Michigan-Based Dwarf Athletic Association of America Announced as Toyota Halftime Hand Off Donation Recipient

DETROIT, Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA) was announced as this week's winner in the Toyota Halftime Hand Off program, which awards $10,000 to deserving nonprofit organizations that use sports as a vehicle for change.  The announcement was made last night on NBC's game between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.

Each week, four organizations are profiled under the Halftime Hand Off tab on the Toyota Facebook page and fans may vote for the charity they feel is most deserving of support. This week's voting cycle included Playsmart, Road Runners Club of America and Treeswing, but DAAA was ultimately selected by the public to receive the donation from Toyota.

Founded in the Detroit area more than 25 years ago, the DAAA was created to develop, promote and provide quality amateur-level athletic competition opportunities for dwarf athletes in the United States. The organization is dedicated to serving the estimated quarter million people in America who have any of the more than 200 forms of dwarfism and encourage them to participate in sports.  The DAAA will be hosting the World Dwarf Games in East Lansing, Mich. in 2013.

"We appreciate this award money because it allows us to enrich our programs and bring them more to the local level," said Amy B. Andrews, board president of the DAAA and a Grosse Pointe resident.

Toyota Halftime Hand Off recipients are announced each week during the NBC Sunday Night Football halftime show and receive a $10,000 donation from Toyota to continue to inspire positive change in their local community. Toyota has committed to awarding a total of $150,000 during the 2011 NFL season.

The 60 nonprofit organizations participating in the program were determined by Causes.com in partnership with Toyota. Public voting for the Toyota Halftime Hand Off began September 21. Voters may cast one vote per day per voting cycle over the course of the program. Voting is limited to U.S. residents only. To learn more about the Toyota Halftime Hand Off, visit www.facebook.com/toyota.

About Toyota

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion.  Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than 1.76 million vehicles in 2010.  Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

SOURCE Toyota