Ford Volunteers, Community Partners Dig into Environmental Projects for a Better World

DEARBORN, Mich., May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 700 Ford volunteers are digging, chopping and hammering their way to complete community projects today in nine states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina and Washington. The Ford Accelerated Action Day projects are focused on the environment. 

MODEL Teams of Ford employee and retiree volunteers are assisting at shelters, soup kitchens, parks, nature preserves and community centers. Ford volunteers are planting gardens, installing rain barrels, creating trails, building birdhouses and bee boxes, and feeding the hungry.

"Ford volunteers are making important contributions to a better world by working together with our nonprofit partners to improve the environment and promote sustainability in our communities," said Robert Brown, vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. "We're committed to building a stronger business and a better world. It's part of Ford's legacy of social responsibility that has endured for more than 100 years."

Today's volunteer projects were selected by Ford's nonprofit agency partners. Ford is providing more than $110,000 in grants to purchase the tools and supplies needed to complete the work by the volunteers.

Organizations receiving grants in southeast Michigan include:

• Advanced Technology Academy, Dearborn: Build student-designed birdhouses
• Angels' Place, West Bloomfield: Build raised garden beds and install rain barrels
• Arbor Hospice, Ann Arbor: Build a gazebo, retreat space for families
• Boy Scouts D-bar-A Ranch, Metamora: Clean banks of stream and construct footbridge
• Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp., Detroit: Restore four baseball fields
• Habitat Huron Valley, Ann Arbor: Install kitchen cabinets, countertops and flooring in houses
• HAVEN, Pontiac: Create swales in organic garden to increase crop growth
• International Wildlife Refuge, Trenton: Build and install boardwalk and bike rack, plant trees
• Liberty Hill Housing, Wayne: Improve and restore landscaping at four homes
• Lutheran Child & Family Services, Farmington Hills: Install ecologically sound landscaping
• Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor: Correct trail erosion with stable gravel surface
• Recycle Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor: Utilize recycled materials to construct storage, work areas
• Salvation Army-Echo Grove Camp, Leonard: Construct boardwalk and footbridge in wetland
• Samaritan Center, Detroit: Develop outdoor play area and provide outdoor education space
• Starfish Family Services, Inkster: Prepare Grow and Learn Garden, build compost bins
• U-M Dearborn E.I.C., Dearborn: Construct wooden beehive boxes, build beekeepers shed
• Veterans Hospital, Detroit: Establish green space in rooftop Healing Garden for veterans
• YMCA Western Wayne, Inkster: Construct educational garden for Head Start children

The Ford Volunteer Corps again has joined forces with Ford GreenIT to collect unused computers and electronic equipment brought in by employees in southeast Michigan for recycling.

"It's a good feeling to help create a better world, and Ford volunteers bring positive energy and a commitment to the community with every project they tackle," said Janet Lawson, director, Ford Volunteer Corps. "We're proud to be able to help our neighbors in need."

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 American heritage 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 national programs that enhance high school 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 dozens of countries. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com.

SOURCE Ford Motor Company