First 25 Winners Announced for Toyota 100 Cars for Good Program

TORRANCE, Calif., June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota today announced the first 25 winners of the Toyota 100 Cars for Good program, which awards 100 vehicles over the course of 100 days to 100 deserving non-profits.  Winners of the Toyota 100 Cars for Good program are determined based on voting from the public. Each day, five organizations are profiled on Toyota's Facebook page where the public is invited to show their support by voting to determine the winning non-profit organization.

Each daily winner will be awarded a new Toyota vehicle to help the organizations continue to do "good" in their local communities. The remaining finalists will each receive a $1000 grant from Toyota.

The first 25 winners spanned several categories including animal welfare & wildlife, arts & culture, education, health & safety, and human services. From promoting the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of adolescents to alleviating the suffering of abandoned, abused and injured animals, a variety of worthy causes were shared on the finalists' profiles and ultimately selected by the public to receive a new vehicle to further support their missions.

The first 25 winners in Toyota's 100 Cars for Good program are:

• Indiana SADD; Terre Haute, Ind.; May 9, 2011
• Owensboro Area Shelter & Information Services; Owensboro, Ky.; May 10, 2011
• North Mecklenburg Animal Services; Old Fort, N.C.; May 11, 2011
• Lighthouse; Lincoln, Neb.; May 12, 2011
• St. Louis Area Foodbank; Bridgeton, Mo.; May 13, 2011
• Farmworker Association of Florida; Apopka, Fla.; May 14, 2011
• Ohio Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; Grove City, Ohio; May 15, 2011
• Project Avary; Novato, Calif.; May 16, 2011
• Freedom Bound Center; Sacramento, Calif.; May 17, 2011
• Mission St. Louis; St. Louis, Mo.; May 18, 2011
• City Gospel Mission; Cincinnati, Ohio; May 19, 2011
• Alaska Christian College; Soldotna, AK; May 20, 2011
• PAWS: Placing Animals Within Society; Bryson City, N.C.; May 21, 2011
• Disabled Sports USA Far West; Citrus Heights, Calif.; May 22, 2011
• Cindys Hope Chest; Indian Trail, N.C.; May 23, 2011
• The Gentle Barn; Santa Clarita, Calif.; May 24, 2011
• New Hampshire Food Bank; Manchester, N.H.; May 25, 2011
• Children's Specialized Hospital; Mountainside, N.J.; May 26, 2011
• House of Bread and Peace; Evansville, Ind.; May 27, 2011
• Community Soup Kitchen and Outreach Center; Morristown, N.J.; May 28, 2011
• Camp Casey, Royal Oak, Mich.; May 29, 2011
• Housing for All; Hyannis, Mass.; May 30, 2011
• The Healing Place; Louisville, Ky.; May 31, 2011
• Comfort Zone Camp; Richmond, Va.; June 1, 2011
• Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children; Friendswood, Texas; June 2,2011

Public voting for the 100 Cars for Good program opened May 9 and will continue through August 16. Voters may place one vote per day, each day, over the course of the program.  Each day, the previous day's winner will be announced and five new non-profit organizations will be featured for voting.  Winning organizations can choose from the following vehicles: Prius, Tacoma, Tundra, Highlander Hybrid, Sienna or Sienna Mobility.  With each vehicle, Toyota Financial Services will provide a six-year, 100,000 mile Toyota Vehicle Service Agreement to provide extended protection beyond the vehicle warranty.  

The 500 finalists, from which the 100 winners are ultimately selected, were chosen by an independent panel of judges who are experts in the fields of philanthropy and corporate social responsibility.

Quote

"We are delighted to announce the first 25 winners of the Toyota 100 Cars for Good Program," said Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "The program was created to provide vehicles to deserving non-profit organizations that are doing good things in their communities. Each of the selected winners is a testament to the outstanding missions of their respective organizations. We congratulate our first 25 winners and wish the remaining finalists in the running the best of luck."

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants, including one under construction.  Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.

Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed more than $500 million to philanthropic programs in the U.S.  

For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/community.

About Toyota Financial Services

TFS is the finance and insurance brand for Toyota in the United States, offering retail auto financing and leasing through Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and extended service contracts through Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS).  Lexus Financial Services is the brand for financial products for Lexus dealers and customers. TFS currently employs over 3,300 associates nationwide, and has managed assets totaling more than $87 billion.  It is part of a worldwide network of comprehensive financial services offered by Toyota Financial Services Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation.  For more information, please visit www.toyotafinancial.com.

Media Contact:
Tracy Segal
GolinHarris for Toyota
(213) 438-8781
[email protected]

SOURCE Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.