#GivingTuesday Marks The Start Of Annual Kia Motors America And DonorsChoose.org Campaign To Support Public Schools Nationwide

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back, Kia Motors America (KMA) and DonorsChoose.org today launched their annual "citizen philanthropist" empowerment campaign to raise more than $1 million to support high-need public schools across the country before the end of the year.  Building on the success of previous campaigns – which raised over $5 million and benefited more than one million public school students – KMA will again make a matching contribution for each donation to eligible DonorsChoose.org projects.

"Today, people around the world are coming together to give, and on behalf of the thousands of Kia team members and dealers across the country, we are proud to join the effort and continue making a positive and lasting difference for students and teachers across the U.S.," said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of sales & marketing, KMA. "We've enlisted the help of our NBA team partners as well as our brand ambassador, professional golfer, Michelle Wie, to spread the word about #GivingTuesday and encourage people to visit www.donorschoose.org/Kia to find and support projects in their communities."

#GivingTuesday was founded in 2012 by New York's 92^nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. Together, with a team of influencers – including DonorsChoose.org founder and CEO Charles Best – the global day for giving back has engaged over 10,000 organizations worldwide.

"Like DonorsChoose.org, Kia believes in contributing to a better future for all, and this latest campaign allows citizen philanthropists to make a difference in students' lives for as little as $1," said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org.  "#GivingTuesday is a simple idea, and thanks to Kia lending its support, this global celebration of a new tradition of generosity continues to grow."

Individuals can join Kia, its dealers and DonorsChoose.org in supporting public school teachers and students by visiting www.donorschoose.org/Kia.

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea.  KMA proudly serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA and surpassed the 500,000 annual sales mark for the second consecutive year in 2013 following the launch of seven all-new or significantly redesigned vehicles.  KMA offers a complete line of vehicles, including the rear-drive K900 flagship sedan¹, Cadenza premium sedan, Sorento CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Soul Electric Vehicle, Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Optima Hybrid, the Forte compact sedan, Forte5 and Forte Koup, Rio and Rio 5-door subcompacts and the Sedona midsize multi-purpose vehicle, through a network of more than 765 dealers across the United States.  Kia's U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, builds the Optima* and Sorento* and is responsible for the creation of more than 14,000 plant and supplier jobs.

Information about KMA and its full vehicle line-up is available at www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.  To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.

* The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX Trims and certain LX Trims only) and GDI Turbo are built in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.

About DonorsChoose.org
Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org makes it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need.  At this nonprofit website, teachers at half of all the public schools in America have created project requests, and more than a million people have donated $289 million to projects that inspire them. All told, 13 million students—most from low-income communities, and many in disaster-stricken areas—have received books, art supplies, field trips, technology, and other resources that they need to learn.

Visit www.donorschoose.org/intro to hear Oprah Winfrey and Stephen Colbert tell the DonorsChoose.org story.DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. To support a classroom, you can make a donation of any size at www.donorschoose.org.

¹ 2015 K900 V8 available in select trims and in select markets with limited availability.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141202/161751

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SOURCE Kia Motors America

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