as South Africa, will share for the first time more than $100,000 (U.S.) in grants for the tools and supplies needed by volunteers to complete their projects. Another $140,000 in grants will be shared by a dozen nonprofits in the U.S. for a variety of projects, including the building of a Habitat for Humanity house in Detroit.

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. The Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 60 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F). The award-winning Ford Driving Skills for Life program teaches new drivers through a variety of hands-on and interactive methods. Innovation in education is encouraged through programs that enhance student learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, more than 25,000 Ford employees and retirees each year work on projects that better their communities in more than 20 countries. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com.

SOURCE Ford Motor Company

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