Kia Motors America And DonorsChoose.org Launch Back-to-School Giving Campaign Benefitting High-Need Schools Across The Country

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Kia Motors America (KMA) and DonorsChoose.org today launched a Back-to-School giving campaign to raise $3 million of support for high-need public schools across the country. For the second year in a row, KMA will make a matching contribution for each donation to eligible DonorsChoose.org projects during the month of September, empowering  "citizen philanthropists" to make a difference in the lives of students who need it most.  Building on the success of last year's inaugural campaign – which raised more than $2.1 million and benefitted nearly 500,000 public school students – Kia has partnered with dealers in six metro areas across the southern United States to increase the company's total financial commitment by 50 percent.

"Our first year of partnership with DonorsChoose.org was an overwhelming success, enlisting the assistance of more than 21,000 citizen philanthropists and improving the lives of nearly half a million students in need," said Michael Sprague, executive vice president, marketing & communications, Kia Motors America. "This year we wanted to do more, and with the help of our dealers, we're going to bring our two-year total impact on public education to $5 million, making a positive and lasting difference for students and teachers in all 50 states."    

In addition to KMA's national matching program, Kia dealerships in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa today launched similar matching campaigns that target public schools in each metropolitan area.  Together, the national and local programs are pledging more than $1.5 million in matching funds for project requests from high-need schools located near Kia's network of more than 765 retail showrooms across the country as well as schools near Kia's U.S. headquarters in Southern California and assembly plant in Southwest Georgia. All seven DYI programs are set to run through September.

"More than half a million students have benefitted from Kia's partnership with DonorsChoose.org, which has helped bring countless resources, such as books, microscopes, musical instruments and more, to classrooms in need," said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org.  "Kia's renewed commitment to DonorsChoose.org in 2013 means even more students can access high-quality education that better prepares them for a successful future." 

Individuals can join Kia, its dealers and DonorsChoose.org in supporting public school teachers and students by visiting www.DonorsChoose.org/Kia. For as little as $1, you can help provide the educational resources that teachers need to inspire and students need to learn.

Earlier this year, Kia highlighted the valuable work of DonorsChoose.org in a marketing integration with NBC's hit show "The Voice" and made a substantial contribution to the charity's efforts to rebuild 60 Oklahoma classrooms destroyed by tornadoes.

Kia:  One of the World's Fastest Moving Global Automotive Brands
Kia Motors America is one of only three auto brands to increase U.S. sales in each of the past four years, and in 2012 the company surpassed the 500,000 unit mark for the first time.  With a full line of fun-to-drive cars and CUVs, Kia is advancing value to new levels of sophistication by combining European-influenced styling – under the guidance of chief design officer Peter Schreyer – with cutting-edge technologies, premium amenities, affordable pricing and the lowest cost of ownership in the industry.  Kia recently joined the exclusive ranks of Interbrand's "Top 100 Best Global Brands," and is poised to continue its momentum with seven all-new or significantly redesigned vehicles scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2013.  Over the past decade Kia Motors has invested more than $1.4 billion in the U.S., including the company's first U.S. assembly plant in West Point, Georgia – Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia – which is responsible for the creation of more than 11,000 plant and supplier jobs.  The success of the U.S.-built* Optima and Sorento in two of the industry's largest segments has fueled Kia's rapid growth and is complemented by Kia's comprehensive lineup which includes the Cadenza flagship sedan, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Sportage compact CUV, Optima Hybrid, the Forte sedan, Forte5, and Forte Koup compacts, Rio and Rio 5-door sub-compacts and the Sedona minivan.

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 765 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA.  In 2012, KMA recorded its best-ever annual sales total and gained U.S. market share for the 18th consecutive year.  Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, advanced safety features and new technologies.

Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its website – 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 http://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 is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need.  Public school teachers from every corner of America post requests, and individuals can give directly to the ones that inspire them. To date, 152,000 public and charter school teachers have used DonorsChoose.org to secure $187 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn.

Visit www.donorschoose.org/intro to hear Oprah Winfrey and Stephen Colbert tell the DonorsChoose.org story.

SOURCE Kia Motors America