Ford Motor Company Fund Pledges $1 Million to American Red Cross

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 

• Ford Motor Company Fund announces $1 million pledge over two years to American Red Cross for disaster relief and career training for veterans and family members
   
• Through this grant, 200 veterans, those soon to leave military service, or their family members will receive scholarships for free training for a career in health care
   
• Healthcare Scholarships are available to military families in Detroit, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Nashville, Tenn. and Louisville, Ky.

Ford Motor Company Fund is pledging $1 million to the American Red Cross for workplace development training for veterans, military members and their families, as well as to disaster relief through the Red Cross Disaster Responder program.

In this two-year commitment, Ford's longstanding support of the American Red Cross is being expanded with 200 Blue Oval Scholarships for nurse assistant training in the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces program. These scholarships will enable veterans, or those soon to leave military service, and their families to receive training for careers in the health field in five cities: Detroit, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Nashville, Tenn. and Louisville, Ky. All are cities in Ford's Operation Goodwill program.

The Red Cross nurse assistant training program equips trainees to achieve state-level certification as nurse assistants and obtain sustainable and competitive employment. The program provides job development and work readiness resources as well as help for graduates to find employment.

"Ford's support allows us to extend our nurse assistant training program in five areas of the country and helps us serve a larger number of service members and their families," said Lynn Crabb, senior director of Policy and Programs, Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces.

"Recent government data show unemployment among post-9/11 veterans is at 9.7 percent," said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "This expansion of our Red Cross partnership provides deserving veterans and their family members the chance to build new careers in the nursing field, which is a win-win-win for them, the Red Cross and our communities." 

This support builds on $50,000 in Ford grants in the past two years for the southeastern Michigan region health care career training program and disaster services programs.

As part of this partnership, Ford also is joining the Red Cross Disaster Responder program and pledges donations on an ongoing basis in advance of major disasters, which helps the Red Cross ensure an immediate response to meet the needs of those affected by disasters of all sizes, at no cost and regardless of income.

In addition, Ford Motor Company is donating two Transit Connect vans to support crisis response in Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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. For more than 60 years, Ford Motor Company Fund has operated 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 national programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, 25,000 Ford employees and dealers work on projects each year that better their communities in more than 20 countries. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com.

About American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

SOURCE Ford Motor Company