GM Foundation Gives $100,000 to American Red Cross

DETROIT, April 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The General Motors Foundation is providing a $100,000 grant to the American Red Cross to aid emergency management officials with relief efforts, to help provide shelter and meals to those in need and help the organization prepare for and respond to disasters in Texas.

"The recent events in Boston and West, Texas, and the severe flooding impacting many Midwestern states remind us that disasters can happen at any time and it is critical that the Red Cross have the funds to help communities prepare and respond," said David Staszak, divisional vice president of Development at the American Red Cross. Annually, the Red Cross responds to more than 4,000 disasters in the state of Texas assisting nearly 6,000 families.

While headquartered in Detroit, GM has a significant presence in Texas.

"As home to our Arlington assembly plant, we count many Texans as family, friends and neighbors and want to help them in this time of great need," said Selim Bingol, vice president, GM Global Communications and Public Policy and Chairman of the GM Foundation. "All of us extend our condolences to those affected by the West, Texas tragedy. We hope that partnering with the Red Cross will help build more resilient communities across the state."

Since 2004, the GM Foundation has provided more than $7 million to global disaster relief efforts within the United States. In Texas, the GM Foundation last year provided nearly half a million dollars to colleges, nonprofit organizations and students across Texas through its Plant City Grants, Buick Achievers Scholarship Program and University Grants initiatives. In 2013, team GM Cares volunteers will help with neighborhood revitalization efforts in Arlington and Austin as part of the GM Foundation's $1 million grant to Habitat for Humanity International announced in January.

The GM Foundation is a member of the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program and helps to ensure that the Red Cross has funds on hand to provide immediate relief when disaster strikes.

Anyone interested in providing support to the disaster relief efforts can visit www.redcross.org for more information or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

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

About the GM Foundation
Since its inception in 1976, the GM Foundation has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to American charities, educational organizations and to disaster relief efforts worldwide. The GM Foundation focuses on supporting Education, Health and Human Services, Environment and Energy and Community Development initiatives, mainly in the communities where GM operates. Funding of the GM Foundation comes solely from GM. The last contribution to the GM Foundation was made in 2001. For more information, visit www.gm.com/gmfoundation.

SOURCE General Motors